Following an incredible competition at Snowbird which featured some of the highest quality riding since the tour’s inception, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding presented by PrimaLoft® and Swatch returns to Crystal Mountain, WA for its second stop February 6-9, 2011. With 3,100 feet of vertical and 367 inches of annual snowfall, the sprawling expanse of the ski terrain flows over half a dozen peaks and basins and lends itself to seemingly limitless variations including challenging steeps, glades, chutes, bowls and expansive backcountry. Tentative venues include Northway and The King, and competitors like Xavier de Le Rue, Aaron Robinson, Ralph Backstrom, Matt Annetts, last year’s women’s champ Shannan Yates, and Maria DeBari, who took first for women in Snowbird, will be battling it out for the prized Katana sword.
“We’re really looking forward to hosting The North Face Masters again,” said Tiana Enger, Sales & Marketing Director for Crystal Mountain, Inc. “It’s a fun event that brings new and exciting energy to the mountain and I can’t wait to see what the riders throw down this year.”
The North Face Masters, owned by Mountain Sports International and The North Face, will collaborate for the first time with the Freeride World Tour, owned by FWT Management SA, presenting The North Face Masters of Snowboarding presented by PrimaLoft® and Swatch at Crystal Mountain, WA February 6-9, 2011. This is the first step in a potentially wider cooperation between the two parties with the aim being to create more opportunities for big mountain snowboarders around the world to compete at the highest level.
The men's and women's snowboard competition in Crystal Mountain, WA will be an integral element of the respective tours with riders from both tours competing, and results counting towards both ranking systems, although the competition will be judged based on The North Face Masters format. For more information, visit www.freerideworldtour.com or www.thenorthfacemasters.com.
About The North Face Masters presented by PrimaLoft® and Swatch
The North Face Masters is an open, three-stop, competitive snowboarding tour providing the best big mountain snowboarders in the world with an all-natural stage to express skill, creativity and athleticism. In an arena designed and built by Mother Nature, it’s a unique opportunity for elite riders to mix style with cliffs, chutes, and powder. Athletes are judged based on their lines, control, fluidity, creativity and style; 2010 winners Aaron Robinson and Shannon Yates excelled in these areas. In addition to the $15,000 cash prize purse at each stop of the tour, TNF Masters also recognizes riders under the age of 25 that demonstrate raw talent and innovation in their riding style for the Young Gun Award. One Young Gun is selected at each Masters stop, as well as a series overall; award recipients embody the big mountain riding culture and are the future of the sport.
The North Face Masters of Snowboarding at Crystal Mountain is presented by PrimaLoft® and Swatch and is supported by The North Face, Subaru of America, Mountain Sports International, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Scott, Comcast Sportsnet, Snowboard Magazine, Clif Bar, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Crystal Mountain and Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
