SSA Launch New Park & Pipe Series

In exciting news for Australia’s freeskiing and snowboarding community, Ski & Snowboard Australia (SSA) is this winter introducing the SSA Park and Pipe Series.

New for 2016, the SSA Park and Pipe Series will bring together a series of events that have been running for many years independent of each other. Through international sanctioning with the Association of Free Ski Professionals (AFP) and World Snowboard Tour (WST), the series of events will now support a comprehensive national competition pathway. 

“Australia has the third strongest slopestyle event on the planet in terms of athlete field with The Mile High By Carlton Dry in Perisher and one of the strongest Freeski Big Air events in The Toyota One Hit Wonder at Thredbo,” SSA Park & Pipe Coordinator Richard Hegarty said. 

By creating a national tour with international event sanctioning around these two elite level events, it is anticipated a high level of quality and consistency can be applied across the domestic events, attracting a larger pool of athletes. 

“Over the past decade the few international privately owned events combined with our key resorts have created the perfect storm in terms of a travel destination for teams of athletes,” Hegarty said. 

“Australia is now the only destination globally where all of the best Park athletes in the world can travel to in order to train and compete without needing to travel for over a two month period. Jindabyne has literally become the winter home of the ‘who’s who’ of snowboarding and freeskiing.”

In addition to attracting top-class international athletes, the Series will also help Australian athletes gain experience and results that will place them on a world ranking list.

This sanctioned tour is SSA’s way of linking the smaller events with the world tour to create the perfect competition tour for all levels of athletes. 

It allows young athletes to compete with the best in the world in their age groups, which is a positive way to nurture the sport in kids. It will create a stronger competition scene and give kids experience at home that they would have had to spend a fortune in the past to gain overseas.

Hegarty is also hopeful that the Series will attract attention and media interest as it grows

“The sport becomes so much more interesting to the wider audience if it has a tour structure and World Wide ranking systems,” he said. 

“It will definitely help the Australian industry by bringing in more international money as well as vast quantities of social media hype.”

SSA Park and Pipe Series – Tour Information

Perisher Playstation Slopestyle (AFP – Silver; WST – National)
Freeski and Snowboard SLOPESTYLE
22 July, Perisher, NSW, Australia
Open category - $15,000 in cash and prizes
www.perisher.com.au
 
The Subaru Australian Junior Freeride Championships (AFP – Silver; WST – National)
Freeski and Snowboard  SLOPESTYLE
12 - 14 August, Perisher, NSW, Australia
18s and under - $15,000 in cash and prizes
www.perisher.com.au
 
Thredbo Slopestyle (AFP – Bronze; WST – National)
Freeski and Snowboard SLOPESTYLE
18 August, Thredbo, NSW, Australia
Open category - Prize pool $15,000 in cash and prizes (approx.)
www.thredbo.com.au
 
The Mile High By Carlton Dry (AFP – Gold; WST – International)
Freeski and Snowboard SLOPESTYLE
19  - 24 August, Perisher, NSW, Australia
Open category - Prize pool $30,000 in cash and prizes
www.themilehigh.com.au
www.perisher.com.au

Australian Rookie Tour (WST – National)
Snowboard SLOPESTYLE
1 September, Thredbo, NSW, Australia
18’s and under - Prize pool $3,000 in cash and prizes (approx.)
www.thredbo.com.au
                               
Thredbo Big Air (AFP – Bronze; WST – National)
Freeski and Snowboard BIG AIR
2 September, Thredbo, NSW, Australia
Open category - Prize pool $15,000 in cash and prizes (approx.)
www.thredbo.com.au
 
Toyota One Hit Wonder (AFP – Gold) 
Freeski BIG AIR
8 – 12 September, Thredbo, NSW, Australia
Open category - Prize pool $20,000 in cash and prizes (approx.)
www.onehitwonderevent.com
www.thredbo.com.au

Sanctioned by:

AFP (Association of Freeski Professionals)
WST (World Snowboard Tour)

Registration and Membership:

• All Free Ski competitors need to be SSA licensed members of the AFP
• All Snowboard competitors need to be licensed members of the WST

Athletes can sign up for these registrations via their SSA membership. Please ensure that you are a current member of SSA and when registering or renewing that you select the appropriate AFP or WST registration. Visit the SSA membership page for more details.

Registration information for all events can be found directly on the resort or event websites.