Teens Prepare to Compete Like the Pros in The North Face 2011 Junior Freeskiing Tour

Athlete and media registration opens on December 9, 2010 at 10 a.m. MST.

SALT LAKE CITY – November 4, 2010 —Mountain Sports International and The North Face are proud to announce the dates for the 3rd Annual The North Face Junior Freeskiing Tour, a platform to develop young professional big mountain athletes by providing opportunities for them to compete and show the direction big mountain skiing is heading.

“The North Face Junior Freeskiing Tour is helping to legitimize junior big mountain skiing and many current Freeskiing World Tour athletes get their start on the junior circuit,” said Adam Comey, president of Mountain Sports International. “Johnny Collinson and North Parker, who both placed in The North Face Chilean Freeskiing Championships in August, are clear examples of young athletes that move up into the bigger terrain that is the Freeskiing World Tour after competing in the Junior Freeskiing Tour.”

The North Face Junior Freeskiing Tour (JFT) will begin with the U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Junior Championships in Crested Butte, CO on February 15-17, 2011 and then head north with the U.S. Junior Freeskiing Nationals in Crystal Mountain, WA on March 4-6, 2011. The Grand Targhee Freeskiing Open, produced independent of the other four stops but included in the series, will take place in Grand Targhee, Wyoming on March 18-20, 2011. The tour then returns west for the North American Junior Freeskiing Championships in Kirkwood, CA on March 25-27, 2011, concluding with the pinnacle of the tour, the Junior Freeskiing Championships in Snowbird, UT on April 8-10, 2011.

Each JFT event is sanctioned by the International Free Skiers Association (IFSA) creating consistent judging and accumulative points standings throughout the competitive season. Last year, the judging format changed to reward the freestyle aspect of the events. The JFT is open to men and women 12-17 with two age groups making up the competition field, 12-14 and 15-17. Athletes accumulate points for results between 1-15 places; the athlete with the most points at the end of the season wins the overall tour.

Athlete and media registration for Crested Butte, Crystal Mountain, Kirkwood and Snowbird opens on December 9, 2010 at 10 a.m. MST. To register for the Grand Targhee Freeskiing Open, please visit http://www.grandtarghee.com.

About The North Face

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

About MSI

Mountain Sports International is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI owns and produces the Freeskiing World Tour, in addition to several other properties and concepts. MSI provides event management services for Burton, Salomon, and Red Bull and has provided infrastructure and expertise for the NBC Gravity Games and ESPN Action Sports Projects, including the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. MSI specializes in matching clients with events for brand penetration into target demographics, developing product identification and loyalty. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture. For more information, visit http://www.mtsports.com.