Freeriders bundle up for Winter Teva Mountain Games

This February, the world’s top freeriders will converge at the 2012 Winter Teva Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer in Vail, Colorado. The first-time winter event—modeled after the highly successful summer Teva Mountain Games—gives riders a chance to battle it out in three competitions for significant cash prizes.

The excitement kicks off on Saturday afternoon (February 11) in Vail with the Teva Dual Slalom downhill bike race, which sends riders head-to-head down snow-packed banked turns and launching off hay-bale drops. Winners will take home their share of the $5,000 prize purse.

That evening under the bright lights, riders will compete for $10,000 in the Teva Best Trick Bike presented by Thule, in which they will huck off a massive snow feature to score points for big air, trick difficulty and distinctive style. Teva team athletes Cam McCaul, Kurt Sorge and Sam Pilgrim are among the pro riders competing for $10,000.

The competition courses were designed by Jeff Lenosky, MTB freeride pioneer and Teva athlete who also influenced the design of the Teva Links shoe, which launched last fall.

Also on Saturday, endurance riders will race for $5,000 in the Teva On-Snow Bike Crit presented by Chipotle. This fast-paced, short-lap race challenges mountain bikers to stay upright on a snowy course on lower portions of Vail Mountain. Wide tires will be the tool of choice for riders to navigate the varied terrain in this spectator-friendly event.