Team Americas & Team Europe Athlete Rosters Revealed For Skiers Cup

The highly-anticipated roster of Skiers Cup team riders is finally available to the public now that Team Captains Sage Cattabriga-Alosa (Team Americas) and Richard Permin (Team Europe) have meticulously selected some of the finest riders in the world to compete on the slopes of Grandvalira, Andorra on January 30 to February 4, 2016. The sixth of edition of the Skiers Cup will take advantage of the the picture-perfect freeride terrain of the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees.

With a long history of progression and high-level freeskiing, this event takes a unique format where two continents (Europe vs. Americas) will face each other in two classic disciplines: big-mountain and backcountry slopestyle. Team captains are sure to select riders that have the necessary skills to round out a versatile team capable of excelling in both disciplines. The 16 riders comprising two teams face each other over two days, with one discipline per day, and two rounds per discipline for each pair of riders. The winners of each round will be determined and the points will be summed for a grand total of 32 possible points.

Team Americas always has a strong showing—from legendary big mountain heroes such as Seth Morrison to crossover veteran and film segment star Tim Durtschi. Nick McNutt is guaranteed to give viewers their money’s worth as he sends huge airs and stomps switch landings. Up-and-coming crusher Logan Pehota will demonstrate how to send stylish airs with unique backcountry style as he competes with fellow North American heavy-hitters Grant Howard, Parker White, and three-time Skiers Cup veteran Tanner Rainville.

With such an impressive line-up, Permin’s Team Europe will need outstanding firepower to extend their 3-2 lead over Cattabriga-Alosa’s Team Americas. Perhaps the strongest freeskier to join Permin’s team is Bene Mayr, who has been pushing the progression of the sport to the next level for years and is also competing on the Freeride World Tour this season. Familiar Skiers Cup faces such as Markus Eder and Sam Anthamatten will secure Europe’s strength in backcountry slopestyle and big mountain, respectively. 2014 Freeride World Tour champion Loic Collomb-Patton will be demonstrating his big mountain skills alongside some of the most versatile riders from across the Alps such as Fabio Studer, Nico Vuignier, and Sam Favret.

The sheer quantity of talent contained among these two dream teams can only assure a memorable showdown of epic proportions, demonstrating the most progressive riding in an innovative competition format. No team is guaranteed a victory as this unique event necessitates a finely-tuned equilibrium of talent, luck, and courage.

Where is Grandvalira?

Andorra is a small landlocked country situated on the border of Spain and France deep within the Pyrenees mountains. The country has a population of only 85,000 people and has an average elevation of nearly 2000 metres. This means the country experiences an alpine climate with plentiful snowfall and abundant sunshine. Grandvalira is an agglomeration of six different ski resorts and is the largest ski resort in the Southern Alps, as well as one of the largest resorts in Europe with over 210 kilometres of pistes. Grandvalira is suited to welcome Skiers Cup athletes with an incredibly vast repertoire of terrain combined with a unique setting and an unparalleled cultural experience.

The Man Behind the Kicker – Skiers Cup Shaper Arnaud Kugener

Behind every perfect take off and impeccable transition is the renowned backcountry shaper Arnaud Kugener of France. Perfecting the art of constructing the perfect backcountry kicker is no simple task, but year-after-year Kugener delivers a blank canvas for riders to express their creative potential. Kugener has honed his skills as an experienced shaper and the creative mastermind producing the spectacular backcountry slopestyle features that encourage riders to push the level of progression to new frontiers. What does he have in store for the 2016 edition? Stay tuned to find out!

For more information on the Skiers Cup, visit skierscup.com, and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.