Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships 2008
Taos Announces Dates For 2008 Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships:
Legendary Event Will Run March 6-8, 2008
Taos Ski Valley is proud to host the 2008 Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships for the third straight time. This big-mountain competition will be held from March 6 to 8 on Taos' famed steep terrain, with venues including the ragged chutes and cliffs of the West Basin and the incomparable Kachina Peak.
The event attracts some of freeskiing's top athletes including competitors from across North America, Canada, Japan and Europe. Last year the competition was particularly heated, with nearly 100 athletes chasing their share of the $10,000 purse. "We were able to run the final day off of the top of Kachina venue last year and the venue was fantastic for both the athletes and spectators," says Chief of Race Tom Winter. "Taos has world-class terrain and the athletes know that and put on a real show for the crowds," adds Winter. "It's one of the highlights of the International Freeskiers Association's North American Tour and I'm sure that we'll see another fantastic turnout again this year."
As was the case in previous incarnations of this event, competitors will move through a variety of qualifying days, with top finishers advancing to the next round to ski more difficult venues. Competitors are judged on degree of difficult of line, aggression, fluidity, control, and style by a panel of five judges. The field is progressively cut until only the top athletes remain to compete on the final day.
"It's intense to watch," says Taos' Alejandro Blake, Event Coordinator for the Ski Valley. "The athletes know that the slightest mistake can knock them out of the competition, but they have to ski aggressively if they want to advance. People definitely put it all on the line when they're competing in Taos."
With the March dates set, the gauntlet has been thrown down for the best skiers in North America to do their thing at Taos next winter. Log onto skitaos.org for more information or to register for one of the most prestigious events in freeskiing.
Contacts:
Alejandro Blake
Taos Ski Valley, Inc.
Phone 575-776-2291 ext. 1436
amb@skitaos.org
Tom Winter
Chief of Race
303-525-7767
tom@freeskier.com