Comox Valley (BC), Canada – The fifth edition of Darren Berrecloth’s Bearclaw Invitational Slopestyle takes place this August 2-4 at Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island.

The Bearclaw Invitational is the last Gold level stop on the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour. The B.C. ski and snowboard resort’s feature event presents an ideal opportunity for riders to distance themselves ahead of the rest of the field before heading into the final two Diamond level events of the season.

“This year’s course will be very similar to last seasons with a few tweaks included to spice things up,” explains rider/organizer Darren Berrecloth. “We have the big line setup for the boys to throw down and a new line for an amateur comp we’re hosting on the Friday before the main event on Saturday.”

The Bearclaw Invitational’s trademark is the quality of course design. Challenging and innovative, the course has morphed over the last few years into what Berrecloth describes as “a perfect site in the trees where riders, photographers, filmers and fans can all get stoked”.

Organic and burly, the event site last season was compared to an “Ewok village for freeride mountain biking” by riders and fans alike. Utilizing the same course with the same look and feel of 2011 was high on Berrecloth’s list of priorities.

And true to his word, a savings in course construction cost has now generated a substantial prize purse. The 2012 cash haul has been set at C$30,000, a $10,000 increase from the 2011 event. Vying for the prize include a who’s who of the FMB World Tour. This year’s rider list includes: 2011 tour champion Brandon Semenuk, Cam Zink, Sam Pilgrim, Martin Soderstrom, Anthony Messere, Mike Montgomery, Sam Reynolds, Thomas Genon, Cameron McCaul, Yannick Granieri, Greg Watts, Kurt Sorge, Darren Berrecloth, Geoff Gullevich, Amir Kabbani, Mitch Chubey, Antoine Bizet, Symon Godziek, Niki Leitner, Tyler McCaul, Peter Henkhe, Brett Rheeder, Andrew Taylor, Zedje Thomas, Casey Groves, Lance McDermott, Jakub Vencl, Graham Agassiz, Andreu Lacondeguy, Kyle Strait and Ryan Howard.

An amateur slopestyle event on Friday, August 3rd will provide the chance of a lifetime for many riders. The event will be limited to 60 competitors with the top two finishers moving on to ride at the pro level in the Bearclaw Invitational’s main event on Saturday, August 4th.

“I want to give the local shredders a chance to compete,” says Berrecloth. “The course will feature a medium sized drop to a big four pack with a quarter pipe to finish and on top of that, there will be some sweet prizing for the competitors.”

For more information and the full event schedule for the Bearclaw Invitational go to www.bearclawinvitational.com.