Olympic Champs Return to Sprint Grand Prix
PARK CITY, UT (Nov. 19) – The Sprint U.S. Grand Prix has a long legacy of creating Olympic champions. This year many of them will return to compete on the 2014-15 tour, including 2014 Olympic champions Maddie Bowman, Joss Christensen, Kaitlyn Farrington, David Wise and Sage Kotsenburg. Over $400,000 in prize money will be awarded at the three Grand Prix tour stops. The season opener will be held at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort. California’s Mammoth Mountain will host stop number two and Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort will host the tour finale. The Grand Prix will host FIS World Cup level and Platinum level AFP events at Copper and Park City and the Mammoth Mountain’s stop will be part of this year’s TTR World Snowboard Pro Tour.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The 19th season of the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix features events slated at the top resorts that support progressive freeskiing and snowboarding. Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort, Mammoth Mountain, CA and Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort will be showcasing the best athletes in the world.
- Network TV: Each stop on the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix will be broadcast on NBC and NBCSN, as well as Universal Sports Network.
- Visa Freeskiing: The Sprint U.S. Grand Prix also incorporates the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix with freeskiing events at Copper Mountain, Mammoth Mountain and Park City Mountain Resort.
- Dual Sanctioning: Each tour stop will be sanctioned by both FIS and the TTR World Snowboard Tour for snowboarding and the Association of Freeskiing Professionals for freeskiing. The World Snowboard Tour and AFP create global rider ranking systems based off the top-level events in snowboarding and freeskiing to crown world champions. Dual sanctioning for both freeskiing and snowboarding creates additional value for the athletes as they accrue points in all needed areas to secure spots at international competitions.
- Paul Mitchell: Grand Prix partner Paul Mitchell will be title sponsor of the Paul Mitchell slopestyle skiing and both halfpipe events at Mammoth Mountain along with snowboarding slopestyle snowboading in Park City.
COPPER MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS
- A stalwart early season stop on the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix for the past four seasons, Copper Mountain will kick off the 2014-15 season for both halfpipe skiing and snowboarding Dec. 3-6, with broadcast on NBC and NBCSN.
- Medalists Return: Copper will be a standalone halfpipe event for both freeskiing and snowboarding welcoming back to competition 2014 Olympic medalists Kaitlyn Farrington, Kelly Clark, David Wise, and Maddie Bowman.
- Dual Sanctioning: The freeskiing events at Copper will be FIS World Cup and AFP Platinum level. The snowboarding event at Copper will be co-sanctioned as both FIS World Cup and TTR World Snowboard International Level competition.
- Main Vein: The halfpipe competition will be held on Copper Mountain’s Main Vein boasting the first 22-foot halfpipe to open in the 2015 season.
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS
- An iconic tour stop on the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix since its inaugural season, Mammoth Mountain returns again to host halfpipe and slopestyle skiing and snowboarding Feb. 4-7 with broadcast coverage on NBC and NBCSN.
- World Snowboard Tour Pro Series: The event at Mammoth will be a World Snowboard Tour Pro Series event. The Pro Series consists of the top tier of elite level snowboarding events globally, featuring a consistent field of the best riders in the world, competing regularly throughout the season, at world class events.
- AFP Platinum: The freeskiing events at Mammoth will be an AFP Platinum level.
- Mammoth Unbound: Mammoth’s Unbound halfpipe and slopestyle course each have a long Grand Prix history and served as the naming site for both the 1998 and 2014 U.S. Olympic snowboarding teams.
PARK CITY HIGHLIGHTS
- The site of the famous 2002 Olympic men’s halfpipe snowboarding sweep returns to host the final event of the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix season Feb. 25-March 1, with coverage on NBC and NBCSN including live broadcast of the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix halfpipe finals.
- First Time: This year’s event will be the first time Park City Mountain Resort will host halfpipe and slopestyle skiing and snowboarding.
- World Champs Preview: Park City Mountain Resort is one of the host resorts for the 2019 FIS World Championships in freestyle, freesking and snowboarding.
- Dual Sanctioning: The freeskiing events at Park City will be FIS World Cup and AFP Platinum level. Snowboarding events will be FIS World Cup and World Snowboard Tour International Level.
- Olympic Legacy: The halfpipe will be held in the legendary Eagle Superpipe, site of the Olympic Winter Games and the final Olympic qualification event to determine the 2014 Olympic freeskiing team.
QUOTES
Eric Webster, Grand Prix Tour Director
The success of the Grand Prix over 19 years has been based in great part on having the support of key resorts. Copper, Mammoth and Park City are all classic Grand Prix venues that provide domestic training and competition opportunities for U.S. snowboarders and freeskiers. This support has lead to a tradition of success for U.S. athletes at elite and Olympic levels.
Joss Christensen, 2014 Olympic Champion, slopestyle skiing
I'm really stoked for the Grand Prix this season. With both slopestyle stops being at Mammoth and Park City I think they're going to be really good contests. Both resorts have amazing parks so it will be awesome to see how it goes!
Kelly Clark, Three-time Olympic medalist, halfpipe snowboarding
The Grand Prix has hosted some of the most premiere events in snowboarding and I’m looking forward to another great year. I’m especially excited for the Mammoth Mountain stop - it’s my hometown and being in the middle of the season everyone will be in good form and it should make for a great event.
2014-15 SPRINT U.S. GRAND PRIX TOUR
Copper Mountain, Dec. 3-6, 2014 (Grand Prix Tour Opener)
Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix – Halfpipe * **
Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix – Halfpipe * **
Dec. 5 - Halfpipe skiing finals* **
Dec. 6 – Halfpipe snowboarding finals * **
Mammoth Mountain, CA, Feb. 4-7, 2015
Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix – Paul Mitchell Halfpipe, Sprint Slopestyle
Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix – Paul Mitchell Halfpipe and Slopestyle
Feb. 6 - Slopestyle snowboarding finals ***
Feb. 6 - Halfpipe skiing finals **
Feb. 7 - Halfpipe snowboarding finals ***
Feb. 7 - Slopestyle skiing finals **
Park City Mountain Resort, UT, Feb. 25-28, 2015
Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix – Halfpipe and Paul Mitchell Slopestyle
Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix – Halfpipe and slopestyle
Feb. 27 - Slopestyle snowboarding finals * **
Feb. 27 - Slopestyle skiing finals * **
Feb. 28 - Halfpipe skiing finals * **
Mar. 1 - Halfpipe snowboarding finals * **
Sanctioning Key
* FIS World Cup
** AFP Platinum
** TTR World Snowboard Tour International
***TTR World Snowboard Tour Pro Series
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