In lieu of Big Air competitions, the DKNY Jeans Outdoor Concert Series will build on last year’s killer Black Eyed Peas performance, with two major nighttime
concerts, Saturday April 9 and 16. To amplify the Festival’s renowned nightlife, the Smirnoff Experience, an all-night party featuring world-class DJ’s and performers, will act as an exclamation point to the Festival, April 16.


“The athletes demanded Slopestyle, and we delivered,” said Lindsay O’Brien,
athlete manager, W1 Inc. “The re-design of the Festival is in line with the
progression of skiing and riding. Whistler Blackcomb offers one of the best
terrain parks in the world, and we’re putting it to good use.”



The 10-day Festival, renowned for a synergy of music, arts and sports
events, has evolved over its 10-year history from a modest sporting
competition to an all-encompassing lifestyle event. To celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the Festival, existing events have been fine-tuned and new
events have been added in all three categories:



Sports- In years past, the World Skiing Invitational and World Snowboarding
Invitational have been held on separate weekends, but 2005 is a year of
snowsports unity and both events will take place simultaneously, April
12-16. Skiers and snowboarders will compete in Slopestyle and Superpipe
competitions throughout the week, with the finals for each competition
running consecutively on April 14 and 16. Expect the pros to go big with a
total purse of $100,000.



The Red Bull Gelandesprung is a unique addition for 2005 that gives new life
to an old school event. Gelandesprung is a distance ski-jumping event that
originated in Europe and has roots in Whistler dating back to the 70’s.
Skiers in alpine equipment launch off a massive straight ramp, sailing
hundreds of feet in the air, with separate divisions for pros and amateurs.
The Urban Rail Session is back by popular demand, and brings the pro skiers
and boarders off the mountain and into the heart of Whistler village for a
jam-format competition at 9 pm, April 14.

Music- The 2005 Festival features the strongest and most expansive music
line-up to date. New to the Festival in 2005 is the Smirnoff Experience, an
installment from an international series of all-night parties featuring
world-class DJ’s and performers, at the TELUS Conference Centre, April 16.
The DKNY Jeans Outdoor Concert Series, whose past headliners include the
Black Eyed Peas, Nickelback, Swollen Members and GOB, has upped the ante,
and will feature two top caliber performances on the evenings of Saturday
April 9 and 16. The Kokanee Freeride Club Concert Series also returns with
concerts in Whistler’s bars and nightclubs.



Arts- The arts category offers a variety of fresh elements for the 2005
Festival including Fashion Exposed – an outdoor fashion show showcasing
fusion of action sport and urban chic clothing, The Collective Novel
Experiment – a gondola installation where writers take turns writing
chapters of a novel set in Whistler, and Masterpiece in Motion – an
international snowboard art competition. The Pro Photographer Showdown,
considered the pre-eminent action sport and lifestyle photography exposé, is
celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Festival by bringing back all of the
past winners for the ultimate showcase of legends. The Filmmaker Showdown
will stay true to its popular format of 72 hours to create a four-and-a-half
minute film. Words & Stories, a favourite with festival-goers for the last
two years, will return showcasing writers and their evocative tales of
mountain life.



The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is produced by W1 Inc. – Whistler’s
largest sport and entertainment marketing company. Experience the synergy of
legendary music, arts, and sports events at the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard
Festival, featuring the World Snowboarding Invitational, the World Skiing
Invitational, the DKNY Jeans Outdoor Concert Series and the Kokanee Freeride
Club Concert Series, as well as the Pro Photographer Showdown and Filmmaker
Showdown. For more information, visit www.whistler2005.com.



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Media notes: The attached low-resolution photos are available for editorial
use. Photo credits are provided in the file names.



Media accreditation request forms are available at whistler2005.com/media.



Contact:

Jen Riley

Public Relations Manager

W1 Inc. – Producers of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival

Tel.: 604.938.3399 ext. 21

jriley@w1.ca