King of the Mountain Series will make stop in Austria

The Jeep King of the Mountain Series will expand its presence beyond North America for its 14th season of competition as the four-event series will make a stop in Austria in mid-January.

THE JEEP KING OF THE MOUNTAIN SERIES will expand its presence beyond North America for its 14th season of competition as the four-event series will make a stop in Austria in mid-January.
    The Jeep King of the Mountain Series features 24 of the world's best ski and snowboard athletes battling one another on a unique Y-cross racecourse for the coveted title of World Professional Champion. The event offers the richest prize purse in the sport, with a payout topping $450,000 as well as $20,000 in bonus cash from John Paul Mitchell Systems and the keys to a new 2007 Jeep Patriot. Each event of the series will be broadcast on CBS Sports and via national syndication, providing tremendous exposure for the roster of Olympians, world champions and national champions.
    The format of the Skiing & Snowboarding World Professional Championships features six races held over four different event weekends from December through March. This includes two pure ski events, two pure snowboard events and two unique events that combine both skiing and snowboarding, making the Jeep King of the Mountain Series the first integrated racing program in North America. The race stops for 2006-2007 include:
    Dec. 2, 2006 – Snowbird, Utah
    Jan. 20, 2007 – Europa-Sportregion Zell am See-Kaprun, Salzburg, Austria
    Feb. 10, 2007 – Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
    March 3, 2007 – Telluride, Colorado
    The decision to expand into Europe is reflective of the Jeep King of the Mountain's allure to top competitors from across the globe. This season’s roster, scheduled for release in the coming weeks, will include athletes from Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
    "From our earliest days as a pure downhill series, to our transformation to a skiercross and snowboardcross format, international champions have been a fixture of the Jeep King of the Mountain Series,” said Henry Schneidman, president of Eclipse Television & Sports Marketing, producer of the Jeep King of the Mountain Series.
    “Heroes from past and present, such as Olympians Dieter Krassnig, (’06 Torino), Karin Ruby ('02 Salt Lake City), Jean-Luc Cretier ('98 Nagano), Josef Polig (’92 Albertville), Pirmin Zurbriggen ('88 Calgary), Leonard Stock (’80 Lake Placid) and Franz Klammer ('76 Innsbruck) helped create our legacy, and it's only fitting that our continued growth include expansion into Europe and other international destinations.”
    While competitors can expect to encounter distinct terrain based on the layout of each host mountain, one constant in the Jeep King of the Mountain Series will be the event’s innovative Y-cross racecourse. The course, which delivers high-speed excitement, requires equal parts instinct, patience and nerve from its challengers. For the first part of the course, two challengers must navigate the dual features section consisting of single and double rollers. Once through this section, the two courses converge into a single course, forming the approximate shape of a Y. The second section features terrain characteristics of skiercross or snowboardcross racing, including banked turns, jumps, and tabletops. Athletes must be able to work the terrain features in order to generate extra speed, use techniques such as NASCAR-style drafting, and feel comfortable with another racer literally breathing down their neck.
    The full lineup of competitors for the 2006-2007 season, as well as the CBS Sports airdates for each event, will be announced in the coming weeks.
    The Jeep King of the Mountain was established in 1993. Jeep is the title sponsor for the Jeep King of the Mountain Series. The Professional Skiing & Snowboarding World Championships are the sister competition to summertime’s Jeep King of the Mountain World Professional Mountain Biking Championships.