November 30, 2012

Copper’s 22-foot superpipe opens for the 2012/13 season

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — November 30, 2012 — Copper Mountain will open its 22’ Main Vein Superpipe today, Nov. 30. Top athletes and national teams

words: Snowboard Magazine

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — November 30, 2012 — Copper Mountain will open its 22’ Main Vein Superpipe today, Nov. 30. Top athletes and national teams from around the globe have anxiously waited for the unveiling of the world’s first superpipe this season. Main Vein will serve as the only Olympic-sized 22ft venue available to athletes prior to the competition season, a training opportunity complemented by Woodward at Copper, an indoor training facility dedicated to terrain park and pipe progression.

Copper’s 22’ Main Vein Superpipe will host the first halfpipe freeskiing competition of the season, The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series (PPOS), December 8-9. Inviting both amateurs and pros to compete, the Copper Mountain stop of the PPOS will be an International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctioned NORAM CUP event with athletes earning FIS points. PPOS is a grassroots pipeline for athletes hoping to develop their skills and eventually qualify for top-level competitions such as the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix and the Winter Olympics. The Grand Prix is a 5Star World Snowboarding event and a platinum AFP (Association of Freeskiing Professionals) event and will be returning to Copper Mountain January 9-12, 2013, debuting on the FIS World Cup schedule in both freeskiing and snowboarding halfpipe and slopestyle.

“I have been anticipating the start of this season more than any in the past. It’s really exciting to get the ball rolling on the Olympic qualifying process and Copper will be a large part of that,” explains professional halfpipe skier Jen Hudak. “Not only is their pipe one of the first to open every year, but they host a Grand Prix event that will earn us qualifying FIS points for our eligibility to compete in the Games in 2014. It’s a great place for us to be able to train.”

Coinciding with The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series, Copper Mountain celebrates its 40th Anniversary Dec. 7-9. Specials throughout the weekend include $40 lift tickets, $40 Woodward Intro Sessions, $40 off Ski & Ride School Lessons, $40 rentals for two, and many more.

U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding athletes will gather at Copper Mountain on Saturday, Dec. 8 for the annual U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding team naming event at 2:45 p.m. followed by a free concert by the Neil Diamond cover band, Super Diamond at 3 p.m. in Burning Stones Plaza. Enter to win a private meet and greet with America’s snowboarding and freeskiing Olympic hopefuls at www.facebook/CopperMtn, www.facebook.com/US-Freeskiing, or www.facebook.com/ussnowboarding.

Visit CopperColorado.com for terrain updates, snow reports, lodging steals, event details, and more. Stay in the loop all year long at www.facebook.com/CopperMtn or @CopperMtn on Twitter.