Subaru Freeskiing Series announces Crested Butte dates

Back where it all began

For the 20th year, Crested Butte Mountain Resort will host a big mountain freeskiing event—actually, two. Mountain Sports International (MSI) announced this week that Crested Butte will host the first of three stops in the Subaru Freeride Series (SFS) in the U.S. February 6-10. There will also be a Junior Freeskiing Tour stop in Crested Butte February 15-17. 
Crested Butte became synonymous with extreme skiing back in the 1990, thanks to its notoriously steep terrain.
It fact, 20 years ago this winter was the year that Crested Butte local Dave “Swany” Swanwick, who is now vice-president and co-founder of MSI, lowered himself off the peak of Crested Butte Mountain to ski the Banana top to bottom on the final day of the competition. Swany won the men’s title, with Barb Scheidegger taking the women’s title.
Over the years the event was sponsored by Saab and known as the Saab US Extreme Freeskiing Championships, among other things, i.e. huckfest, carnagefest, etc. Eventually, MSI stepped in take over the event and Subaru stepped up as the title sponsor.
Two things, or rather people, have stood the test of time through it all. Ironically, they are related. Aaron Lypps has competed in just about every single freeskiing event held in Crested Butte and mom Roxie Lypps has been the starter at just about every single event.
Last year was the only time the event was cancelled due to lack of snow but MSI is more than willing, ready and able to bring the event back to Crested Butte.
“We’re coming back to Crested Butte because big mountain skiing has a long history of events in Crested Butte,” says MSI marketing and communications director Jessica Kunzer. “It’s a fantastic place to host these competitions. Crested Butte is a huge part of this tour and the tour’s history.”
Over the summer, MSI announced a unified Freeride World Tour with six stops in places like Revelstoke, Canada, Verbier, France and Kirkwood, Calif.
These stops are all considered “five-star” events and are open only to qualified athletes. In an effort to reach out to athletes from ski towns around the world, MSI created the Subaru Freeride Series. The series includes “two-star” qualifier days that then feed into “four-star” events. Do well in a “four-star” event this year and you could qualify for the 2014 Freeride World Tour.
What does that mean for Joe and Jane Hucksalot washing dishes and honing their big mountain skiing skills in Crested Butte?
Well, it means a shot at the big time in their backyard.
“What we’re trying to do is provide more opportunities for athletes from all over to advance,” says Kunzer.
The Crested Butte event will proceed as follows. The “two-star” competition will be February 6-7 and is an open format, in that anyone can register to compete. The “four-star” event is only open to pre-qualified athletes based upon results from the 2012 tour, with spots left open for those who stomp it in the “two-star” comp the day before. And by stomp it I mean, STOMP IT, STICK IT, NAIL IT!
Registration for all of the Subaru Freeride Series events will open on December 4—check out freerideworldtour.com.