Big Sky, MT – The first of three Subaru Freeride Series big mountain ski competition stops will take place next week at Moonlight Basin Resort. The event will feature top male and female freeskiers in two days of full-throttle competition on some of Montana’s most technical mountain slopes.

“The Subaru Freeride Series is the premier North American avenue for freeride athletes aspiring to advance into the highest event tier of the sport, the Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT),” said FWT Announcer Max Kuszaj.

Located in Big Sky, Mont., Moonlight Basin has almost 2,000 acres of skiing which is blanketed by 400 inches of average annual snowfall.  “The Headwaters” area, located on the north cirque of Lone Mountain, consists of steep buttresses, cliffs, and gullies-all combining to form an extremely technical 1,500 vertical foot competition venue.

The Subaru Freeride Series is a part of the new global Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) point system. The system 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.

After Moonlight Basin, the series will continue to Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo. (March 27-31) and the Subaru Freeride Nationals at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah (April 11-14).

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