Wednesday, February 26

21st Annual Philips US Open Snowboarding Championships Less Than Three Weeks Away

Press Release

Burlington, Vermont - The snow is piling up at Stratton Mountain. Terrain park crews are working on the Philips US Open Superpipe and Slopestyle courses. And the world's best snowboarders are making travel plans to Vermont. With less than a month to go before the Philips US Open Snowboarding Championships, everything is falling into place for snowboarding's most anticipated annual event.

More than 30,000 spectators, fans and riders will migrate to Stratton on March 14-16 to see the world's best snowboarders go head to head for a piece of US Open glory and the event's $200,000 purse. Five of the six 2002 Olympic Halfpipe Medalists will be at the Philips US Open pushing their limits one year after snowboarding dominated the Games. To stoke the riders out even more, Philips will give the men's and women's halfpipe champions a Philips FLAT TV , and Jeep® will award a Wrangler Rubicon to the Most Outstanding Athlete.

This year, the Philips US Open will kick off with a new event - the Friday Night Rail Jam. With heavy input from some of snowboarding's top rail riders, Snow Park Technologies is designing custom-built features like a 30-stair handrail, ledges and other obstacles for the event. Jeremy Jones, Ryan Lougee, Dave Downing, Shaun White and others will be there to get the Open off to a solid start. Judged by riders, the invited list of contestants will compete for over $25,000 in prizes. SoBe's throwing down $5,000 for the rider with the best trick at the Jam.

Created by snowboarders for snowboarders, the US Open is a favorite contest among the world's top riders because of the energy of the crowds, the rider-driven event formats and its deep roots in snowboarding history. "The US Open is my favorite event - it's at my home mountain and it's the event I grew up watching," says Olympic Gold Medalist and Burton Global Team rider Ross Powers.

Top riders like Shaun White, Jussi Oksanen, Danny Kass, Terje Haakonsen, JJ Thomas, Travis Rice, David Benedek, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter, Ross Powers and Keir Dillon will attend the event and give fans the chance to witness riding at its best. Live music, pro rider autograph sessions, sponsor booths with giveaways and activities, after-parties and the usual US Open mayhem will be in full force at this year's event.

Stratton is where it's at in March. But if you can't make it there, you can still catch the action from your own couch. For the first time ever, live coverage of the Philips US Open finals will be broadcast on Outdoor Life Network (OLN) to millions of viewers nationwide.

Check out OLN's anticipated airing times below:

Philips US Open Preview Show:
Thursday March 13th
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM LIVE
11:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Philips US Open Rail Jam:
Friday March 14th
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM LIVE
10:00 PM - 11:30 PM
1:30 AM - 3:00 AM (3/15/03)

Philips US Open Superpipe:
Saturday March 15th
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM LIVE
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
12:30 AM - 2:00 AM (3/16/03)

Philips US Open Slopestyle:
Sunday March 16th
2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
2:00 AM - 4:00 AM (3/17/03)

For all the down and dirty details on the Philips US Open including schedules, competitor information, sponsors, event history and merchandise visit www.opensnowboarding.com

For more information on the US Open, contact:
Burton Snowboards: Leigh Ault (802) 651-0417
leigha@burton.com

**For questions on how to get OLN, call your local cable or satellite provider.

The Philips US Open Snowboarding Championships is the pinnacle snowboarding event of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the US Open has grown from a grassroots event to a global spectacle attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from the world over. Thanks to 2003 sponsors Philips, Burton Snowboards, Stratton Mountain, Right Guard Xtreme Sport, Jeep, SoBe Beverages, FHM, GORE-TEX brand and Clif Bar the event will be stronger than ever. The US Open is proud to be one of the first and only contests that rewards equal prize money to both men and women riders. Since the beginning, the Open has been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders' needs over the years. With events held in Europe, Japan and the United States, the Open sets the standard for snowboarding events around the globe.