U.S. Open Back at Stratton

27th Annual US Open 2009 Snowboarding Championships to Feature

Olympic Athletes, Invitational Quarterpipe Competition, Concerts and More

Snowboarding’s Original and Longest Running Competition to Award Over $200,000 in Prizes

BURLINGTON, VT (February 27, 2009) –The US Open Snowboarding Championships, the pinnacle of all snowboarding events that has showcased the world’s most progressive riding longer than any other snowboarding competition in the world, will take place at Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont from March 16-22, 2009. Past Olympic medalists Shaun White, Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter and Olympic hopefuls like Kevin Pearce, Ellery Hollingsworth and Charles Reid are just a few of the top riders who plan to attend the event, which features invitational quarterpipe, halfpipe, slopestyle and junior jam competitions. The Open, which draws over 40,000 fans, big name sponsors, snowboarding legends and international media, is free of charge to spectators.

This year’s Open features a different competition schedule than the past few years with all events and concerts taking place at the Sunbowl area of Stratton Mountain. The action kicks off at 6:15 p.m. on Friday night, March 20^th, with an invitational quarterpipe competition followed by a concert at 8:00 p.m. in the USO Sponsor Village at the Sunbowl. Saturday, March 21^st will feature men’s and women’s semi-final and final halfpipe competitions, an autograph session in the sponsor village, topped off with a concert immediately following the halfpipe awards presentation at 4:15 p.m. in the Sunbowl. Sunday, March 22^nd, will kick off with the junior jam halfpipe competition, followed by men’s and women’s slopestyle finals, after which three major titles will be awarded: the $100,000 Burton Global Open Series men’s and women’s title, the Volvo Most Valuable Rider Award and the Men’s Swatch TTR World Tour Champion award.  

One of the first snowboarding events in the world to offer male and female competitors equal winnings, the US Open’s prize purse includes over $200,000 in cash and prizes. Thanks to USO sponsor Volvo Cars North America, the Volvo Most Valuable Rider Award will go to the overall top male and female who will drive away in brand new Volvo XC-60s. Amp Energy will be awarding riders a $3,000 cash prize each for men’s and women’s highest air in quarterpipe and men’s and women’s best trick in halfpipe. Also, as part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, the USO will play host to the presentation of the Men’s Swatch TTR World Tour Champion award. This prestigious honor and $50,000 cash will be awarded to the top male leading the 08/09 TTR ranking list.

The 2009 US Open halfpipe, slopestyle and quarterpipe action can be seen on NBC, Sunday, March 29 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST. If you can’t make it to Stratton, watch all of the semi-finals and finals live on March 21 and 22 on Go211.com, where webcasts and highlights of the competitions will also be available for on-demand viewing once the event concludes.

Burton would like to thank Go211.com Stratton Mountain Resort, SWATCH TTR, Volvo, Amp Energy,  Paul Mitchell, Nature Valley, Shiseido, Emergen-C, SteelSeries, Corona, R.E.D., ANON, Analog and Gravis for their support of the US Open. For more information on the US Open, head to www.opensnowboarding.com

About the Burton Global Open Series

The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders’ needs over the years. With events held in Canada, Europe, Japan, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe. For more information, visit www.opensnowboarding.com

About Stratton Mountain Resort

Stratton Mountain is a four-season resort home to world class skiing and riding on 92 trails, championship golf, Stratton Golf University and much more.  At Stratton, you will find a wide range of accommodations conveniently located within walking or shuttle distance of all of the mountain’s amenities including the shops, bars, and restaurants of the Stratton Village.  For more information visit www.stratton.com or call 1.800.STRATTON.

About the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour

Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, the SWATCH Ticket To Ride (TTR) World Snowboard Tour is a non-profit, rider-driven organization with the mission to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, using authenticity, accessibility and innovation as guiding principles. Since its foundation, the Swatch TTR Tour has been developing into the most exposed snowboard tour worldwide featuring global grass root and key independent freestyle snowboarding events over a ten-month period from Southern to Northern Hemisphere locations. Events are rated via a 1-through-6Star system, with points allocated accordingly, a 6Star event holds the highest. Any rider participating in these events, from up-and-coming to professional talent, earns ranking points and a position on the SWATCH TTR World Ranking List. The top male and female rider based on an average of their best eight results of the season is crowned SWATCH TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion. For more information, visit www.ttrworldtour.com

About Go211.com
Go211.com is the leading community and video site for lifestyle sports created by and for action sports athletes and enthusiasts. It’s the place to hang with the pros and friends to get behind-the-scenes video, blogs, photos, webcasts and podcasts from featured contributors along with other action sports fans.  Go211.com offers a broad range of exclusive content submitted directly from the athletes.  The current Go211 Pro Team roster includes Keir Dillon, Keegan Valaika, Danny Kass, Hannah Teter, Kevin Pearce, Kelly Clark, Jack Mitrani, Ben Watts, Donny Robinson, CJ Hobgood, Christian Hosoi, Holly Beck, Sarah Burke and Mike Losness, among others.