Many of the top international names in elite freeskiing are now confirmed for the inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games which take place on 21-30 August 2009. These include possibly the world’s best-known freeskier, Jon Olsson from Sweden, who is the star attraction at the closing event of the Games, the Queenstown Resort College Big Air on 30 August at Coronet Peak.Olsson (27) is renowned for his invention of seemingly impossible double flips – two separate flips during one air - the most famous one being a double flatspin 900 which won him gold in the Big Air at the 2008 Winter X Games.

Heading the Kiwi charge is former World Superpipe Champion and X Games slopestyle silver medallist Jossi Wells (17) of Wanaka who will compete in all three disciplines of slopestyle, halfpipe and big air.

From across the Tasman are two strong Australian contenders for the men’s and women’s slopestyle title. Russ Henshaw took out the European Open championship title in 2008 while Anna Seagal is an X Games gold medallist and former US Open champion. Olsson’s fellow countrymen, Henrik Harlaut and Jacob Wester will also add considerable interest to the slopestyle event as current European champion and X Games bronze medallist respectively, as will Tom Wallisch (USA) fresh from his 2009 Dew Tour slopestyle victory.

France is also well represented with current world halfpipe number one and World Halfpipe Champion, Kevin Rolland together with Xavier Bertoni, X Games gold medallist and current world number two. They are joined by Anais Caradeux who is currently ranked number two on the women’s tour. All three will compete in the halfpipe event with Bertoni and Rolland also taking on the testing slopestyle course at The Remarkables.

Despite being only 17, Megan Gunning is Canada’s top female halfpipe rider and is ranked number three in the world with an impressive number of World Cup podiums already under her belt. She will also compete in both the slopestyle and big air. Also from North America, Matt Philippi (USA), winner of the 2009 European Open Halfpipe championships will have his eye on gold but will first have to contend with the strongest freeski field ever seen in New Zealand.

The freeski slopestyle competition kicks off the mountain events at 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games at The Remarkables on Saturday 22 August from 9.00am. The freeski halfpipe will take place at Cardrona Alpine Resort on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August. The Queenstown Resort College Big Air will start from 12 noon on Sunday 30 August at Coronet Peak. All three events are part of the AFP World Tour which means results from the Games will be considered when selections are made for the 2010 Winter X Games.

The inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games will take place at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Farm, Naseby and Dunedin from 21-30 August 2009. It will feature disciplines of alpine skiing, free skiing, x-country skiing, snowboarding, curling, ice skating and adaptive snow sports as well as the demonstration sports of winter triathlon and natural luge. For further information visit www.wintergamesnz.com.

Tignes, France - ESPN, CANAL + Events and Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort announced today that together they will launch the first Winter X Games Europe March 10-12, 2010. The event will be the first Winter X Games held outside the United States. A definitive list of the world’s top winter action sports athletes will be invited to France to compete for medals and prize money in eight different competitions over three days, including Ski and Snowboard SuperPipe and Slopestyle for men and women as well as a Snowmobile demonstration.

CANAL + Events CEO, Jean Louis Dutaret said, “We are delighted to work with ESPN and the X Games team to bring the Winter X Games to Europe. CANAL + Events and the ESPN events team will draw on all their experience to ensure this is the biggest and best winter sports event in Europe in 2010. As for soccer, rugby and many sports, CANAL + Group will consider X Games as a global project, including TV, Internet and mobile. In a Winter Olympic year, and only a few weeks after athletes have competed in Vancouver, fans in Europe will again be able to watch the top names in the world compete head to head.”

“Nothing could be more justified than Tignes as the host resort of the first Winter X Games Europe. Tignes, the sportiest European ski resort, is always at the forefront of action and freestyle winter sports,” said Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort Manager, Sebastien Merignargues.

Rick Alessandri, ESPN Senior Vice President and Managing Director, X Games Franchise said, “Working with CANAL + and Tignes, and drawing on more than 10 years experience of running the Winter X Games in the United States, we are excited to bring winter action sports fans in Europe the best action sports event they will see in 2010. This first event outside the U.S. reflects the continued global growth of the X Games franchise as well as the progression of action sports in Europe.”

CANAL + Networks (CANAL +, CANAL + SPORT, Sport +) will show the Winter X Games in France and French-speaking territories (Caribbean, French speaking Africa) live or on delay so that those unable to come to Tignes will be able to see the event. ESPN will be responsible for all distribution outside of France.

