Four competitors (all skiers or all snowboarders) will start down the course simultaneously. Each will have to negotiate a series of obstacles while trying to overtake their fellow competitors in route to the finish line. The first two across the finish move on to the next round, in this process of elimination style event. Groups of four will proceeds in heats, until the top three places in each bracket have been determined.

There are five distinct racer categories: Advanced, Amateur, Beginner and Under 10 with an additional All Girls category specifically sponsored by the clothing company Cold as Ice, which is honoring the best female riders in what is being called The Cold as Ice Cup.

Competitors can sign up at the mountain the day of the event. There are two other events in this series that take place at Bosquet Ski Area in Pittsfield, MA. Registration for the Ski Butternut events runs from 8:15 am to 9:45 am in the Clubhouse (Lower Lodge). The race will start shortly after 10. The course will open for inspection and practice runs at 9:00 am. The competition will take place in the Cruiser Terrain Park at Ski Butternut. The cost to enter the competition is $15 per event. In addition, each competitor will need a lift ticket, as well as a helmet, prior to stepping into the starting gate.

Courses for all the competitions will be constructed by Team Ed's House Course Designers. Team Ed’s House is a professional snowboard terrain park and BoarderCross - SkierCross competition site development company. They have constructed the courses at Ski Butternut the last four years. "We promise to make these competitions exciting for both competitors as well as spectators" - stated Ed Priece, Team Ed's house founder.

The courses will include obstacles like: tabletops, jumps, step-ups, step-downs, banked turns, rollers, spines and the always-exciting "big air" finish. These hits are similar to what the kids see on the X-Games coverage shown by the ESPN network. "The Ski Butternut course is designed to be fun for all ability levels, especially the target audience of 8 to 22 year olds. Understandably our hits will be a tad smaller than those shown on televised national events." stated Matt Sawyer, Director of Marketing for Ski Butternut. "I always find it interesting and exciting to watch the expressions of parents who religiously attend the events. Some are watching their children compete for the first time. While many are watching kids exhibit unique skills that that far exceed their own.We always have a lot of surprised and proud parents in attendance."

To learn more about the competitions, contestants should visit the Ski Butternut website at www.skibutternut.com or they can visit the course designers web site www.teamedshouse.com where they will find sign up forms and additional information including pictures from previous years events.
 
For information about other fun family oriented events at Ski Butternut visit our website www.skibutternut.com or call the area at 413-528-2000 to request a free brochure.
 
Ski Butternut is located in the southwestern corner of the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, just 3 miles east of Great Barrington. The town of Great Barrington and Ski Butternut were recently recognized in the November 2003 edition of SKI Magazine as a ski destination town.

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