Icebreaker Joins The Honda Ski Tour as Official Sponsor

Icebreaker, the New Zealand-based manufacturer of pure merino nature clothing, is partnering with the Honda Ski Tour, a series of four skiing competitions and alpine festivals kicking off this weekend in Sun Valley, Idaho, from Thursday, January 11th through Monday, January 15th. The Honda Ski Tour is North America’s new elite skiing competition featuring top halfpipe and skiercross athletes competing for $500,000 – the largest purse in skiing – alongside multi-day alpine festivals to include photo competitions, film screenings, street bonfires, rail jams, parties, and live music.

The Honda Ski Tour will also hit Breckenridge and Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado in February, and Squaw Valley, California, in March. Icebreaker will be welcoming Ski Tour participants at each tour stop with an invitational lounge party celebrating the Icebreaker lifestyle with warm merino layering, Kiwi-style refreshments, award-winning New Zealand wines, and live music mixed on-site.

“With the ski tour kicking off in the hometown of Icebreaker USA, and the excitement that it’s bringing to skiing and snow sports this winter, we saw immediate synergy in partnering for all four events,” said Deb Boswell, US Marketing Manager for Icebreaker.

The Ski Tour will feature an international field of world-class athletes, each having equal opportunity to win the single largest payout in the sport—$125,000 each weekend. Athletes confirmed for the tour include Olympians Daron Rahlves, Eric Schlopy, and Reggie Crist and X Games medalists Tanner Hall, CR Johnson, Simon Dumont, and Zach Crist.

In addition to the skiing competition, the BaseCamp Music Experience, presented in conjunction with The Ski Tour, will be the focal point of off-hill entertainment at each of the tour stops. BaseCamp will feature over 30 bands and DJs, including Blackalicious, Donavon Frankenreiter, George Clinton, Gomez, Hinder, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sean Paul, The Wailers, Tommy Lee, DJ Logic, DJ Jillian Ann, Swollen
Members, Kamphire Collective, and more to be announced.

At most stops, these big-name acts will play in a centrally located, 14,000-square-foot heated pavilion, which will accommodate up to 3,000 people. This structure, erected in the center of town, will occupy a city block. In addition to hosting the headline concert, the pavilion will be the hub for all of the festivities, featuring an array of events throughout the weekend, including street party bonfires, the Limelight Film Festival, rail jams, VIP and athlete parties, locals bar parties, pro photo shootout parties, teen rock & roll parties, fashion shows, and many more activities celebrating mountain culture.

SKI TOUR DETAILS

2007 The Ski Tour dates and locations
$125,000 prize money per stop

Sun Valley, Idaho
January 11-14, 2007

Breckenridge, Colorado
February 1-4, 2007

Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado
February 22-25, 2007

Squaw Valley, California
Tour Finals
March 8-11, 2007

www.theskitour.com

About The Ski Tour
The Ski Tour is the vision of co-founders Kipp Nelson and Steve Brown, who share the same passion and excitement for skiing competition. Founded in 2005, The Ski Tour’s visionaries have a combined 25 years experience competing professionally and contributing to the ski industry. Nelson, who serves on the board of the USSA, and Steve are joined by a diverse Ski Tour management team that together has executed hundreds of professional alpine ski competitions around North America. To learn more about The Ski Tour visit www.theskitour.com

Media Inquiries and for more information contact:
Keith Carlsen
Director of Marketing, PR, & Communications
Mountain Sports International
keith@mtsports.com
801-349-4632

About Icebreaker
Icebreaker was the first company in the world to develop a merino wool layering system for the outdoors, and launched the category in 1994. Icebreaker was also the first outdoor apparel company in the world to source merino direct from growers, pioneering the process in 1997. There are now ten distinct pure merino fabrics in the Icebreaker system covering underwear, mid layer, and outerwear. Icebreaker is currently distributed to over 1800 stores in 24 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia, and North America. Based in Wellington, New Zealand Icebreaker uses only pure merino hand-picked from 120 high stations scattered among the country’s Southern Alps to create exotic outdoor clothing that combines Nature’s work with human technology and design. To locate an Icebreaker dealer and to view ranges and styles, log on to: http//:www.icebreaker.com. For further information contact Alycia Cavadi 617/262.5559 or alycia@momentummediapr.com, or visit the Icebreaker TOUCH_PARK, OR booth #36135.

About Sun Valley
There can be only one original. And since 1936, Sun Valley, Idaho, has held that distinction. Born out of a desire to bring the magic of the European ski resorts to America, Sun Valley quickly became a phenomenon, without peer on this continent or any other. Boasting four distinct seasons, each as awe-inspiring as the next, Sun Valley’s nearly one million acres of wilderness promise long sunny days, bright starry nights, and a resort experience that your family will cherish for generations.

About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company’s subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, Heavenly in California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Company’s subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

About Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen Skiing Company operates four destination mountains – Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk – and is the home of the ESPN Winter X Games through 2010. Aspen/Snowmass also offers unparalleled nightlife and off-slope activities as well as four award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools. Aspen/Snowmass is accessible by two of the most convenient airports in the
mountains – Aspen Sardy Field (3 miles from Aspen) and Eagle County Airport (70 miles from Aspen). For more information on Aspen/Snowmass, please call 800/525-6200 or 970/925-1220, or visit the company’s website at www.aspensnowmass.com.

About Squaw Valley USA
Legendary Squaw Valley USA boasts 4,000 acres, 6 peaks, 16 bowls, 3 terrain parks and the world’s most advanced lift network. Along with epic skiing and snowboarding, Squaw Valley offers mountaintop ice skating, swimming, snowtubing, night skiing, restaurants, shopping and nightlife galore.