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Steamboat to Host NASTAR National Championships

FRIDAY, 23 MAY 2008


STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO - For the fourth consecutive season, Steamboat Ski Resort will host the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships, celebrating its 41st anniversary, on March 26-29, 2009. The previous three national championship events brought nearly 4,000 racers to Steamboat-Ski Town, U.S.A.®, becoming the most popular events in the NASTAR program’s history.

“We are proud to welcome NASTAR National Championships back to Steamboat, which has deep roots in Olympic, World, and National Championships,” said Andy Wirth, executive vice president of sales and marketing & chief marketing officer for Intrawest. “This event has been elevated to an entirely new level due to the successful partnership between Mountain Sports Media and the Steamboat Ski Resort. Building on the success of the last three National Championships, Steamboat’s goal will be to again exceed the highest of expectations in 2009.”

Celebrating its 41st anniversary, the 2009 Nature Valley National Championships are expected to attract nearly 1,400 racers for the multi-day event. Racers qualify for the National Championships by earning a top-three ranking in their age division at any of the 125 Nature Valley NASTAR ski resorts throughout North America. In 2008, competitors aged 3 to 93 from 44 states as well as Canada and Australia competed in age and gender categories in alpine, telemark, snowboard, & physically challenged categories for the chance to win a National Title at Steamboat.

In addition to exciting race competition, participants will again have the chance to hang with a few of ski racing’s all-time greats including Olympic medalist and World Champion Billy Kidd, Olympic gold medalist Deb Armstrong and more. Building upon past opening ceremonies, a free music concert will kick things off and set the tone for the festivities. Participants rocked out to Rusted Root as Steamboat’s signature Champagne Powder® snow fell from the sky in 2008 and to platinum artist and part-time Yampa Valley residents Big Head Todd & the Monsters in 2007. Stay tuned to nastar.com for all the details on the upcoming championships.

“The 2008 Nature Valley NASTAR National Championship was the best NASTAR Championship ever held!” said Bill Madsen, Director of Operations for NASTAR. “Steamboat has been a terrific host to the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships for the past three years, transforming the event into a resort-wide festival, greatly anticipated by many in the winter racing community. This year’s 41st anniversary will again set a new standard.”

Developed by SKI Magazine in 1968, NASTAR (NAtional STAndard Race) is the largest recreational ski and snowboard race program in the world. Since the program’s inception four decades ago, more than six million racer days have been recorded by NASTAR. Last season alone, over 103,425 competitors hit the NASTAR gates, logging a record 547,238 starts.

With a racing history spanning more than 75 years, Steamboat-Ski Town, U.S.A.® has produced more Olympians than any other community and now encompasses 165 trails, 3,668 vertical feet, and nearly 3,000 acres with six peaks filled with world-class groomed cruisers, bumps, steeps, open meadows, legendary trees, Mavericks Superpipe, and the AAA Four Diamond Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel.

Source:
www.steamboat.com

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