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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523 |
| ‘SUPERPIPE’
& SNOWBOARD PROS Trenton, N.J. (January 7, 2004)—For the first time ever, New Jersey will host a major winter snow sports competition. The United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) are bringing the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix to Mountain Creek Resort, in Vernon, Feb 6-8, 2004. Featuring a superpipe and an exhibition, it will be the final of three events that, according to USSA, represent the world’s premier snowboard series, attracting an international roster of top professional contenders. The series carries an overall purse of $300,000, the largest for snowboarding, and is telecast over NBC and ESPN. This season’s first event is at Utah's Park City Mountain Resort Dec. 19-21; the second at California's Mammoth Mountain Jan. 9-11. “With snowboarding now the world’s fastest growing downhill snow sport, the New Jersey tourism industry is very excited about this event and about Mountain Creek’s position as a major resort for snowboarding,” says Nancy Byrne, executive director, New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism. “We hope it will draw a whole new winter visitor segment.” “A Competition Village and Saturday night concert, by a major group yet to be named, will set the festive atmosphere for the lighted superpipe event,” says Bill Benneyan, marketing director for Mountain Creek, which is planning an entire week of snowboard events that also include the fourth annual Specialty Pro Am, superpipe and slopestyle (a freewheeling event with jumps, rails and tricks) competitions, popular with the pros. “Danny Kass, 2002 Olympic snowboard halfpipe Silver Medalist, who grew up in Hamburg, is slated to return home to compete, along with Gold Medalist Ross Powers and other top riders.” According to Benneyan, the superpipe will be built to Olympic standards – 425 feet long and 60 feet wide, with walls 16 feet high on each side. The name comes from its resemblance to a large circular pipe cut in half. Snowboarders propel themselves up and down each wall, while doing tricks, such as front- and back-flips and propulsions high out of the walls. It will open for public riding the second week in January. Mountain Creek is undergoing an expansion that is transforming the area into a full-fledged resort. The ten-year project, slated for completion in 2008, represents an expenditure of $600-million by parent company, Intrawest, the leading developer and operator of village-centered destination resorts throughout North America. Mountain Creek Village now consists of 65 luxury townhomes, called Black Creek Sanctuary, and ground has been broken for a 130,000 square-foot commercial space that will consist of 1200 lodging units, restaurants, performance spaces and shops. "The Grand Prix gets bigger and better every year, and we're excited to bring together the best athletes with their fans," said USSA Vice President-Events Annette Royle, who has assisted in production of the series since its 1997 launch. Last year’s Grand Prix opener in Park City, Utah attracted approximately 10,000 spectators. Mountain Creek could draw similar crowds. For information on the USSA Grand Prix Snowboarding Series, contact Doug Haney, dhaney@ussa.org, website: http://www.usskiteam.com For information on Mountain Creek, contact Inez Freund, 973-627-8180, freund@rfcp.com For information and brochures on touring, dining, places to stay, maps and a complete vacation kit, contact the New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism, at 609-292-2470; or visit the website at www.visitnj.org
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