Salt Lake City, UT – Organizers of the former Junior Freeskiing Tour have announced a new name and new schedule for the 2013 edition.  Now titled the Junior Freeride Tour (JFT), the name change reflects the tour’s position in the Freeride World Qualifier point system and the inclusion of snowboarding at some tour stops.

The 2013 Junior Freeride Tour features four U.S. stops: Crystal Mountain, Wash. (Jan. 25-27); Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo. (Feb. 15-17); Squaw Valley, Calif. (March 8-10) and the New Mexico Junior Freeride Championships at Taos Ski Valley (March 29-30). Top ranked juniors, ages 15-17 as of June 1, 2012, participating in JFT events will qualify to compete at the Junior Freeride World Championships by The North Face at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah April 3-7, 2013.

The Squaw Valley, Taos Ski Valley and the Junior Freeride World Championships by The North Face will include snowboarding in addition to skiing competition. Riders participating in each Junior Freeride Tour stop earn 2-star Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) points. The JFT stops are the only events where points earned by a competitor during their final year carry over to the adult FWQ point system when they leave the junior division.

“The passion and demand for junior big mountain competition by our athletes, parents and coaches has motivated us to take this tour format to the next level,” said FWT Tour Director Bryan Barlow of series organizer Mountain Sports International (MSI). “We are thrilled to announce a junior system that gives athletes a pipeline to adult competition on a global scale.”

Each rider’s top two results during the season will be used to qualify athletes for the Junior Freeride World Championships by The North Face. Simultaneously, Freeride Junior events will be organized in Europe in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France (Jan. 26), Fieberbrunn-Pillerseetal, Austria (March 9) and Verbier, Switzerland (March 23). The best juniors from Europe will join their North American friends to compete at the Junior Freeride World Championships at the end of the season. The championships will alternate each season between North America and Europe with this season’s event taking place on the prolific steeps of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah.  

Registration for the 2013 Junior Freeride Tour will open Dec. 5 for one week. A prequalified athlete list based off of results from the 2012 Junior Freeskiing Tour will be distributed in advance of open registration. Event organizers will ensure spots will be allocated to teams and local athletes.

Each registrant will need to purchase a Freeride World Qualifier membership to participate in the tour season. A single event registration fee is $10 and a season license is $25. Athletes 15-17 may register for the Junior Freeride Tour and New Mexico Junior Freeride Championships pending they were of age prior to or on June 1, 2012.

For athlete or registration information visit  www.jrfreeskiing.com.

2013 Junior Freeride Tour Schedule: