Freestyle World Cup Skiing Begins Friday in Lake Placid

Lake Placid, NY - Ski fans will have only one chance to see the world’s best aerial and freestyle skiers compete in the United States when the FIS Nature Valley Freestyle World Cup begins tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 21, in Lake Placid, N.Y. The event, scheduled through Sunday, Jan. 23, is the only World Cup in the United States and will also serve as a qualifier for the U.S. ski team’s world championship squad. The three-day competition features more than 140 athletes from 19 countries.

Action begins Friday at the Olympic Jumping Complex with both the women’s and men’s aerials competitions. The women’s qualifying round begins at 9:45 a.m., while the men’s qualifier is slated to start at 12:25 p.m. The finals get underway at 2 p.m.

During the intermissions, fans will have the chance to compete in the Wii Challenge and also participate in other contests to win great prizes.

The World Cup will move over to Whiteface, in Wilmington, N.Y., and the Wilderness trail for moguls, both Saturday and Sunday. Competition begins both days at 9:15 a.m., with live music to follow, at 3 p.m., in the Cloudspin Lounge.

Tickets for Friday’s aerials are $15 for adults and $9 for juniors and seniors. A lift ticket and skis will be required to view the moguls’ competition at Whiteface.

Whiteface Ranks #1 in Eastern U.S. by SKI Magazine Readers

Lake Placid, NY - The votes are in, they’ve all been counted and SKI Magazine readers named Whiteface, in Wilmington, N.Y., as the number-one ski resort in the eastern United States, second overall in eastern North America. The independent survey of 7,000 readers put the Olympic mountain back on top for the first time since 2003. In 2009-10, the mountain was ranked fifth. Only Mont Tremblant, Que. stood atop Whiteface in the SKI survey.

“Everyone at the mountain strives to give each visitor the best experience possible and this validates all of their hard work,” said New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) president/CEO Ted Blazer. “It’s great to be on top again and now our goal is to stay atop year after year. With Wilmington virtually at the foot of the mountain and Lake Placid a short drive away, we have a perfect combination of meeting everyone’s needs.”

Skiers and Riders Have Until Thursday, May 20, to Save on Their Non-Holiday Whiteface Season Pass

Wilmington, NY - Purchase yours before Thursday and you can ski or ride the Olympic mountain all season long, excluding holidays, for just $409. If plan to ski or ride Whiteface five or more times this winter, it’s a super savings. This deal will not be available after Thursday, so purchase your season pass today

The blackout dates for the non-holiday pass are Christmas week, Dec. 26-Jan. 2; Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Jan. 15-17; and President’s Week, Feb. 19-26.

Tim Burke Still Best in World on Biathlon World Cup Tour

Lake Placid, NY – Local athlete Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) once again earned the yellow bib on the Biathlon World Cup Tour today in Oberhof, Germany by placing second with a time of 40:00.2. Burke’s current World Cup ranking is 329 points, 3 points ahead of Russia’s Evgeny USTYUGOV.
Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY), 2009 Nordic Combined World Champion, took gold today in Val di Fiemme, Italy in the Nordic Combined World Cup with a 33:49.9. Today’s competition places Demong in 9th place in World Cup standings, with 307 over-all points.
US Bobsled Athlete John Napier (Lake Placid, NY) was on the podium again today in World Cup action from Konigssee, Germany where he and his teammates Charles Barkley, Steven Langton, Christopher Fogt won bronze with a first run of 48.72 and a second heat of 48.59, giving them an overall time of 1:37.31.

Nature Valley World Cup Freestyle Returns to Lake Placid

Road to Vancouver Continues to Make its Way through Lake Placid
Lake Placid, NY - The Nature Valley Freestyle World Cup will be making its way back to Lake Placid, N.Y. and Whiteface Mountain, where competition begins, Thursday, Jan. 21, and continues through Sunday, Jan. 24. The four-day event, at both Whiteface and the Olympic jumping complex, will feature mogul racing, nighttime aerial competitions, and getting ready for its Olympic debut, February, in Vancouver, Canada, ski cross… which will also be making its second appearance the East Coast.
As the 2010 Vancouver Games draw closer, the competition between athletes for slots on the Olympic teams will becoming more intense. The 2010 Nature Valley Lake Placid Freestyle World Cup event will carry more weight than usual for these international athletes. The deadline for submitting freestyle team rosters to the International Olympic Committee is Sunday, Jan. 24, making this event the final opportunity for many of these competitors to qualify for their respective Olympic teams. Mogul racers, aerialists and ski racers will need to perform well at this event to earn the points they need to solidify their positions and move on to the 2010 Winter games.
The 2010 U.S. freestyle team is loaded with talent and will be headed up by nine Olympians and reigning World aerials champion Ryan St. Onge. The American lineup also includes Patrick Deneen, a 2006 Olympian and 2009 World Cup moguls champion, as well as Hannah Kearney, the 2008 U.S. aerials champion and 2006 Olympian.
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