Oslo, Norway – Following the success of the first World Championships of Snowboarding (WCS) in 2012 in Oslo, the next edition will take place in the ski resort of Yabuli in northeastern China.

“I am very excited to go to the WCS in Yabuli! Not only do I get to defend my Slopestyle title, but I can help push the sport of snowboarding in China in a major way,” said Chas Guldemond, a New Hampshire native and current Lake Tahoe resident who was crowned the 2012 Slopestyle World Champion and serves as a member of the TTR Pro Snowboarding Board. “Snowboarding is growing really fast in China. I was able to witness that myself, when I visited for the third edition of Oakley Air & Style in Beijing. With that experience in mind, I don’t see any better place to have the WCS than Yabuli. They have the terrain, support, and are very eager to show this awesome sport to Chinese youth and the rest of the world.”

TTR Pro Snowboarding and the World Snowboard Federation (WSF), the event’s organizer and rights owners, announced the host resort and schedule today in conjunction with the 6Star event being held in Oslo, The Arctic Challenge. Competitions, scheduled to run from Feb. 21 through Mar. 13, 2016, will be held in the disciplines of Slopestyle and Halfpipe for both women and men, and for the first time, Big Air for men.

Yabuli Resort won a 12-month bidding process in a unanimous vote from board members of TTR/WSF after demonstrating its capability and commitment to host the event in 2016.

“The decision in favor of Yabuli in China represents a major step forward in our ambition to establish the World Championships of Snowboarding as the world´s most respected snowboarding contest and bring back full control over snowboarding to snowboarders,” said Reto Lamm, President of TTR Pro Snowboarding. “To have our next World Championships in China is a great chance for snowboarding and a great opportunity to develop one of the most promising growing winter sports markets. As WCS company, and in the name of TTR and WSF, it is important for us to spread the authentic spirit of snowboarding globally – to Yabuli and the Heilongjiang province, and beyond. I am very excited to see snowboarding’s youth lifestyle blend with Chinese culture and I am sure that the WCS 2016 will become a great showcase event for our sport.”

Yabuli is one of China’s major winter sports resorts. It is located in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, a two-hour train ride from the provincial capital of Harbin, a city of 3.5 million that’s world famous for its annual ice sculpture festival. Reliable snowfall has blessed Yabuli with a rich tradition in winter sports, especially considering that skiing and snowboarding are relative newcomers to China. The resort has experience hosting major international sport contests, including Winter Universiade and World Cup events.

“We have full confidence that our skill and enthusiasm, combined with the guidance and assistance of TTR and WSF will result in a splendid event in 2016,” added Zhou Yi Yun, General Manager of Yabuli Resort. “We would like to say ‘welcome’ to all the riders, snowboarding fans and everyone present today, to come to Yabuli and witness this great event.’’