Snowbird, UT (Tuesday, January 21, 2003) - Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort will host the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals presented by Amstel Light, Jan. 21-26. The event will include a big mountain freeskiing event and a skiercross event. This is the sixth year that Snowbird has held the Freeskiing Nationals and the second year the Little Cottonwood Canyon resort has hosted the skiercross.

"The terrain at Snowbird is exceptional for a big mountain contest - challenging steeps and glades, good cliffs, the competitors love it," said Andy Love, Mountain Sports International Event Director. "Snowbird also has a great location above the lower parking lot, where people can easily access the finish of our skiercross event."

The events get under way Wednesday, Jan. 22, with a single-day qualifier to invite approximately 25 additional athletes to compete against the 2002 pre-qualified athletes in the World Tour event. The World Tour Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals will be held on the weekend of Jan. 25-26. In years past, the competition has been held on Mt Baldy, but organizers refrain from disclosing the exact venue locations based on weather and snow conditions until the night prior to the contest. The skiercross event will be held in Gad Valley Friday, Jan. 24. The Skiercross event will qualify athletes for
the 2004 ESPN Winter X Games.

One hundred and twenty of the best freeskiing athletes from 14 states and provinces and eight countries will compete for over $25,000 in cash and prizes. These men and women from around the globe will travel to Snowbird, Utah, to test their abilities against some of the best all around skiers of our generation. The Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals is the second stop on the International Free Skiers Association World Tour. The first stop was Jan. 7-12 in Whistler, BC, Canada, and the World Tour Freeride Finals will be held in Les Arcs, France March 3-7.

Attending the event are 2002 Nationals defending champions, Jamie Burge of Northstar, Calif. and Guerlain Chicherit of Tignes, France and 2002 IFSA World Tour Champions Hugo Harrisson and Jennifer Ashton both from Whistler, Canada. Local Utah favorites include Rick Greener of Alta/Snowbird, who finished third in the event last year. Alta/Snowbird skier Linda Peterson finished fourth in 2002, and additional Utah competitors include Will Burks, Jamie Blair, Brant
Moles, Carlo Travarelli, Chris Paulding and Laura Ogden.

What are Big Mountain Freeskiing & Skiercross Competitions?

Unlike ski racing, where a course is set up for the competitor, big mountain freeskiing (formerly "extreme" skiing) allows a competitor to utilize the features existing on the mountain between the start house and the finish area. Competitors use areas such as cliffs, steeps and skiing speed to increase the difficulty of their run. Freeskiing is a judged competition that requires five judges to evaluate the competitor on five categories: line choice, control, fluidity, technique, and aggression. There are 10 possible points in each category, an averaged total of 50 points possible per run. There are three runs scheduled for the main event. All competition venues at the Snowbird event are accessible to skiers and snowboarders of intermediate ability level with a lift ticket. Skiercross is a full-featured, man-made, racecourse in which four to five athletes simultaneously leave a single start and navigate burms, whoops, their own speed and jumps to surpass their fellow competitors. The goal is to advance through a series of heats to reach and win the final heat.