FIRST DAY OF THE FWT AT KIRKWOOD WRAPS UP

Kirkwood, California, March 20, 2009- The 12th annual Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships (NAFC) and the third stop of the 2009 Freeskiing World Tour (FWT), kicked off with a bang at Kirkwood Resort on Thursday with a day of qualifying on Lookout Vista. 45 athletes advanced through the qualifying round to join 43 pre-qualified competitors today on Kirkwood�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s forbidden Cirque. At the end of the day, big mountain rookie Tim Dutton took a surprise lead for the men, while Norway�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Karine Falck-Pedersen, who skied one of her best runs of the season, tied women�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Tour leader and favorite, Crystal Wright.

Charging under perfect blue skies, the women started the event on looker�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s right of the Cirque. The judges definitely preferred the fast, aggressive skiing of Wright and Falck-Pedersen, who both gunned it down the fall line. Both women are former ski racers who competed against each other in college. �??��¢??It is funny,�??��¢?? said Wright, �??��¢??everyone is like �??��¢??you are leading it (the FWT), so you should have tons of confidence,�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½ but for me it is the opposite. I feel all of this pressure.�??��¢??

A first place tie for Falck-Pedersen is the best the former University of Denver All-American racer has done on the Tour all season. �??��¢??I prefer to go fast and to go into airs with speed rather than messing around with bumps,�??��¢?? said Falck-Pedersen. �??��¢??Like I was thinking about going into the big air that a lot of girls were going into, but it was a mogul field above it. I figured I would straight line the chute instead, and I am really glad I did.�??��¢??

In third place, for the women, was Squaw Valley�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Katharine Lange, who also skied a fast and fluid line. While the top three women were awarded for speed, props went out to Kirkwood�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Amy Holland and Hazel Birnbaum, two of the only women who ventured into the technical tree-and-a-half section. Telluride�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Emily Teague also got some cheers from the crowd when she went for a backflip at the end of the run. Unfortunately, she wasn�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½t quite able to get it around.

For the men, beginner�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s good luck trumped experience. Competing in his first ever big mountain competition was 22-year-old Tim Dutton from Squaw Valley who skied one of the fastest and smoothest runs of the day, which he capped off with a backflip before the finish. �??��¢??I was just playing it and feeling it out as I went along, and it went well,�??��¢?? said Dutton about his winning run that put him at the top of the leader board. Dutton, who also earned a Sick Bird nomination, hails from legendary ski stock. His mother, Debbie Dutton, played Shannon Tweed�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s stunt double in the cult classic, Hot Dog.

In second was Snowbird�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Nick Greener who held the lead for most of the competition until Dutton bumped him at the end. Greener skied a tricky line to looker�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s right with finesse, and he easily maneuvered through the Cirque�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s unrelenting terrain from top to bottom.

Rounding out the top three for the men was Squaw Valley�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s John Lange who charged into the tree-and-a-half section and boosted a triple air. �??��¢??It was typical Lange style,�??��¢?? said judge Eric Schmitz, �??��¢??smooth and solid.�??��¢??

Both Julien Lopez and Tim Dutton earned Backcountry.com Sickbird nominations today and many more athletes are expected to earn them tomorrow. The coveted Backcountry.com Sickbird buckle is an award, which is given out at the end of each FWT event, to the athlete with the most spirited run. These runs usually include super-human talent and agility.

12 women and 27 men from today�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s event will advance to Saturday�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Finals and Super Finals. Dubbed Super Saturday, tomorrow�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s competitors will take on looker�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s left of the Cirque. �??��¢??This side of the Cirque has a lot more consequences,�??��¢?? said head judge Jim Jack, warning competitors about the permanently closed area. The venue is visible from Devil�??��¢?�?¯��¿��½s Corral at the base of Vista and the Cirque. As always there is plenty of front-row seating to watch the competitors put everything on the line.