Vail, CO — The World Snowboarding Championship names athletes invited to participate in the four day event held in Vail, Colorado February 20-24, 2002. Over 100 of the World's top snowboarders have been selected to compete for a prize purse of over $250,000. The World Snowboarding Championship is free and open to the public and includes a music festival culminating with a live performance by 2-time Grammy nominee and Def Jam recording artist, Ludacris.

The event features competitions in men's and women's Slopestyle, Big Air, Jib Jam and Superpipe. Invited athletes are selected by the "Style Council" based on last year's World Snowboarding Championship results in addition to their standings amongst other sanctioning bodies. The "Style Council" is made up of the leading opinion makers in the snowboarding industry including: manufacturers, riders, journalists and photographers.

"The World Snowboarding Championship is famous for having the best riders in the world and this year is no different," commented Travis Wood, "Style Council" member and vice president of marketing at Sims, "The list this year is very impressive and we are anxiously anticipating the crowning of the new champion."

A few spots are still available in each discipline to allow entrance for any athlete that has an outstanding performance in contests leading up to the World Snowboarding Championship.

The World Snowboarding Championship will be televised on ESPN2 during West Coast Prime Time on March 7, 2002. Subsequent re-airs will begin March 12, 2002 as part of EXPN's Global TV on ESPN2.

Journalists interested in covering the event can obtain information on press credentials by contacting Zaynab Behzadnia at (760) 602-6200 ext.118 or emailing PR@thefamilie.com.

Sims Snowboards, based in Santa Monica, California, is a pioneer in the snowboard industry, with over twenty-five of innovative production and service. They are the makers of snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear and street wear. For more information on Sims contact Brad Alband at info@simsnow.com.

The Familie, based in Carlsbad, California, is the leading full service action sports marketing agency which offers an array of services that include public relations, creative, event marketing and production, licensing, trend research, promotions, and athlete management. For more information on The Familie please contact Zaynab Behzadnia at (760) 602-6200 ext. 118 or via email at z@thefamilie.com.

The World Snowboarding Championship Vail '02 Schedule
(All times and events subject to change)

Wednesday, February 20, 20002
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM Men's Superpipe Practice
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM Women's Slopestyle Practice
12:00 PM — 2:00 PM Women's Superpipe Practice
12:00 PM — 3:00 PM Men's Slopestyle Practice
2:00 PM — 2:00 PM Men's Superpipe Practice

Thursday, February 21, 2002
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM Women's Superpipe Practice
10:00 AM — 1:00 PM Men's Slopestyle Practice
12:00 PM — 3:00 PM Men's Superpipe Practice
1:00 PM — 3:00 PM Women's Slopestyle Practice

Friday, February 22, 2002
8:30 AM — 11:00 PM Men's and Women's Superpipe Practice
11:00 AM — 3:00 PM Men's and Women's Superpipe Finals
11:00 AM — 3:00 PM Men's and Women's Slopestyle Practice
2:00 PM — 4:00 PM Men's and Women's Big Air Practice

Saturday, February 23, 2002
9:00 AM — 11:00 AM Men's and Women's Slopestyle Practice
11:00 AM — 3:00 PM Men's and Women's Slopestyle Finals
1:00 PM — 4:00 PM Men's and Women's Jib Course Practice
3:00 PM — 5:00 PM Men's and Women's Big Air Practice
5:00 PM — 7:00 PM Men's and Women's Big Air Finals

Sunday, February 24, 2002
9:00 AM — 11:00 AM Men's and Women's Jib Jam Practice
11:00 AM — 2:00 PM Men's and Women's Jib Jam Finals

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff