from freezeonline.com Bringing the legendary TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival celebrations to a close, the Garnier Fructis WORLD SKIING INVITATIONAL will be the grand finale of the competitive season. Featuring Superpipe and Big Air competitions, the event will award $50,000 in prize money. SUPERPIPE NEW THIS YEAR! Held on Blackcomb's infamous Superpipe, 20 of the World's best freeskiers will receive an invitation to compete in the Superpipe finals. An additional 25 men & women can enter to qualify for the remaining 10 spots in the finals. Skiers will be entered in the qualifier event on a first come, first serve basis. The 10 skiers who throw down the highest scored run in the qualifiers, will be elevated to the finals to compete for the big money. Also held on the Superpipe will be the SUPERHIT contest - where the single best & biggest hit will be awarded $5,000! ORAGE BIG AIR Set at the base of Whistler Mountain, in the heart of Whistler Village at dusk, the Orage Big Air competition, which traditionally draws 15,000+ spectators, will showcase the sport to the World. 20 of skiing's biggest rock stars will be invited to compete, but only the top 5 will go home with the cash. A competition design team made up of skiers and leaders in the freeskiing industry will be finalizing the competition formats and be overseeing the skier invitations for the event. Results from the season's most prestigious events including the X-Games, the US Open, the Red Bull Huckfest and last year's World Skiing Invitational will be taken into consideration for the limited invitational spots. A few wild card spots will also be given to next generation skiers. TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY REQUEST FOR THE SUPERPIPE AND THE INVITATIONAL ORAGE BIG AIR, VISIT THE EVENT WEB SITE: http://www.wssf.com and follow the links to the Garnier Fructis World Skiing Invitational. The DEADLINE for submitting entry requests is FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2002. (Skiers will be placed in the Superpipe Qualifier on a first come, first serve basis). The INVITATION LISTS, as well as the qualifier competitor list, will be ANNOUNCED FRIDAY, MARCH 22 on the event web site: http://www.wssf.com. All invited skiers will be notified by phone and/or e-mail. The Garnier Fructis World Skiing Invitational is produced by the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, a 10-day party fusing sports and music together to celebrate the end of the snow season. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me or call me at" 604-874-2499, ext 226. I hope to see you at the 3rd annual WORLD SKIING INVITATIONAL! Lindsay Lindsay McWilliam Athlete Coordinator lindsay@masev.com