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Otheraction on Snow Park’sfinale weekend starts on Saturday (22 September) with the Volcom Peanut ButterRail Jam.The snowboarding event is free to enter, on a first come first serve basis, andboasts tons of prizes. A selection of rails will be set out to challenge thecompetitors. The event will be run in a Jam style format.

Everyonewho enters will be rewarded for their efforts. There are two divisions: 15 andunder, and 16 and over, Open and Female. Fuelling the competitors throughoutthe day will be a bountiful supply of peanut butter and jam sandwiches as wellas a free BBQ on the deck of the Woolshed Bar and Restaurant.

Registrationfor the Volcom Peanut Butter Rail Jam is from 8.30amin the Woolshed. The action gets underway at 10.30 and the finals set to bestaged at 2pm.Discounted lift passes will be available for all competitors.

Forthe Snow Girls Jam, registration is from 9amat the Retail Shop with the event getting underway at 11am.

FurtherSpring specials include 2-for-1 Tuesdays, buy a full day pass any Tuesday and receive another day pass for free. TheV-can Sunday special requires visitors to bring an empty V drink can to theticket office to get an adult day pass for just $25, under 18 for $15.

Snow Park NZ’s is scheduled to close on Saturday 29September. Forfurther information, snow reports and web cams, visit www.snowparknz.com

If you have any means of getting to southern Vermont on Saturday,August 25th, get your friends together and head to the backside ofMagic Mountain in Londonderry for the world premiere of "Any Means".Plan to stay the night and celebrate the Summer of Shred.

TheRome SDS is throwing a little party called the Londonderry Pop Festivalto celebrate the premiere of their first feature-length movie, AnyMeans—at a closed ski area called Timber Ridge. Once the night falls onthe 25th, the movie will play and Bjorn, Jesse, Jonaven, LNP and therest of the Rome team will light up the backcountry, the TahoeFlophouse, Quebec handrails and the Vermont countryside on a large,outdoor movie screen.

The movie is definitely the mainevent, but the Londonderry Pop Festival is much more than a showing ofprogressive, fun riding on the big screen. There will be summertimesnowboarding. There will be multiple live bands. There will be skating.There will be a large fire. There will be free stuff flying through theair. There will be camping out with the Rome team and other shreds.

Duringthe afternoon before the movie shows, riders on the East Coast willhave their first chance to shred for the season at the I "Heart" Boxsession—kicking off at 4 pm. Like all I "Heart" Box sessions, therewill be a jam format on a few jib features and the winner will walkwith a new Hustlin Artifact.

Some of Rome's partners willbe on hand. Waterville Valley is trucking over their mini-ramp from NewHampshire for the event. Skating will go down whenever someone wants todrop in. Snowboarder Magazine, a sponsor of Any Means, will be grillingup hot dogs, burgers and other choice cuts of animal flesh.

Admission is free, but you'll need a ticket to get in. Free downloadable tickets are available here. Just download and print it.

Sofill the car with the crew. Pack up the tent, sleeping bags, snowboardgear and skates. And head down Route 11 in Vermont to the LondonderryPop Festival to see Any Means and have fun with a bunch of snowboarders.

For a day (and night) of film, shred, skate, and music.

LAKE WANAKA (August 9, 2007) – New Zealand’s top free skiers will compete against a strong international field in the third annual Volkl Free Ski Open which features the Southern Hemisphere’s only heli-accessed big mountain competition.

Internationally renowned Wanaka rider, Jossi Wells will be defending his title on the Red Bull Slopestyle course as well as looking to take out the New Zealand Community Trust Superpipe title on the back of his success at the European Open where he beat some of the world’s best skiers into first place. However, injury has meant he hasn’t spent as much time on snow as he’d like and Australia’s Russ Henshaw and Xavier Bertoni from France are expected to be major rivals. Both of whom have had podium finishes in Europe and the States. Paddy Graham from the UK is also expected to put some pressure on the field.

New Zealand has two strong contenders in the Icebreaker Big Mountain competition with Hamish Acland and Geoff Small both expected to make the final cut of the event and take part in the first heli-accessed Big Mountain Finals. Another first for the Big Mountain is the new judging format which will see the final outcome judged and announced in front of a live audience from video footage on a giant screen at BaseCamp Wanaka.

Acland is looking forward to the event and says it is well on its way to achieving its goal of hosting the world’s best skiers on the world’s best terrain.

"Many of the world’s ski brands are sending their athletes south to train and compete in New Zealand which is only good for our elite and rising talent," he said. “The heli-finals for the Big Mountain will be truly world-class and Snow Park NZ has already proved itself as the ultimate location for freestyle events.”

To date 10 nationalities are represented at the event with a week to go until entries close. All the action starts with the Icebreaker Big Mountain Qualifiers at The Remarkables on 21 August followed by the semi-finals at Treble Cone on 22 August. The heli-accessed finals will take place in the Harris Mountains. After some downtown action with the BASE Rail Jam on Saturday 25 August, the competition moves to Snow Park NZ for the NZCT Halfpipe on 28 August and the Red Bull Slopestyle on 29 August. For further information visit www.freeskier.co.nz.

Snow Park NZ’s halfpipe became the first in New Zealand to open for the 2007 season today (August 2). The only X Games and Olympic standard halfpipe in the Southern Hemisphere, it has been carved to perfection by renowned world-class pipe shaper Frank Wells in preparation for next week’s Burton New Zealand Open when hundreds of international riders will test out his handiwork.

Terrain park planning guru Frank Wells, whose expertise and reputation has brought some of the world’s best riders to train at Snow Park NZ, has, for the past 10 days, been dedicated to carving the 60-70,000 m3 of snow required for the pipe.

Wells is delighted with its condition, “The snowmakers and groomer drivers have done a sterling job on the halfpipe, there is a good consistency throughout the walls and base, we just need to cross our fingers and hope for clear, cold, sunny days to maintain its form,” he said.

Sam Lee, Snow Park NZ manager said the Snow Park halfpipe has grown in stature over the past five years and its quality and consistency has given the terrain park and New Zealand immense international kudos, “Some international teams and riders rate this as one of the best halfpipes in the world, in any season. The real benefit for New Zealand and the Wanaka community is our local and national athletes train beside Olympic and X-Games medallists and this is lifting their standard on the international stage,” he said.

The main halfpipe, set to international competition standard, is 160 metres long, 18.2 metres wide and the 5.5m walls are shaped at a 17 degrees pitch. The earthworks for the pipe, moulded four years ago, created the existing frame for the pipe.

With recent limited natural snowfall, eleven snow-making guns have been making snow solely for the halfpipe, for the past two half weeks. The snow carved out of the halfpipe channel will be used to extend the quarterpipe by nearly 4 metre to a height of 10.3metres and 24.3 metres wide, offering riders and skiers the opportunity to gain even bigger air.

Snow Park NZ has a good average snow base of 1.5m. There is currently a range of features set out across the terrain park including over 25 boxes and rails, more than 10 jumps, one being a 50ft kicker and the quarterpipe. For further information and snow reports visit www.snowparknz.com.

Lake Wanaka’s 2007 ski season started with heavy snowfalls and right down to lake level turning the resort town into a picturesque winter wonderland.

With Wanaka’s four ski areas planning to open in the next few days, the 15cms couldn’t have come at a better time with another southerly blast and more snow predicted over the weekend. 

Snow Park NZ was the first field to get the lifts turning with keen skiers and snowboarders queuing for the first ride up the mountain at 9.00am this morning. With up to 15cms of fresh snow across the terrain park, smothering the already 100% coverage the snow machines and groomers had created, the freestyle action was underway.

Cardrona Alpine Resort will open in the next few days should the snow continue to fall from the south-westerly fronts coming through. The new snow and round the clock grooming will provide skiers and boarders great on-piste conditions. 

The roll-out of Lake Wanaka’s ski areas continues next week with Treble Cone scheduled to open on Tuesday 26 June with good early season snow conditions, followed by Snow Farm later in the week.

John Alldred, CEO of Lake Wanaka Tourism said the timely snowfall had created a buzz of excitement in the town. “The ski season has started and snow enthusiasts are keen to strap on their boards, clip in to their skis and make their first turns,” he said.

The new developments for Lake Wanaka’s four ski areas include: snow making, new on-mountain accommodation, a new terrain park, a new laser rifle for Biathlon and a commitment to sustainable tourism.

For further information, visit www.skilakewanaka.com.

Pro Snowboarder Announces Various Projects,

Parts Ways with Longtime Sponsors Forum and Special Blend

June 13, 2007 – Encinitas, CA – Pro-Snowboarder and industry icon, JP Walker, is keeping busy these days. He recently announced his involvement with four new projects including an iTunes video, an MTV Cribs episode, a video called The Two Year Project and a reality show called The Benji Project. Walker also announced his departure from his long time sponsors Forum Snowboards and Special Blend.

Walker, a pro-snowboarder for over 10 years, is believed to be one of the most innovative and progressive riders ever to step onto a snowboard. Whether during a rail session or launching kickers in the backcountry, Walker’s smooth and confident style is what has set him apart and made him an idol to many.

Carrying the momentum forward, Walker is focusing his energy on many innovative projects this year. He is working on the beginning stages of an exclusive iTunes JP Walker Video and this summer he will be filming for an upcoming MTV Cribs episode. Walker has also been traveling internationally filming a reality series titled The Benji Project. The Benji Project is a show that was developed by professional surfer Benji Weatherly which focuses on a mix of pro surfers and a select few athletes and artists from different backgrounds, all with a shared passion for surfing. Walker, being the main snowboard crossover athlete, joins an esteemed team of co-stars including Tosh Townend, Tony Hawk, Kalani Robb, Tom Carroll, Rizal Tanjung and Jack Johnson.

Walker’s main focus is on the progression of his own snowboarding and the way that snowboarding as a whole is portrayed to the public. His recent departure from Forum Snowboards and Special Blend leaves him with many new opportunities. Walker’s expertise and entrepreneurial spirit is evident in his decision making; Walker would like to partner with a company where he can contribute to the development of a brand as well as the sport of snowboarding. “I wasn’t able to contribute what I wanted to with my previous sponsors and I didn’t agree with the direction of the brands so I left,” said Walker. “It has never been about the money for me.”

Adds Walker, “Moving forward, I want to be with a brand that respects rider input and understands the value of what a professional rider brings to the table. I want to be somewhere where I can do more than just snowboard. I want to help make sick videos and be involved in every aspect of the team and marketing efforts.”

Walker can be seen doing what he does best in one of the many video parts he has secured during the past decade. These include: Warriors, Gas Money, Simple Pleasures, Decade, Technical Difficulties, The Resistance, True Life, Nixon Jibfest, Shakedown, Chulksmack, and his most recent THAT, which earned Walker a 2nd place win on TransWorld’s online poll for “Best Video Part.” In addition to his solid presence in the video sector of snowboarding, Walker’s other achievements include various TransWorld Rider’s Poll Awards such as Retailers Choice and Best Video Part. He was also named five times the “Top 10 Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine and will most likely be included in Snowboarder’s “Riders of the Decade” and in an upcoming article about “The 20 Most Influential Riders from the Last 20 Years.”

Walker’s current sponsors include Nixon, Oakley, Big Bear and Milosport. For more information, visit his website at: www.myspace.com/walker_jp

Media Contact:

Sara Tollestrup
Infamous Management Inc.
Phone: 604-987-1674

saratollestrup@mac.com