Snowsport GB will launch their new talent identifying initiative ‘Talent Trail’ at this year’s Metro Ski and Snowboard Show, being held at London’s Olympia from Wednesday 22 until Sunday 26 October. The scheme aims to identify potential skiing stars of the future by working with the British Ski Schools, Clubs & Academies to identify the up and coming talent which will then be fed into Britain’s elite training programmes.
The goal of the scheme is for the highly qualified coaches and instructors working in the Ski Schools and Clubs to talent-spot on behalf of British Ski Team Coaches, encourage talented youngsters to start ski racing and to progress onto training programmes run by either British Ski Academies in the Alps or their Home Nation Governing Body – Snowsport England, Snowsport Scotland or Snowsport Wales. The ultimate aim is to create a pool of talented racers to feed into the British Alpine Ski Teams.

The Talent Trail stand at the Metro Ski and Snowboard show will be staffed by Duncan Freshwater, Performance Director of Snowsport GB and Gareth Trayner, Head Coach of the British Children’s Team and member of Team GB at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Joining them will be current British Alpine Ski Team members Alain Baxter and Andy Noble, as well as representatives from British Ski Schools, Clubs and Academies.
To help Snowsport GB in their search for the next skiing champion, the Ski Club of Great Britain will be calling on members and recreational skiers alike to let themselves be known if they feel they think they have the talent to be the next big thing in snowsports - or indeed if they think they have children with potential. The Ski Club will play a key role alongside coaches and British ski schools in trying to help Britain identify its future champions using its website www.skiclub.co.uk to communicate with the wider snowsport community.

The Metro Ski and Snowboard Show attracts over 35,000 visitors annually, making it one of the largest shows of its kind in the world and the ideal venue to launch the Talent Trail initiative - Snowsport GB are hoping to find future ski champions in the crowd this year!

Between them, the Clubs, Ski Schools and Academies have helped thousands of young British skiers get started racing – so they know talent when they see it! Everyone involved in Talent Trail is excited to be involved on the Performance Pathway – taking kids from their first lessons on their first ski holiday right through to competing at the level of number one British female skier Chemmy Alcott.
Duncan Freshwater, Performance Director for Snowsport GB said “the show is a fantastic opportunity for any budding skiers to find out more about the sport .This is the first year that all the groups involved in the Talent Trail initiative will be together at the show – from the grassroots level of the excellent British Ski Schools through to the professional athletes and coaches”

This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who thinks that they might have the next Bode Miller on their hands to discuss how best to help their kids progress in this amazing sport. The Talent Trail stand will be on the gallery level at Olympia this year at stand G172 alongside Snowsport GB Sponsor Citizen Watch UK Ltd who will be offering the opportunity to win one of their watches every day of the show to visitors to the Talent Trail

For more information on Talent Trail see www.snowsportgb.com.talenttrail

For more information on the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show see www.metrosnow.co.uk

Just a quick announcement to say that the following riders have been invited to do the 5 day demo’s at the Metro Ski & Snowboard Show at Olympia in London 22nd-26th October 2008.

SNOWBOARDERS:

NUDDS, ANDY - WESTBEACH ENDEAVOR
SHACKLETON, JACK - RIP CURL 32 ETNIES
CULLUM, SAM - DC OAKLEY RIDE ARCUS
NICHOLLS, JAMIE - SALOMON BONFIRE NIKE6.0 SNO!ZONE
KNOX, SPARROW - NIKE6.0 FORUM

FREESKIERS:

WAKEFIELD, MIKE - OAKLEY
GRAHAM, PADDY - NIKE ACG
WEBB, JAMES - ATOMIC ANIMAL JOHNNIKE
MACHON, JAMES - SMITH SKICLUB LINE DROP
WOODS, JAMES - SALOMON NIKE 6.0

The above were selected because they can ride snowflex and by cross referencing results from the British Big Air & Slopestyle Championship results for the Brits in Laax 2008, British Big Air Championships from Halifax 2008 and on general performance throughout the season.

The British Invitational Championships held on Friday 24th October at the Metro show will also be inviting a further 7 snowboarders & 7 Skiers to join the above riders. 2 snowboarders & 2 skiers will be able to qualify for this event at the Quiksliver British Big Air Championships held at Milton Keynes on the 27th September as part of the British Snow Tour

Full press release and format coming nearer the time…