DESTINATIONS:

Freeskiing World Tour hits Revelstoke Jan. 6-10 for Canadian champs

Dec. 6, 2010

Canadian Freeskiing Championships Highlights from Subaru Freeskiing World Tour on Vimeo.

The 2011 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour featuring the best big-mountain skiers in the world, commences its North American stops Jan. 6-10, 2011 with the Canadian Freeskiing Championships at Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Registration is now opens for all North American stops at www.freeskiingworldtour.com.

The North American events follow two successful stops in South America that left Chopo Diaz leading the men and Collinson leading the women.

“He reads the terrain differently than his competitors, making his runs really standout,” said Rodrigo Medina, Freeskiing World Tour event director, of Diaz.

After placing first in the Argentinean Freeskiing Championships and third in The North Face Chilean Freeskiing Championships presented by Smirnoff,  Diaz, of Farellones, Chile, is in the lead with 171 points. He earned his top spot by highlighting his local knowledge of the South American terrain.

Drew Tabke of Seattle, Wash., is right behind Diaz with 131 points, and Drew Stoecklein of Sandy, Utah, is in third with 110 points.

On the women’s side, last year’s tour champion, Angel Collinson of Salt Lake City, has consistently skied aggressive, fluid lines to start the season where she left off in 2010. After building her lead by placing first in the Argentinean Freeskiing Championships and second in The North Face Chilean Freeskiing Championships, she’s on top with 184 points Ashley Maxfield is in second place with 120 points, followed close behind by Claire Burns of Val d’Isere, France, with 113 points.

Following Revelstoke, the Freeskiing World Tour returns stateside for the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier on Jan. 27-30 at Telluride, Colo., and the 16th annual Subaru U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships on Feb. 17-21, the longest-running freeskiing competition in the U.S., at Crested Butte, Colo.

The tour then heads west to Kirkwood, Calif., for the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships Feb. 23-27, where the High Sierras will once again play host as tour athletes battle it out for bragging rights as the North American champion. The final stop will find the world’s best skiers competing at the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour Championships March 8-13 on the world-class venues that make Snowbird, Utah, the perfect place to crown the tour champions.

The Freeskiing World Tour is the largest and longest-running competitive big-mountain freeskiing tour in the history of the sport with an unprecedented six stops. Founded in 1997, the FWT, created and produced by Mountain Sports International, is heading into its 14th year, with alumni including Shane McConkey, Brant Moles, Kent Kreitler, Chris Davenport, Seth Morrison, Dean Cummings, Dave Swanwick, Wendy Fisher, Ingrid Backstrom, Dana Flahr, Kaj Zackrison, Karina Hollekim, Marja Persson, Julien Lopez, Chopo Diaz, Griffin Post, Drew Stoecklein, Crystal Wright and Hannah Whitney. In addition to up to $100,000 in winnings, the world tour champions are awarded the McConkey Cup, honoring legendary skier Shane McConkey, founder of the IFSA. The FWT also features the coveted Sickbird Award, which honors the athlete with the most spirit, style and wow factor.
 
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