Breck Starts Its Engines

Dec 19 2006 / Breckenridge, CO
The Snowboard Season Kicks off in Breckenridge with the first Grand Prix

At the beginning of every snowboard season, the industry converges on Breckenridge, CO, for the first major competition of the year on American soil. It used to be the first stop of the Vans Triple Crown tour, but when that tour was dissolved three years ago, the Grand Prix series stepped up and moved the first stop of its tour to the sunny slopes of Breck. On December 15th and 16th, 2006, it all goes down.

PHOTO GALLERY 2005-2006 Chevrolet US Snowboarding Grand Prix Gallery. View Gallery>    Check out photos from the Breckenridge opening day View Gallery>

Breckenridge is known for a few things, and one of them is a perpetually perfect halfpipe. It is also heralded as one of the best party towns in snowboarding, thanks in large part to its nearly 10,000 feet above sea level altitude, which makes getting loose that much easier. In Olympic years, the Grand Prix is serious business, as it is the qualifying series for athletes. But since the Olympics were last year, and most of the pressure is off, the 2006 Breckenridge Grand Prix will be just the place to be for the first major party of the season.

Back to business though, it’s not just a party. This is a serious competition. The Grand Prix is a three stop series. In addition to Breckenridge, events will happen at Mountain Creek, NJ and Tamarack, ID in 2007. And it’s not like winning isn’t important. Athletes are vying for cash and a chance at the overall title, as well as slots on the US Snowboard Team, an honor that comes with extra training and sponsorship. The Grand Prix series will give away $300,000 over the season, and at Breck, that includes $14,000 for first place in the halfpipe and $5000 in the rail jam. At the end of the season, the male and female rider who have accumulated the most points will be awarded a brand new Chevy Truck from the event’s title sponsor.

Though the Breck Grand Prix is the first major domestic event of the season, in Europe, things have already been going for awhile. Gretchen Bleiler and Scotty Lago are coming into the event with Thanksgiving Day wins at the World Cup event in Switzerland under their belts. They have already set themselves up as the ones to beat.

Last season, the Grand Prix decided a strong US Olympic team, with Gold Medalist Shaun White dominating every halfpipe event. Danny Kass, Mason Aguirre, Andy Finch, Gretchen Bleiler, Kelly Clark, Elena Hight and Hannah Teter also earned spots on the Olympic halfpipe team thanks to their performances at the events. Though the Olympic pressure is off this year, the veterans are looking to maintain their status against the always strong up-and-comers. Every year, Breckenridge sets the tone for the season, and introduces a few new faces to the industry. Last year it was riders like Danny Davis, Mike Goldschmidt and Scotty Lago. This year will likely bring a whole new crop of young athletes who’ve been training under the radar and are ready to go against the big guys. And every rider knows that this event is where people will really be watching to see what people are doing and who is going to be relevant this season.

So remember what I was saying about the pressure being off? It really isn’t. Olympics or no, everyone will be riding their best. Of course, the biggest variable is whether Shaun White will show up. After all, when he’s in the competition, it’s pretty much a race for second. But we will just have to wait until December 16th to find out.