NISSAN ARCTIX STARTED IN TAMOK, TROMS
Nissan ArctiX - an international invitational freeride competition - started officially on Friday in Tamok in Tromsfylke. The event takes place from 30 March till 9 April 2007. In all 35 world class freeride snowboarders and skiers from 12 countries takes part to this unique event. The competition is part of Nissan Sports Adventure's extensive winter sports event involvement.
Nissan ArctiX is a unique competition which is based on freeriders’ wishes to have a high-quality Nordic event. The event, now organised for the very first time, has received an exceptional amount of interest among the global freeride community. Within two months application time in December-January, close to 150 riders from more than 15 countries left their application, out of which the organisers selected 35 to participate in the competition.
The applicants included many world class riders, such as a few winners of Verbier Xtreme, the most prestigious freeride contest in the world. Two times winner of the Xtreme, Swiss Geraldine Fasnacht, one of the very best female freeride snowboarders and extreme athletes in world, was chosen to take part in the Nissan ArctiX.
“It’s great that Nissan ArctiX gives European freeriders this possibility we’ve long been waiting for. It’s about the time to get this kind of high profile competition in northern Europe. Tamok Mountains are probably one of the most unique places to ride and I’m looking forward this experience to happen”, tells Fasnacht.
All athletes, organizers and media representatives from different countries will accommodate in FilmCamp facility in the village of Överbygd, some 20 minutes from the Tamok Mountains. Weather permitting the organizers and participants of the event will head up into the mountains during three days. A group of about 80 people will travel into Tamok back-country by snowmobiles, where riders will then be transported to the top of contest mountains with a helicopter.
"We have a chance to ride on three days as many runs as we wish. Only the best run from each day will count to the overall result. I think it is a great competition format, and I really hope the weather and the snow conditions will allow us to do as much riding as possible!" Ove Stene, a local snowboarder from Tromsö, tells. Stene, who just won the Lofoten Freeride last week, is one of the two Norwegian snowboarders in the competition. Other Norwegians in the contest are snowboarder David Magnusson and skiers Janicke Svedberg, Fred Syversen, Espen Fadnes.
The event is organized by Cohkka Guiding and Events in co-operation with Hahttavarre Utviling AS (HuAS); "Nissan ArctiX is a great opportunity for us to place Tamok on the map. We are very happy that Tamok has been chosen as the site of this magnificient event", says Leif Arne Larsen from HuAS. HuAS is a Tamok based development company, the goal of which is to develop Tamok area as a destination for winter tourism.
Osku Siivonen, Manager of Cohkka Guiding and Events, has been organized a similar event in Kilpisjärvi in Finland a few times: "Kilpisjärvi has been good, but Tamok is much, much better place to do an event like this. The mountains are bigger, there is more and better snow, and also the local people really support this event. I'm very happy about the way we have been welcomed in Tamok".
For more information about Nissan ArctiX:
www.artixtamok.com
Osku Siivonen, +358 50 595 7226, osku.siivonen@kolumbus.fi
Jarkko-Juhani Henttonen, +358 44 019 6688, jarkko.henttonen@cohkka.fi
