World's Best Riders to Compete at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Vail

BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The 31^st annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI is excited to announce an impressive list of confirmed riders, all on deck to compete at the sport's most legendary event taking place in Vail, Colorado from February 25^th - March 2^nd, 2013. Some of the biggest names in snowboarding are confirmed, including Shaun White, Mark McMorris, Kelly Clark, Torah Bright, Jamie Anderson, Iouri Podladtchikov and more, who are all heading to Vail Mountain for the Burton US Open world-class slopestyle and halfpipe competitions.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130131/NY51969 )

"The US Open is one of snowboarding's legendary events, and some of my best competition memories are of competing at Vail, so for me, bringing the two together is all time," said Shaun White. "I'm excited to compete in Vail's new pipe and see everyone come out for the next evolution of this contest."

It all gets started on Wednesday, February 27, with slopestyle semi-finals, which will be more exciting than ever now that slopestyle is an official sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics. At the US Open, the best slopestyle competitors in the world are confirmed to compete, including X-Games slopestyle gold medalist Mark McMorris (CAN), 2012 Burton European Open (BEO) slopestyle winner Aleksander Oestreng (NOR), 2012 US Open slopestyle champ Sebastien Toutant (CAN), and World Snowboard Tour overall title holder Stale Sandbech (NOR), among others. The women's line-up is equally impressive, with X Games gold medalist and 2012 US Open slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson (USA), 2012 X Games gold medalist Enni Rukajarvi (FIN), Olympian Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas (NOR), three-time BEO Junior Jam winner Ty Walker (USA) and Cilka Sadar (SLO) all confirmed to compete.

On Thursday, February 28, the legendary Burton US Open halfpipe semi-finals begin. The US Open halfpipe rider list is stacked with nine Olympians, including Shaun White (USA), Louie Vito (USA), Greg Bretz (USA), Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN), Kelly Clark (USA), Elena Hight (USA), Hannah Teter (USA), and Torah Bright (AUS). Also competing are World Snowboarding Championships gold medalist Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI), Queralt Castellet (ESP), Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), Christian Haller (SUI) and 14-year-old halfpipe phenom and 2013 X Games silver medalist Ayumu Hirano (JPN).

Competitors and spectators alike will be in for an amazing week in Vail where they can watch world-class, Olympic-level snowboarding competitions during the day in Golden Peak and soon to be announced top music acts by night in Solaris – all for free. The entire event is open to the public with slopestyle finals taking place on Friday, March 1^st at 10:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) and halfpipe finals going down on Saturday, March 2^nd at 10:30 a.m. (Mountain Time).

If you can't make it to Vail to experience the Burton US Open in person, check out live webcasts of the slopestyle semi-finals on Wednesday, February 27^th, halfpipe semi-finals on Thursday, February 28^th, slopestyle finals on Friday, March 1^st and halfpipe finals on Saturday, March 2^nd. And tune in to Universal Sports and NBCSN on Friday, March 1^st and Saturday, March 2^nd to watch the men's and women's finals live on TV.

For a full list of competitors, full broadcast and webcast schedule and more event details, head to www.burton.com/USO and follow the hashtag #BurtonUSOpen.

A big thanks to the following partners for their support of the 31^st edition of the Burton US Open: MINI, Vail Resorts, Mountain Dew®, Town of Vail, Nokia, Paul Mitchell, 3M™ Thinsulate™ Insulation, GoPro, G-SHOCK, Shiseido, Matador, Clif, Transworld, Snowboarder, Analog, Anon and the World Snowboard Tour.

About Burton
In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn and has dedicated his life to snowboarding ever since. Burton has played a pivotal role in growing snowboarding from a backyard hobby to a world-class sport by creating groundbreaking products, supporting a team of top snowboarders and pushing resorts to allow snowboarding. Today, Burton designs and manufactures industry-leading products for snowboarding and the snowboard lifestyle, including snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear and layering as well as year-round apparel, packs/bags and accessories. Privately held and owned by Jake and his wife, Burton President Donna Carpenter, Burton's headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in Austria, Japan, Australia and California. For more information, visit www.burton.com. Follow our line at: facebook.com/burtonsnowboards, twitter.com/burtonsnowboard and @burtonsnowboard on Instagram.

About MINI
MINI is involved in action sports around the world through cooperation and sponsoring activities. As a partner of trend-conscious sports, MINI supports young and creative sports people and, in so doing, promotes the development of their sport. MINI has been the official presenting partner for the Burton Global Event Series since 2011.

About Vail Mountain
Celebrating its 50^th anniversary throughout the 2012-2013 season and coveted as the largest ski resort in the United States with more than 5,200 acres of skiable terrain and seven legendary Back Bowls spanning seven miles, Vail is an extraordinary winter vacation destination. Under blue skies more than 300 days each year and with more groomed terrain than anywhere on the planet, families reconnect and celebrate here from year to year and generation to generation. The vacation experience is world class, from the Vail Ski & Snowboard School to the events, activities and festivals, the shops and spas, abundant culinary experiences and luxurious accommodations. Coupled with the vision inherent in the spirit of Vail's founders, and a modern day commitment to excellence in all aspects of guest service and operations, Vail can still credibly lay claim to being a resort like nothing on earth www.vail.com.  

SOURCE Burton