Burr Ridge, IL – The Gatorade Free Flow Tour today announced the complete schedule for the 2011 winter season. Returning for its second year, the Tour offers up-and-coming amateur snowboard and freeski athletes under 21 the chance to earn a pre-qualified spot in next season’s Winter Dew Tour. Hosting a total of 54 contests at ten ski resort terrain parks this winter, the Tour officially kicks off Jan. 15 in Wrightwood, Calif. at Mountain High Resort. Registration is now open to competitors.n“We’re looking forward to building upon the success of the Gatorade Free Flow Tour’s inaugural winter season, and to see the first crop of winter champions compete at the Winter Dew Tour this December,” said Gatorade action sports team manager, Carla Hess. “We’ve seen the momentum carry over from summer, and anticipate similar growth with our second year in the winter scene.”
The Gatorade Free Flow Tour will showcase top amateur winter athletes competing in snowboarding (slopestyle and superpipe) and freeskiing (slopestyle and superpipe). Snowboarding disciplines will have separate competitions for men and women, while the freeski contests will be open to both.
The 10-event schedule will include resorts in all areas of the United States – the East and West Coasts, the Midwest, and the Rocky and Wasatch Mountains. Open to all amateur snowboarders and freeskiers 21 and younger, registration for the Tour is now available at www.gatoradefreeflowtour.com.
In addition to the main contests, each stop of the Gatorade Free Flow Tour will also include a Junior division, offering separate rail jam and superpipe contests for snowboard and freeski competitors 13 and under. The Junior Jam will take place prior to each of the Gatorade Free Flow Tour’s Open Division competitions, giving young amateurs valuable contest experience.
Tour officials are encouraging early registration as there are limited spots for all competitions. There is a $20 registration fee for one day of competition and a $30 registration fee to compete both days at a tour stop. Registration fees do not include lift tickets. All of the events include both slopestyle and superpipe competitions with the exception of Mountain High, Calif., and Holiday Valley, N.Y., where only slopestyle contests will be held.
The winners in each of the 54 contests (30 slopestyle and 24 superpipe) will be flown to the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals, taking place in conjunction with the Winter Dew Tour’s Toyota Championship, Feb. 12-13 at Snowbasin Resort in Utah. The two overall snowboard superpipe and slopestyle champions and the overall freeski superpipe and slopestyle champions will earn a spot to compete against the pros at the first stop of the 2011-12 Winter Dew Tour the following season.
2011 Gatorade Free Flow Tour Schedule:
- Jan. 15, 2011 – Mountain High Resort – Wrightwood, Calif. – slope
- Jan. 15-16, 2011 – Vail Mountain Ski Resort – Vail, Colo. – pipe, slope
- Jan. 22-23, 2011 – Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area – Mount Horeb, Wis. – pipe, slope
- Jan. 22-23, 2011 – Okemo Mountain Resort – Ludlow, Vt. – pipe, slope
- Jan. 29-30, 2011 – Mount Bachelor – Bend, Ore. – pipe, slope
- Jan. 29-30, 2011 – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – Teton Village, Wyo. – pipe, slope
- Jan. 29-30, 2011 – Killington Resort – Killington, Vt. – pipe, slope
- Feb. 5, 2011 – Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort – Twin Bridges, Calif. – pipe, slope
- Feb. 5-6, 2011 – Brighton Resort – Brighton, Utah – pipe, slope
- Feb. 5-6, 2011 – Holiday Valley – Ellicottville, N.Y. – slope
- Feb. 12-13, 2011 – Snowbasin Resort** – Ogden, Utah – pipe, slope
** Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals held in conjunction with the Winter Dew Tour’s Toyota Challenge.