Dew Tour Confirms World Class Athletes and Teams For Breckenridge Ski & Snowboard Competition
Defending champs Mark McMorris, Gus Kenworthy, Anna Gasser and Darcy Sharpe return to Breckenridge; Ski and Snowboard Hardgoods Brands For New Team Challenge Confirmed
December 5, 2016 (Breckenridge, Colo.) — Mountain Dew® and TEN: The Enthusiast Network released the full competing athletes list today for the winter Dew Tour ski and snowboard competition coming to Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colo. on December 8 – 11. See the full list of confirmed athletes here.
The reimagined competition format will feature individual and new team competition (dubbed the “Team Challenge”) on a two-part course playing to different riders’ strengths in a modified Slopestyle jump zone and a Slopestyle jib zone. Snowboard companies Burton, Nitro, Lib Tech, Ride, DC and Salomon will all field teams for the new team challenge, as will ski companies Faction, Armada, Head, Atomic, Volkl and K2. New videos introducing the new ski and snowboard teams are arriving daily on dewtour.com and Dew Tour’s social media channels.
Colorado local Gus Kenworthy is the man to beat in the Ski Slopestyle sections, with Jossi Wells (NZL), Fabian Boesch (SUI) and 2014 Sochi gold medalist Joss Christensen (USA) giving him a run for it. 14-year-old skier Kelly Sildaru’s (EST) win in last year’s Dew Tour, followed up by an X Games gold, will defend her title against seasoned veterans including Kaya Turski (CAN) and Devin Logan (USA). In the Snowboard Slopestyle sections, watch for the return of Mark McMorris (CAN), back in action this winter after breaking his femur in February, facing off against the likes of Air & Style Winner Marcus Kleveland (NOR), Darcy Sharpe (CAN) and Max Parrot (CAN). Colorado local and new Mountain Dew athlete, Red Gerard (USA), will be returning this year after he placed fifth last year and is one athlete to watch. Anna Gasser (AUT), Spencer O’Brien (CAN), Hailey Langland (USA) and Jamie Anderson (USA) continue to push women’s Snowboard Slopestyle progression.
“The Dew Tour will be exciting as it feels like a brand new event with the format and course changes,” said Colorado-local Red Gerard. “After seeing and hearing about Summer Dew Tour from the skaters, watching the team comp go down in Breckenridge will really make Dew Tour stand out from the other comps we do this season. This is my first event as a Mountain Dew athlete and I could not be more stoked to be a part of such a tight-knit, amazing program.”
Dew Tour competitors come from all over the world, and this year’s field is the farthest-flung yet, thanks to Ugandan snowboarder Brolin Mawejje attending as a forerunner for slopestyle. He immigrated to the U.S. when he was 12 and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with his adoptive family, where he learned to rip with the best. He now trains at Park City, Utah. He’s currently mounting a campaign to compete in PyeonChang in 2018. No Ugandan has ever competed at the Winter Olympics, or the Dew Tour. Find out more about Brolin and his journey in the new Dew Tour series “Beyond The Bib” presented by Toyota, launching today on dewtour.com.
Dew Tour’s popular after-hours Streetstyle competition will also return to downtown Breckenridge on Friday, December 9 at 6 p.m., where Darcy Sharpe defends among the snowboarders and Sean Jordan (USA) holds it down for the skiers. And, for the first time ever, this year’s Dew Tour will feature an adaptive snowboarding Banked Slalom event; fans will get a sneak preview of the new discipline before its debut at the 2018 PyeonChang Paralympics. Look for fierce battles led by the U.S. team that swept the Para-Snowboarding podium in Sochi in 2014 – Evan Strong, Keith Gabel and Mike Shea – and an equally charged women’s race headed by Sochi 2014 gold medalist Bibian Mentel.
For the full list of 2016 Dew Tour individual and team competitors, visit DewTour.com. Tune in all week long for updates and live feed of the competition (starting Friday, December 9) at DewTour.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube @DewTour. NBC will continue as Dew Tour’s broadcast partner with the Winter Dew Tour airing two specials on December 17 and December 24, 2016.
About Dew Tour
Dew Tour is an innovative contest series and content platform that brings together the world’s best skateboarders, snowboarders, skiers, artists, brands and fans in a celebration of creativity and style.
In 2016, TEN: The Enthusiast Network became the official strategic partner to lead content production, execution and event staging for the Dew Tour. Working in close collaboration with TEN’s core action sports media brands and in partnership with DEW®, Dew Tour continues to progress events and content, bringing millions of action sports fans engaging stories and experiences across digital and broadcast mediums. In addition to Dewtour.com and TEN’s digital network, Dew Tour’s summer and winter events will be broadcast on NBC.
About TEN: The Enthusiast Network
TEN: The Enthusiast Network is the world’s premier transmedia network of enthusiast brands, such as MOTOR TREND, AUTOMOBILE, HOT ROD, SURFER, TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING, and GRINDTV. With more than 60 websites, 50 publications, 50 annual events, the Motor Trend OnDemand subscription video-on-demand service, as well as the world’s largest automotive and action/adventure sports media platforms, TEN inspires enthusiasts to pursue their passions. For more information, visit enthusiastnetwork.com.
About Breckenridge Ski Resort
With five huge peaks, 2,908 acres, four terrain parks, a 22ft Superpipe, 11 bowls, the highest chairlift in North America, family-friendly terrain and a world-class ski school, all situated above an authentic, hip mountain town with awe-inspiring views, there are good reasons why “Breck” is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Western Hemisphere. Renowned for the welcoming spirit and friendly character of its locals, with over 200 restaurants, bars, and shops, and numerous year-round activities and events, Breck embodies more than just a destination, it inspires a way of life. www.breckenridge.com.
