USSMA Announces World Championship Team Qualifications

Jackson Hole, WY — Today the United States Ski Mountaineering Association (USSMA) announced the qualifying procedure for the 2008 United States Ski Mountaineering Team to compete in the 2008 International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competition (ISMC) World Championships to be held in Portes du Soleil, Switzerland.

“The United States Ski Mountaineering Team that will compete in the 2008 World Championships will be chosen through the following qualification procedures”, stated John Scott Executive Director of the USSMA. “Five automatic berths will be earned in the following order 1) National Champion of the 2007 Life-Link Randonnee Rally Ski Mountaineering Race Series, 2) Top two finishers in the 2007 USSMA North American Championships to be held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming 3) Top two finishers in the 2007 Black Diamond Wasatch Powder Keg Race to be held in Utah. The remaining team members, all whom have to be US citizens, will be selected by the USSMA board based on previous race history and or potential,” said Scott.

The Ski Mountaineering World Championships are held every two years and are organized and sanctioned by the ISMC, an arm of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation which promotes, develops and regulates ski mountaineering competitions. The 2006 World Championships were the first World Championships in which the US showed up in force. The US team members did very well earning a ninth position in the four man relay, 10 in the women’s 2 person team race, 22nd in the men’s 2 person team race, 10th, 17th, and 28th in the women’s vertical race and 30th,34th, 36th and 44th in the men’s vertical race.

“The United States team got a good taste of what it takes to compete with the Europeans in 2006 and is looking forward to bigger and better things in the 2008 championships”, stated Scott. For more information continue to check back on the USSMA website www.ussa.org or call 800-443-8620