Taos Ski Valley, NM - Long known as a skier’s-only paradise, New Mexico's Taos Ski Valley announced earlier this season that the resort would be throwing open its doors to snowboarders for the first time ever on March 19. But some of the world’s best riders now have the chance to get a sneak preview of Taos’ terrain during the Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships. The event, which is the largest skiing competition in New Mexico, has added a snowboarding division. Kicking off over a week prior to the official opening of Taos to single plank riders, the competition runs from March 6 – 8.
“We are really excited to add a snowboarding division to the event,” says Taos’ Alejandro Blake. “We’ve been proud to host some of the best skiers in the world here for the New Mexico Extremes and the inclusion of some of snowboarding’s top big-mountain riders will add an exciting new dimension to the competition.”
“Including snowboarding was a no-brainer,” adds Chief of Race Tom Winter. “All the big-mountain freeriding events that I’ve been involved with in the past have included snowboarding and the camaraderie between the athletes regardless of what tools they choose to compete with has been amazing. We look forward to continuing that stoke here at Taos.”
Event organizers are currently accepting applications from snowboard athletes to compete this year. While the event is not an invitational as such, “we’re looking for individuals who have prior competition experience and who have done well,” says Blake.
“This is not an entry-level event,” adds Winter. “The consequences of a mistake on many of the venues are huge and it’s important that athletes who wish to compete in the Snowboard division during this inaugural year have solid resumes.”
