Event Spotlight: Volkl Skis & Marker Bindings – Six Years of Presenting the TRAiNS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard Contest
Thank you very much to Volkl Skis&Marker Bindingsfor once again presenting theTRAiNS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard Contest!
The history of the event in which this outstanding partnerhas played an integral role…
TRAiNS is a freestyle ski & snowboard contest unlike any other.The namesake of the High Fives Foundation can be traced back to an idea for a freestyle ski contest. The Foundation began with a simple concept: hold a contest, called High Fives at Sugar Bowl Resort (Norden, California) for close friends and top skiers in the Lake Tahoe region to raise money and awareness for athletes that suffer a life-altering injury while pursuing a dream in the winter action sports.
The format for the first contest, held at Sugar Bowl Resort in 2008, was as follows: best 540-degree rotation wins. The event was well attended and FUN for both competitors and spectators with high-flying action including a succession of skiers hitting the main jump in a back-to-back-to-back, rapid-fire style.
The next two years saw the event change from High Fives to TRAiNS with the common theme being best 540 spin, best in-air High Five and best TRAiN. In 2011, the event was relocated to Alpine Meadows (Olympic Valley, California) where the on-hill excitement was taken to a new level with amazing skiers and snowboarders bringing their unique styles to the contest.
Custom-made bigtruck brand hats, music from the Silver Boombox Thief, Jamie LaValles world famous chicken wings, food from the Full Belly Deli, and a world-class competition venue produced by Crux Events are now staples of the marquee event. In addition to the action on the hill, TRAiNS is an event that gives back with the winning athletes and best team donating their respective cash purses to thefollowing organizations: The Shane McConkey Foundation, The Flyin Ryan Hawks Foundation, Ski D.U.C.K., The Sarah Burke Foundation and The Bob Woodruff Foundation.
In 2013, the TRAiNS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard Contest returns to its roots as a style oriented event. Large spins and double-flipping rotations will be left to other contests as the best 540, best backflip and the best switch trick will be called on as key ingredients to impress the judges. Stay tuned for more details on the electrifying event at Alpine Meadows on April 20, 2013!
