Shaun White, Louie Vito, Simon Dumont and Kelly Clark Set to Compete in Winter Dew Tour’s Nike Open

The Winter Dew Tour will kick off its fourth season this week in Breckenridge, Colorado, December 15-18.  The weekend’s events will bring the top names in snowboard and freeski superpipe and slopestyle to the mountain, while helping to celebrate Breckenridge’s 50th anniversary.

Keep an eye on the Nike Snowboard team this weekend

Included in the list of names returning to the mountain is Kevin Pearce, who will ride his snowboard for the first time since his December 2009 injury. Hitting the slopes at the Winter Dew Tour on Tuesday, Pearce will be joined by Frends, family and well-wishers for some leisurely riding. An interview with Pearce will be broadcast on NBC Saturday, December 17 at 2:00pm EST, during snowboard superpipe finals.

Louie Vito enters the 2011-12 season eager to repeat his championship performance in the superpipe.  He will find stiff competition in Shaun White and Danny Davis, who both return to the Dew Tour this year after a competitive hiatus.  Sage Kotsenburg will take to the slopestyle course intent on reclaiming the Dew Cup he won in 2010 from 2011 winner Torstein Horgmo, redeeming his 13th place finish at the end of last season.

Emerging star Torin Yater-Wallace will try to build upon last year’s rookie success

Freeskiing game-changer Simon Dumont has come up short in his goal of winning the superpipe Dew Cup, landing in 2nd place since the Winter Dew Tour’s inception.  He comes to Breckenridge with visions of the elusive title in his future, competing against Justin Dorey, Kevin Rolland and young phenom Torin Yater-Wallace, who dominated in the Gatorade Free Flow Tour before moving up to the pro ranks in 2010.  The freeski slopestyle course will heat up with the technical expertise of Bobby Brown, Alex Schlopy and Sammy Carlson.

The ladies will be showing off their snow skills as well.  Kelly Clark dominated the women’s superpipe contest circuit last season and expects this year to be no different.  Elena Hight and Ellery Hollingsworth will be among the young competition, along with veterans Gretchen Bleiler and Hannah Teter aiming to bump her off the top of the podium in Breckenridge.  The slopestyle course will also be lighting up with young female talent, as Spencer O’Brien and Enni Rukajarvi face a wide field of up-and-coming qualifiers to begin an exciting competitive season.

Highlights from the Nike freeski team last year

Taking the action off the mountain, Nike will host the first stop of their Winter Chosen Tour with a rail jam competition down at the Riverwalk Center Saturday night. Free for all to attend, it will be a showdown of the top local amateurs, with a DJ spinning to the contest and Nike pros commentating. The action leads right into the Winter Dew Tour concert series, treating snowboarders, skiers and hip-hop fans alike to a performance by one of rap’s most buzzed about and unique up and comers as Yelawolf and opening act The Knux take the stage. These Shady Records acts will be the perfect complement to Friday’s 50th Anniversary celebration in the town, with 100 percent of the ticket proceeds going to SOS Outreach.

The pre-qualified athlete list for Nike Open in Breckenridge is as follows:

The full schedule of events for the Nike Open is as follows:
 

Thursday, Dec. 15th – Festival Village Opens at 9:00AM
9:15 AM – 1:15 PM – Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifier
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Men’s Freeski Superpipe Qualifier
2:15 PM – 4:00 PM – Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifier

Friday, Dec. 16th – Festival Village Opens at 9:00AM
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM – Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Semi-Final
9:45 AM – 12:00 PM – Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Semi-Final
10:15 AM – 12:00 PM – Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Semi-Final
1:45 PM – 4:00 PM – Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Semi-Final

Saturday, Dec. 17th – Festival Village Opens at 9:00AM
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Semi-Final
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Men’s Freeski Superpipe Final
2:00 PM – 2:40 PM – Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Final
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Final
5:00 PM – 11:00 PM – Nike Chosen One Rail Jam / Yelawolf Concert at the River Walk

Sunday, Dec. 18th – Festival Village Opens at 9:00AM
9:30 AM – 10:10 AM – Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Final

**Schedule is subject to change. To stay up to date on the action, follow live updates via the Dew Tour on Twitter**
 
Running through the entire weekend, the Festival Village offers something for everyone attending the Dew Tour.  Visit the Pantech tent to test out the newest cell phones, play pool or air hockey at Paul Mitchell, and grab a ride all weekend in one of Toyota’s free shuttles.
 
For additional Winter Dew Tour event information, visit www.Allisports.com.   Visit the Dew Tour Facebook page and follow @thedewtour on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on the latest Winter Dew Tour action.
 
The complete 2011-12 Winter Dew Tour schedule is as follows:
 
Event                                       Date                 Location
Nike Open                                Dec. 15-18        Breckenridge Ski Resort – Breckenridge, Colo.
Pantech Invitational                   Jan. 19-22         Killington Resort – Killington, Vt.           
Toyota Championships              Feb. 9-12          Snowbasin Resort – Ogden,Utah
                                               
Entering its fourth year, the top athletes in the world will take part in the 2011-12 Winter Dew Tour, all competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup that will be awarded at season’s end to champions in each of the eight disciplines. The 2010-11 Dew Cup champions include Louie Vito (men’s snowboard superpipe), Kelly Clark (women’s snowboard superpipe), Torstein Horgmo (men’s snowboard slopestyle), Jamie Anderson (women’s snowboard slopestyle), Kevin Rolland (ski superpipe) and Bobby Brown (ski slopestyle).The Winter Dew Tour continues its commitment to progression in action sports, with premier superpipes and the highest level slopestyle courses.