Telus Fest Kicks off with Skiercross

Whistler, BC, March 25 – The world’s top skiercross athletes are swarming to Whistler to compete in the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series, April 16-17, as part of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival. The Whistler event is the North American Final and the 4th and final stop of the 2003 Saab Salomon Crossmax International Series.

Open to amateur and professional skiers of all ages, the Saab Salomon Crossmax event is guaranteed to be one of the best skiercross races of the year. The Pro division will feature star athletes such as Sweden’s Lars Lewen (1st at 2003 X-Games, 1st at 2003 US Open) and defending champion and Whistler local Aleisha Cline (1st at 2003 X-Games). The list goes on to boast European superstars Enak Gavaggio, Xavier Kuhn, Isidore Gruner and Karin Huttary, Japanese pros Kono Iromi, Shoya Okazaki and Canadian’s Anik Demers, Ashleigh McIvor and Davey Barr are also scheduled to appear.

A total cash and prize pool of $30,000 is being given away, with $15,000 in prize money going to the pros and $15,000 worth of Salomon prizes for amateurs. There are 6 amateur categories (18+, 14-17 and 13 & under, men and women) in addition to the pro men and women’s divisions.

Skiercross is a high-speed, full-contact sport and is the quintessential 21st century new school race. And it’s totally spectator friendly. Fast and furious, skiercross celebrates the very essence of gravity sports. Four skiers race head-to-head over a course filled with tabletop jumps, rollers and banked-turns requiring athletes to be skilled in all disciplines of skiing. In the elimination format of skiercross, the first two competitors across the finish line win the heat and advance into the next rounds until four skiers remain in a final heat that is guaranteed to be spectacular.

Whether you’re stepping into the starting gate or watching from the sidelines, check out Whistler’s Saab Salomon Crossmax Series event. Space for athlete entries is limited so skiers are encouraged to register now. For event information and athlete registration please visit www.saabcrossmaxseries.com or www.livelarge.ca.

About the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series: The Saab Salomon Crossmax Series is the only world tour dedicated to Skiercross. The event schedule consists of a national series in 9 countries and 4 international series events in 4 different countries. Each of the international series events is an X-games qualifier.

The Saab Salomon Crossmax Series Whistler event is managed and hosted by MASEV Communications in partnership with Whistler Blackcomb, the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival and the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.

About the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival: The 8th TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is a 10-day high-energy event fusing sports, music and action, April 11-20. Festival highlights include: Ripzone Snowboard Invitational; free DKNY//JEANS LIVE Outdoor Concert Series; Garnier Fructis World Skiing Invitational featuring Salomon Big Air and Superpipe; Pro Photographer Search and Showdown, presented by Sony; Filmmaker Showdown; Exposure Exp, RBC Olympic FanFair and RBC Rink on the Mountain; Super Demo Days; Biglines.com Snow Film Fiesta; Whistler DogFest; Saab Salomon Crossmax Series; and the Kokanee Freeride.

Travel package deals start at just $299 CAD or $199 USD for 4 nights’ accommodation plus a 3-day lift ticket for Whistler Blackcomb (per person, based on double occupancy, plus taxes based on US exchange rates at time of printing).

The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is presented in partnership by Whistler Blackcomb, Tourism Whistler, and W1 – a Whistler-based design and production agency specializing in sports and entertainment.

Media Accreditation Request Forms for covering the events of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival are available under the MEDIA ROOM at the Festival website www.livelarge.ca.

For Crossmax event and athlete information:Tania LurieMASEVTania@masev.comPh: 604-874-2499 ext 230