Gearing Up for the 2010 US Skiboard Open...at Ragged Mountain!!

Coming back to Ragged Mountain for the 2010 US Open is a very welcomed invitation.  When we started planning for this years event, Ragged had already extended the invitation for us to return.  In pre-negotations with with management team at the resort for this years event we were told by Dave Suckling, Mountain Manager for Ragged Mountain, that "our group seemed to be a good fit for their mountain".  And, we were treated so well last year that we were very encouraged and humbled by the invitation. 

Our NFP sister company SkiboardPlanet.org (Skiboard Planet Corp) is processing through all registrations and handling all media contacts for our event this year.  Look for more in media coverage as we're reaching out to local newspapers, tv stations, and radio for coverage of our event.  To all of our partiipants and spectators, we'll be hosting a push for environmental awareness.  We'd like to ask all skiboarders participating to help us keep the mountain clean.  If you see items discarded on the slopes, pick it up and put it in a recepticle, we'll be pushing a media event to be shared later on showing our riders being responsible with environmental concerns.  Let's take care of our winter playgrounds!



This year Ragged Mountain has redesigned the terrain parks.  There's a new park for the kids, and that's where the kids slopestyle will be held.  Last year we allowed younger competitors with the hopes of them learning and understanding the sport and coming back again, and they are.  We have 3 child competitors so far this year to spend time with to mold and encourage in competition for our future events.  They are the next skiboarding champions!  The adult terrain park is being redesigned.  Our group and others left recommendations for the slopestyle terrain with the resort management, and they took all of those recommendations under consideration and told us that new ideas are being instituted this season.  We look forward to seeing the new designs.



We want to say thank you to Revel8 and Skiboardsonline.com for their generous contributions in sponsorship this year.  Greco has been there for us since the beginning of SkiboardPlanet.com and we're appreciative for his support level, and acceptance by his riders, all of which are great performers on the snow!!





A great big thanks to all of our sponsors:







And a special thanks this year to our newest sponsor Pepsi/Mountain Dew/Rockstar.  A last minute effort proved fruitful when Pepsi in Manchester, NH gave us the go and their support for our event this year.  We look forward to having their product on hand and they will be providing a sampling on the slopes of their Rockstar Energy Drink, during our slopestyle competition.   We're proud of this new alliance and friendship.





The registration process this year has been simplified.  The registrations are to be completed right here online at the SkiboardPlanet.com website, click here to access the online registration.  Our webmaster, Normand, created the registration process and hooked us up with online payments as well.  It's an easier process for the riders and makes it a much easier process for the management as well!

We're sure to see all of last years competitors back again, and also some new ones. Revel8 fav's Kirk Thompson, Mark Carraro, Dave Lynam, and Branden Harding, will be attending once again along with a co-teammate Brett Connors.

Last year's winner of Slopestye Serge "the Godfather" Maheu will return again this year and special guests are attending all the way from Russia, Sergey Agapov, owner of Skiboarder.ru, EuroCup/Romania Open 2008 Silver Medalist Nikita Kuznecov, and amateur Mikhail Velchinski. 

Of course, everyone's skiboarding sweetheart Sonja Dragan, from Romania, will be returning once again to take on the guys.  She did quite well last year and is gearing up to make a good showing, watch out guys!

Jason Roussel, owner of SkiboardMagazine.com, will be our chief judge but he'll also be competing in the Slopestyle this year so there's one more for the mix!!



We'll be going out to the mountain soon, along with Revel8 pro rider Mark Carraro, who'll be assisting us this year with the review of the slopestyle features for safety specifications.  We want to insure that safety comes first for all of the riders.  As a reminder, helmets are required for all participants and if you are riding skiboards with non-release bindings leashes will be required. SkiboardPlanet.com will be checking all riders for leash and helmet requirements.

This years event will provide more competitions than last.  Slopestyle, Skiboarder Cross, and Fakie Parallel Slalom will be managed the same way.  Slopestyle on Saturday with the childrens event first at the child park starting at 9:30 a.m.  We're doing this so that the kids can see the adults perform in the adult competition.  Adult Slopestyle will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m.  We're suggesting to the riders to get out there on the course when the mountain opens to get your practice time in.  You'll get 2 1/2 hours of practice time on Saturday before Slopestyle.  However, anyone can ride the mountain at the cost of a regular ski ticket on Friday.

We're running an unofficial Rail Jam, this is an event that is not hosted by the resort. After slopestyle we'll pick a rail feature by popular demand and let loose.  We'll let you guys rip on it for a while, it's worth ONLY 1 Medal so practice up guys!  We're also including a "Big Air" medal for the best hit off the big jump out there this year.  It's also unofficial so we'll do our best to get you guys lined up and hope that there won't be too many folks trying to cut in.  Last year we saw some amazing hits off of the 40' jump and this year we think that it's something to recognize in awards, and again for Big Air there is Only 1 Medal. Again this year in Slopestyle, Rail Jam and in Big Air you'll get 2 passes at the course. 

Skibarder Cross and Fakie Parallel Slalom will be held in heats on Sunday.  Skiboarder Cross starting at 10:00 a.m. Each rider will get a chance to run the course before the competition starts and again this year Wendy McNaughton will be managing the heats. 

Last years Gated Fakie Downhill (single ride) has been upgraded to a heated Fakie Parallel Slalom. A backwards competition of skill against the clock...and other competitors!

For all competitions we'd like to ask that all riders be aware of time in between runs or heats, we have a limited time to own the Slopestyle terrain park, and we need to manage our heat races timely as well.  In all cases, the kids will compete first, then the adults. 

One month to go, it's on!!  Get registered, get paid and we'll see you there!!

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