READY FOR HIGH LEVEL FREESKI SPORT:WORLD CLASS RIDERS VIRGINIE FAIVRE, SARAH BURKE, SIMON DUMONT, JON OLSSON, AURELIEN FORNIER, JF HOULE, PK HUNDER AND JOSSI WELLS WILL COMPETE AT THE ORAGE EUROPEAN FREESKI OPEN BY SWATCH 2008 IN LAAX LAAX, SUI � February 21, 2008 � The 3rd Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch 2008 will bring together the very best professional and amateur skiers to Crap Sogn Gion Mountain in LAAX Switzerland. Held from March 11th - 15th 2008, the Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch invites 30 of the industry�s leading professional skiers and makes available spots for approximately 150 future hopefuls all competing for a shot at the $60,000 USD top prize. Disciplines in both freestyle formats halfpipe and slopestyle for both men and women make this annual flagship event one of the most exciting to date. In what was a truly groundbreaking event, and a platform that helped unite Europe�s boiling freeski scene, the Orage European Freeski Open by Swatch will once again converge upon LAAX this March. Top Invited Riders ListWatch out the �Invited Riders List� which includes top riders coming from all over the world: Virginie Faivre from the hosting country Switzerland, slopestyle winner of the event 2006 and 2007, out of France Loic Collomb-Patton and Aurelien Fornier, from the North of Europe Kalle Leinionen (FIN), Jacob Wester (SWE), Anders Backe (NOR) and Europe�s most experienced freeskier Jon Olsson (SWE), switching to the North American rider confirmations also the Canadians JF Houle, Charles Gagnier and Matthew Hayward will participate in the most important event on European territory this season as well as from the USA the X-Games winners Simon Dumont and Sarah Burke. And finally also last years winners of the men category, the young riders PK Hunder from Norway and Jossi Wells from New Zealand will come to defend their titles succesfully. Not live in park & pipe with brillinat performances, but live on stage at the Riders Palace Club with power: �Turbonegro�. The tough members of this Norvegian cultband will rock the crowd on Friday night (March 14, 2008, 21h00). Programme OverviewWednesday, 03/12/2008 & Thursday, 03/13/2008: 10h00 Qualifications Slopestyle & HalfpipeFriday, 03/14/2008: 09h00 Semifinals Slopestyle 15h00 Finals Slopestyle 21h00 Live Concert TurbonegroSaturday, 03/15/2008: 09h00 Semifinals Halfpipe 14h30 Finals Halfpipe Media Accreditation We look forward to seeing also YOU in LAAX. Please make your media accreditation via http://www.laax.com/freeskiopen or fill in the enclosed accreditation form and send it back to the media service. Media Images Photos in the attachment are for free editorial use. Please name the photo credit: Christian Stadler/LAAX Best regardsAstrid Nehls & Team