Salt Lake City, UT – Mountain Sports International (MSI), based in Salt Lake City, announced on Monday the schedule for the 2013 Subaru Freeride Series that features three 4-star Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) ski events for men and women.

The 2013 series events take place at: Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo. (Feb. 7-10); Moonlight Basin Resort, Mont. (March 14-17); and at the Subaru Freeride Nationals at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah (April 11-14).  Two 2-star Freeride World Qualifier events will also be held as part of the series at Crested Butte (Feb. 6-7) and at Snowbird (April 10-11).  The 2-star events provide an additional platform for athletes to earn Freeride World Qualifier points with the top men and women advancing to the corresponding day of 4-star competition.

“These premier 4-star events provide crucial opportunities for athletes hoping to qualify for the world tour,” said Event Director Bryan Barlow of Mountain Sports International. “We are excited to provide this opportunity on the country’s leading big mountain venues.”

The Freeride World Qualifier point system (FWQ) has been developed as part of the newly unified Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face (FWT). All FWT events are designated as 5-star events. FWQs range from 1 to 4-stars and enable athletes to earn a corresponding ratio of points based on their performance at competitions. Accumulated points immediately affect an athlete’s position on the FWT ranking system. The top ranked athletes will qualify to participate on the 2014 FWT.

The first ever FWT season will start with a roster of 36 prequalified male skiers, 14 male snowboarders, 14 female skiers and seven female snowboarders. Athlete qualification for the 2013 FWT has been designated by previous tour performance and rankings on the 2012 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding and Swatch Freeride World Tours. In the future, the FWT roster will be created through the FWQ point system granting FWT positions to athletes with the highest points on the FWT and regional Freeride World Qualifying events such as the Subaru Freeride Series. The 2013 season of FWQ competition will climax at the Freeride Nationals at Snowbird Ski Resort in April, the final opportunity for FWQ athletes to launch to the FWT.

Registration for Subaru Freeride Series will open Dec. 4, 2012. Riders will be able to create a profile and sign-up for the Subaru Freeride Series events of their choice through the Freeride World Qualifier registration system. Twenty-one days prior to the 4-star day of competition and 45 days prior to the 2-star event, registration for the events will close. Riders will then be determined off of the seeding list on the day registration closes.

2013 Subaru Freeride Series Registration Schedule:

For athlete information visit FWQ Americas on Facebook, follow the Subaru Freeride Series on Twitter at twitter.com/SubaruFreeride, or contact Julia Jimmerson, MSI athlete relations manager, at jjimmerson@mtsports.com or (801) 349-4616. A new website will be launched soon.