GREAT BARRINGTON, Massachusetts ??” Ski Butternut in conjunction with EXPEDITIONS (an outdoor sports store located on Main Street in Great Barrington) will be hosting a slope style competition for both skiers and snowboarders, titled The ICE COAST OPEN. This is an event designed to attract both snowboarders and skiers who like to grind rails, take air and showoff their best tricks after launching from one of the numerous table tops and launch ramps constructed on Ski Butternut’s Twist & West Way or Scooter Terrain Parks.

The parks are being specifically designed for this event by master park builder Josh Morse. A range of hits will be available for the contestants to show off their abilities. Some recognizable hits shapes are: tabletops, spines, big air kickers and rollers plus a number of rails; including a 24 foot flat-rail, a flat-up-flat-rail, a 20 foot rainbow-rail, a C-rail, a very challenging 23 foot hand hewn log rail and many more. Keeping with the mountains family orientation there are four specific categories for the event, with each category offering a separate set of hits ranging from our beginners park on Scooter to our more challenging park on Twist/West Way. There are separate prizes for snowboarders and skiers within each category.

The categories are:

KIDS – 10 and Under -competing in the Scooter terrain park
BEGINNER – competing in the Scooter terrain park
WOMEN (any age) – competing in the Twist/West Way terrain park
ADVANCED (any age) – competing in the Twist/West Way terrain park
OPEN (a PRO division) – competing in the Twist/West Way terrain park

OPEN contestants will be competing for cash prizes: $300 for best skier and $300 for best snowboarder plus additional cash prizes for 2nd & 3rd place.

“At Butternut we feel that there is no better incentive than cold hard cash to entice the areas best riders to lay down their signature tricks in our park. We wanted them to make sure that our park is on their designated hit list,” stated Josh Morse, himself a professional rider and builder of quality terrain parks and skate decks from Massachusetts to Oregon.

Registration starts at 8:00 in the Lower Lodge, but advanced registration is advisable as last years event saw 147 competitors and that number is capped at 150 for this year. All courses open for practice at 8:15. Event starts at 11:00. The entry fee is $15. All contestants need a lift ticket or Ski Butternut season pass. Reduced rate lift ticket are available for only $25 for contestants but must be purchased at registration. Ski Butternut’s regular adult day pass rate is $46. Jamb format means contestants will take as many runs as they can within the allotted time allowing the judges to determine who had the winning runs of the day in each category.

Entry forms and the required releases of liability form for the event are available in advance on line as PDF files. This way kids under 18 whose parents can’t come to the event can sign the form in advance and send it with their child to register. A parent’s signature is required for anyone to compete under the age of 18. Helmets are not required but strongly advised. Visit www.skibutternut.com and then click on events and scroll down to the ICE COAST OPEN header for links to registration and release forms.

For more information on Ski Butternut or how we are making skiing both fun and affordable call 413.528.2000 or click on our web site at www.skibutternut.com. For details about the Expeditions ICE Coast Open call PJ Hunt at the Expeditions store at 413-528-7737 or email PJ Hunt at [email]Exped@bcn.net[/email].