Stoneham (QC), Canada – Host of eight consecutive FIS World Snowboard Cups since 2005, this season Quebec’s Stoneham Mountain Resort will host the World Championships, on weekends from January 18 to 27.

This international event will be significant for spectators and athletes alike, as it’s a proving ground for many riders to gain entry to the next Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

Stoneham’s Olympic halfpipe is unique in the province of Québec and also the only Canadian National Halfpipe Training Center on the East Coast. This season, it has been lengthened from 130 to 145 meters to allow professional athletes to squeeze in an extra fifth jump in every run. Stoneham’s pipe now stands 19 meters wide and 6.7 meters high, with a 16.5° slope angle.

“We are happy to welcome the best snowboarders of the world, which is truly inspiring for our up and coming youngsters,” says Daniel Rochon, VP and General Manager for both Stoneham Mountain Resort and nearby Mont-Sainte-Anne. “Our team makes every effort to provide the infrastructures of highest standard for this important event.”

Slopestyle will now part of the Winter Olympics beginning in 2014. Integrated to the World Cup network since last year, the discipline is still young and for the occasion, Stoneham plans to increase the course’s difficulty level with larger and more spectacular features since last season. The ski resort’s snowmaking system has also been upgraded in anticipation of hosting the Championships. Resort officials estimate that more than 500 hours of mechanical work has been completed to build all structures needed to host the Championships, in addition to the hundreds of hours spent to shape the halfpipe.