Chevrolet Snowboard Grand Prix Returns To Mt. Bachelor

U.S. Snowboarding returns to Mt. Bachelor for the 10th time this weekend when the second stop of the $300,000 Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix tour rolls into the Northern Cascades on Saturday, Feb. 3 with both halfpipe and slopestyle competitions. Expected riders include Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO), who won his second X Games gold in halfpipe on Sunday, and Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO), who boosted her X Games medals total to three with silver in halfpipe behind Austalian Torah Bright, also scheduled to compete. U.S. Snowboarding's Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH) and Louie Vito (Bellefontaine, OH) are also slated to compete in both halfpipe and slopestyle.

PHOTO GALLERY    Check out photos of '05-'06 Chevrolet Grand Prix Finals View Gallery>   Watch footage of Scotty Lago at the Grand Prix

As an innovator in snowboarding progression, both the halfpipe and slopestyle competitions slated for Mt. Bachelor are sanctioned as a Five Star Ticket to Ride (TTR) event. This means points are awarded toward winning the overall TTR World Tour, a culmination of Independent freestyle snowboard events globallly recognized as a tour and tied together by the TTR rating system. Now in it's fifth year, the TTR features a 10-month competition season including top rated snowboarding events over four geographical zones.

"The TTR plugs the Grand Prix into the world tour schedule and solidifies the series as a top-level competition that continues to push the progression of snowboarding," said Grand Prix Director Eric Webster. "It's where all the highest profile events come together for a global tour and validates the level of competition that the Grand Prix is able to continue to provide."

The event will gain exposure nationally with NBC airing halfpipe coverage on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET and again on Versus at 5 p.m. ET. The slopestyle event, part of the Paul Mitchell Progression Session, will air at 6 p.m. on Versus. Then, the Grand Prix goes global with a half-hour program distributed worldwide by the TTR.

"This is huge exposure for the Grand Prix, Mt. Bachelor and all the riders who come together to make this happen," added Webster. "The Grand Prix series produced four Olympic medalists last year and we saw an unbelievable field at Breckenridge in December already pushing the level of riding in the first contest of the year. As a five-star event on the TTR, Mt. Bachelor is going to see another big field of riders looking to add to their TTR World Tour points total."

Additionally, Rip-It Energy Drinks will award a best trick award of $2,500 during the slopestyle on Sunday.

Mt. Bachelor Schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 3 - Halfpipe Qualifiers and Finals
Sunday, Feb. 4 - Slopestyle Qualifiers and Finals

Remaining Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix Dates:
Feb. 24-25, 2007, Tamarack, ID:
Saturday, Feb. 24 - 22-foot Halfpipe Qualifiers and Finals
Sunday, Feb. 25 - Snowboardcross Time Trials and Heats

Current Grand Prix standings after one event:
Men
1. Danny Davis, Highland, MI
2. Mason Aguirre, Mammoth Lakes, CA
3. Tommy Czeschin, Mammoth Lakes, CA
4. Brad Martin, Canada
5. J.J. Thomas, Golden, CO
6. Ross Power, Stratton Mountain, VT
7. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO
8. Rob Kingwill, Jackson Hole, WY
9. Crispin Lipscomb, Canada
10. Louie Vito, Bellefontaine, OH
-
Women
1. Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, VT
2. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA
3. Soko Yamaoka, Japan, 41.6
4. Manuela Pesko, Switzerland
5. Holly Crawford, Australia
6. Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountain, VT
7. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO
8. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton Mountain, VT
9. Meg Pugh, Government Camp, OR
10. Kendall Brown, New Zealand

For complete details on the 2007 Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand
Prix tour, log on to http://www.ussnowboarding.com/grandprix and
to check out the TTR, click http://www.ttrworldtour.com/.