Snowboarding

Sprint U.S. Grand Prix Kicks Off At Copper Mountain

by
USSA
2014-11-26 14:22
 

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO (Nov. 26) – The Sprint U.S. Grand Prix returns to Copper Mountain, CO Dec. 1-6 to kick off the 2015 halfpipe season for both freeskiing and snowboarding. Copper Mountain and its 22-foot halfpipe have been a staple on the Grand Prix tour for the better part of two decades and this season will be no different. Copper Mountain has been blowing snow and shaping its Main Vein halfpipe for a highly anticipated return to competition for 2014 Olympians. Olympic Champions Kaitlyn Farrington, Maddie Bowman and David Wise will be competing along with an international field of competitors. The first stop on the Grand Prix Tour will also be the first FIS World Cup of the 2015 season plus a Platinum level Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) event and a World Snowboard Tour International level event. Both events will be broadcast on NBC and NBCSN along with live streaming of the finals on nbcsports.com and on the NBC Sports LiveExtra app.

 

COPPER MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS

  • History: 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 skiing and snowboarding halfpipe Dec. 1-6.
  • Olympians: Copper’s kick off will be welcoming back to competition an international field of competitors including 2014 Olympic medalists Kaitlyn Farrington, Kelly Clark, David Wise, and Maddie Bowman.
  • Halfpipe Focused: The Grand Prix at Copper will put the focus on halfpipe freeskiing and snowboarding with four back-to-back days of halfpipe action in Copper’s 22ft halfpipe.
  • Sanctioning: 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 competition
  • Invited Athletes: Check ussnowboarding.com and usfreeskiing.com for the most up-to-date list of athletes competing.

 

GRAND PRIX TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • General: This year’s tour events are slated at top resorts that support the progression of 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 on the best terrain 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.  Finals from Copper will be live streaming on nbcsports.com and on the NBC Sports LiveExtra app.
  • Partnership: 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 snowboarding in Park City.
  • 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.

 

EVENT SCHEDULE
Wed. Dec. 3 – Freeskiing halfpipe qualifier 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. MT
Thu. Dec. 4 – Snowboarding halfpipe qualifier 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. MT
Fri. Dec. 5 – Freeskiing halfpipe finals 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. MT
Sat. Dec. 6 – Snowboarding halfpipe finals 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. MT

BROADCAST SCHEDULE (times ET)

Live Streaming

Finals will be live streaming on //stream.nbcsports.com/liveextra/ and on the NBC Sports LiveExtra app

Dec. 5 - 2:30 p.m. - 4:00p.m. (Freeskiing)

Dec. 6 - 2:30 p.m. - 4:00p.m. (Snowboarding)

 

TV

NBCSN – Dec. 6, 5-6 p.m. (Freeskiing)
NBCSN – Dec. 7, 2:30-3:30 p.m. (Snowboarding)
NBCSN – Dec. 20, 6-7 p.m. (Snowboarding & Freeskiing)
NBC – Dec. 21, 3-4 p.m. (Snowboarding & Freeskiing)

 

TOUR QUOTES

Louie Vito, Olympian, U.S. Snowboarding
It’s always great going to Copper for the first contest of the year, it’s great to start the season off in a good pipe and at a good event like the Grand Prix. I’m very excited to get the season rolling and get back in the swing of things and see all our friends.

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 Mountain 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.

Gary Rodgers, President and General Manager of Copper Mountain Resort
The spotlight will once again be on Copper Mountain for the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix. We are honored to continue to provide a world-class competition venue for elite athletes from around the world. Thanks to the continued partnership between Copper and USSA, the Grand Prix has helped put Copper on the map as a top level training and competition location.

 


 


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