The Ski Tour (TST) organizers applaud IOC decision to add skiercross
as official sport at Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Four-stop tour set to draw world's best
skiercross athletes to compete for $250,000 prize purse
Four hours of network
television coverage planned for TST
Sun Valley, ID, December 6, 2006— Leaders in the action sports
industry say timing on the IOC's decision to add Skiercross to the 2010
Olympics couldn't be better.
"Skiercross was created in the
U.S. and now that the IOC has named
it as a new Olympic event, interest in the States will soar," said TST
co-founder Kipp Nelson. "It's a racing format that suits our culture. Simple
and exciting, it puts four racers on the hill at once and first one to the finish
wins. Since Skiercross is the racing format for the new Ski Tour, no longer
will Olympic format ski racing only be held in
Europe
in January, February, and March. The world's best will be competing in the
U.S. during the
heart of the winter."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the
addition of Skiercross for the 2010 Winter Olympics, in a meeting in
Kuwait
City
on Nov. 28. Skiercross, referred to by the IOC as Skicross and the Winter X
Games as Skier X, has a strong following through the former U.S. Skiercross
Series run by Mountain Sports International (MSI), the Winter X Games, the
Salomon Crossmax Series and the highly anticipated Ski Tour which is set to
debut in January 2007 in Sun Valley, ID.
"We are thrilled with the acceptance of Skiercross into the
2010 Olympics, especially with the timing of The Ski Tour," said MSI President
and CEO
Adam Comey. "MSI has spent
the past six years developing, producing and promoting Skiercross events in
North America and we are pleased that both the sport and
its athletes will have the opportunity to compete at the Olympic level."
An exciting sport for participants and spectators,
Skiercross features four to six skiers racing simultaneously down a technically
demanding course which resembles a moto-cross track, with man-made and natural
rollers, jumps, banked turns and tabletops. With a single elimination format,
the fastest two skiers to cross the finish line first advance to the next round
until the final heat determines the winner.
"The snow skiing version of Motorcross is Skiercross," said
Olympian and former U.S. Ski Team Member Daron Rahlves. "To be featured in the
2010 Olympics shows how the sport has grown. I'm looking forward to competing
on The Ski Tour for the 2007 season and am interested to see how it
evolves with the USSA and IOC's support. I've been to the Olympics three times
in Alpine Skiing and it's a huge deal. I'm excited to get involved with this
sport and have some fun."
Snowboard Cross made its first Olympic appearance at the
2006 Winter Games in
Torino and drew big
crowds and excellent television ratings. Skiercross has quickly become popular
around the world and is gaining momentum. The Ski Tour will see an
international field of the world's best Skiercross skiers compete for a prize
purse of over $250 000—the largest purse in skiing—while the BaseCamp Music
Experience (a gigantic concert venue) will bring some of the nation's biggest
music acts to the heart of the mountains. Some of the Athletes confirmed for
the tour include Olympians Daron Rahlves, Eric Schlopy, and Reggie Crist and X
Games medalist
Zach Crist.
The Ski Tour plays out at four of
America's
top resorts—
Sun Valley,
Idaho;
Breckenridge
Colorado; Aspen/Snowmass,
Colorado; and Squaw Valley,
California. All four events will be nationally
televised (in one-hour shows) on network television.
"Competitive skiing has evolved dramatically over the past
10 years, yet the X Games has been about the only place to see it. Now the
Olympics and The Ski Tour will bring skiing's revolution to the masses," said
Winter X Games Skiercross Gold Medalist
Zach Crist.
For The Ski Tour photos, videos, athlete bios, competition
schedules, music updates, and more, visit the newly re-launched Ski Tour
website www.theskitour.com
Media Inquiries and for more information
contact:
Keith Carlsen
Director of Marketing, PR, &
Communications
Mountain Sports International
keith@mtsports.com
801-349-4632
