Red Bull Cold Rush is taking over the rugged Silverton Mountain in Colorado this week with the world's most adventurous backcountry freeride skiers getting their powder fix as they demonstrate their versatility on the snow. We've put together some fast facts so you can get up to speed with the figures.
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Three different freeride skiing disciplines are covered in the Cold Rush event – slopestyle, big mountain and cliffs. The competitors will battle it out for the overall title, which will be awarded to the most versatile skier across all the competition elements.
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The competition has taken place in British Columbia, Canada, for four years. Originally conceived in 2007, the event was staged at Retallack, but has now moved to the Silverton Mountain location in Colorado, USA.
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The annual snowfall at Silverton is 400 inches. Yes, that’s more than 10.16metres.
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One solitary chairlift provides the only access to the dramatic, ungroomed mountain terrain where the skiers will compete. For the athletes in the competition, there is the added bonus of a helicopter to take them to the top – failing that, it’s a pretty big hike.
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A score of skiers started the event on Monday – all hand-picked for this exclusive invite-only affair. Among them, last year’s winners Sean Pettit and Suz Graham are both hoping to make it back-to-back wins in 2011.
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Thirty-eight inches of snow (96.5cm) fell at Silverton in the week leading up to the event alone… a healthy dose of fresh powder is great news for the participants who spend their daily lives in search of the freshest virgin snow to ski.
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The total prize money awarded to the winner of the event is US$5,000. There will also be a People’s Choice Award of $1,000, as decided by fans on the official Red Bull Cold Rush website from March 17–27 – so visit the site from March 17 to get voting!
Want more?
- Sean Pettit interview
- More freeskiing madness with Red Bull Linecatcher
- The delights of Silverton from silvertoncolorado.com
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