The World Comes to Whistler next month for Nokia FIS Snowboard World Cup

The world’s best snowboarders will be in Whistler, British Columbia, December 8th – 11th as they attempt to qualify for their respective countries’ teams for the 2006 Winter Olympics, and Mother Nature is doing everything she can to ensure that they will have perfect conditions for this Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup stop.

Thanks to tremendous snow conditions, the courses are well ahead of preparation schedules, and those conditions, combined with the intense competition to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics, should make this World Cup stop one of the best ever.

“This is an exciting time for the sport with the Winter Olympics just around the corner,” said Tom McIllfaterick, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Snowboard Federation. “We’ll be using this World Cup stop in Whistler as one of our final qualifying events for our Olympic team so everyone will want to be at the top of their game. Next to being in Turin, this event will offer some of the best snowboarding action that you could ask for.”

More than 190 competitors from 20 different countries are expected to compete at the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup stop in Whistler next month including athletes from two countries that have never participated before, Mongolia and China.

Snowboard fans in Whistler will get to watch two of the most exciting disciplines featured on the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup Tour: The Nissan Snowboard Cross on December 8th – 9th, and the TELUS Half-pipe on December 10th – 11th. The following weekend sees two Parallel GS events hosted at Le Relais, Québec. Canadian favorites going into Whistler’s events include Jasey-Jay Anderson, Drew Neilson, and Maelle Ricker in the Snowboard Cross along with Crispin Lipscomb, Brad Martin, and Mercedes Nicoll in the Half-pipe.

“Whistler Blackcomb showed why it is considered to be the home of snowboarding in Canada earlier this year at the Snowboard World Championships,” said Mark Taylor, vice president of event properties for IMG Canada. “The event, the facilities, and the competition were world class and the Canadian team rose to the occasion winning the medal count. All things are pointing to this World Cup event being equally as exciting.”

Article provided by IMG Canada.

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