The Ski Tour firms up plans for 4-event season

The winter competition scene just got a little hotter with a spectator-friendly, big-name skiing showcase set to debut.
    This winter, The Ski Tour plays out at four of America’s top resorts — Sun Valley, Idaho; Breckenridge Colorado; Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado; and Squaw Valley, California. The world’s best skiers will compete in skiercross or skier halfpipe competitions for $500,000 — the largest purse in skiing — while a gigantic concert venue will bring some of the nation’s biggest music acts to the heart of the mountains. All four events will be nationally televised (in one-hour shows) on network television.
THE WINTER COMPETITION scene just got a little hotter with a spectator-friendly, big-name skiing showcase set to debut.
    This winter, The Ski Tour plays out at four of America’s top resorts — Sun Valley, Idaho; Breckenridge Colorado; Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado; and Squaw Valley, California. The world’s best skiers will compete in skiercross or skier halfpipe competitions for $500,000 — the largest purse in skiing — while a gigantic concert venue will bring some of the nation’s biggest music acts to the heart of the mountains. All four events will be nationally televised (in one-hour shows) on network television.
     TST will feature an international field of world-class athletes, each having equal opportunity to win the largest payout in the sport — $125,000 each weekend. According to TST, athletes confirmed for the tour include Olympians Daron Rahlves, Erik Schlopy and Reggie Crist and X Games medalists Tanner Hall, CR Johnson, Simon Dumont and Zach Crist.
     “In recent years the sport of skiing has undergone radical change and progression. Skiing is back on the map and I feel it is at its best,” said Zach Crist. “With the creation of The Ski Tour, we now have a chance to showcase the reinvention of skiing to the masses.”
     In addition to the skiing competition, the BaseCamp Music Experience, presented in conjunction with The Ski Tour, will be the focal point of off-hill entertainment at each of the tour stops. BaseCamp will feature more than 30 bands and DJs, including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Blackalicious, Hinder, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Wailers, DJ Logic, DJ Jillian Ann, Swollen Members and Kamphire Collective.
    At most stops, these big-name acts will play in a centrally located, 14,000-square-foot heated pavilion, which will accommodate up to 3,000 people. This structure, erected in the center of town, will occupy a city block. In addition to hosting the headline concert, the pavilion will be the hub for all of the festivities, featuring an array of events throughout the weekend, including street party bonfires, the Limelight Film Festival, rail jams, VIP and athlete parties, locals bar parties, pro photo shootout parties, teen rock & roll parties and fashion shows.
    “Our goal with The Ski Tour is to broaden the market of people interested in skiing competition. But the way to do that is to not just focus on the competition,” said TST co-founder Kipp Nelson. “We’re going to take the entire ski experience — from the first chair to après to late-night entertainment — and turbo-charge it into a three-day cultural experience for everyone who loves the mountain lifestyle. If you’re only going to go skiing one weekend of the year, you want it to be one of these four.”
     The launch of TST comes at a pivotal time for skiercross and skier halfpipe, as skiercross is expected to join snowboardcross at the 2010 Olympics. TST founders want to see skier halfpipe follow suit. TST will put these sports into the national limelight, helping to promote them as viable Olympic sports.
    The Ski Tour (www.theskitour.com) is sponsored by Spyder, Paul Mitchell and Icebreaker clothing.
 
2007 schedule
Sun Valley, Idaho
Jan. 11-14
 
Breckenridge, Colorado
Feb. 1-4
 
Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado
Feb. 22-25
 
Squaw Valley, California
Tour Finals
March 8-11