Salt Lake City, Utah, November 11, 2008–With over a decade of event production experience, Mountain Sports International (MSI) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT). The largest and longest running competitive Big Mountain Freeskiing tour in the history of the sport, the FWT features an unprecedented six stops including a Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier (FWTQ). With $20,000 cash per World Tour stop, the FWT boasts over $100,000 total tour payout.

“This year’s Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is loaded,” said MSI Winter Sports Director and announcer Dak Williams. “The prize purse has almost doubled, and so has the viewership for our live webcasts. We have the best freeskiing athletes on the planet, and every year more up-and-comers are discovered on our tour. This is where the best come to compete.”

Returning after a one-year hiatus, the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships at Kirkwood, California, rejoins the FWT along with a new European stop in Zermatt, Switzerland. The FWT culminates at the ultimate big mountain competition venue of Alyeska Resort, Alaska, proving the FWT truly is the world’s best skiers on the world’s most respected mountains.

“With competitive freeskiing becoming bigger and better than ever, I expect the 2009 tour to go off,” said 2008 FWT Champion Brett Crabtree. “Kirkwood is back in the mix and the tour wraps up at one of the best freeskiing venues on earth—Alaska. You won't want to miss it. It's an exciting time for the sport.”

2009 Freeskiing World Tour Schedule of Events

Subaru Telluride Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier, Telluride, Colorado. February 5-8, 2009

Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships, Crested Butte, Colorado. February 19-22, 2009

Zermatt, Switzerland. TBA*

Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals, Snowbird, Utah. March 10-15, 2009

Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships, Kirkwood, California. March 19-23, 2009

Subaru Freeskiing World Championships, Alyeska, Alaska. April 8-12, 2009

Registration for the FWT sells out in record time each year. Athletes are urged to register early to avoid disappointment. Registration for the Telluride and Crested Butte events will begin on NOVEMBER 12, 2008, at 12:00 NOON MST and registration for the Snowbird and Kirkwood events will begin on NOVEMBER 13, 2008, at 12:00 NOON MST. To register please log onto http://www.freeskiingworldtour.com.

The Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at Alyeska, Alaska, is invite-only and will not be an option at time of registration. Registration for this event and the Zermatt, SUI, event will take place at a later time and will be announced with advanced notice.

For a complete list of pre-qualified athletes please log onto http://www.freeskiingworldtour.com. Pre-qualified athletes still NEED TO REGISTER to guarantee a spot. Athletes are pre-qualified based on results and overall point’s standings.

Coming off a breakthrough year in live webcasting technology, MSI will again be satellite broadcasting from all four North American world tour stops. Live coverage of the best freeskiing in the world can be viewed from the comfort of your desk chair.

In addition to live video, MSI’s content creation team will also be producing and posting same-day world class photography on its newly redesigned website, http://www.freeskiingworldtour.com and media partners http://www.powder.com and http://www.skipressworld.com.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Subaru of America

The North Face

Corona

Nordica

Powder Magazine

Emergen-C

Ski Press Magazine

Mt. Olympus Water

Lynden Transport

Sports Insurance

Grabber

V.I.O.

Beyond Coastal

IFSA

Special thanks to our resort partners:

Telluride Ski and Summer Resort

Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

Kirkwood Mountain Resort

Alyeska Resort

For more information log onto http://www.freeskiingworldtour.com