STRATTON, VT -With the crowning of the TTR World Tour Champion only days away, the east coast resort of Stratton Mountain, having hosted the US Open for 24 consecutive years again plays host to riders and industry from all over the globe during a week of competition and festive activities.

This year the stakes has been raised to new heights. With seven current and past Olympic medalists competing, the 25 foot high walled and perfectly shaped Superpipe will be the canvas for an explosive presentation of world-class competiton. Conditions warmed today, winds dropped and both training and qualifications were held in near perfect conditions. The stage is set for a pefect weekend of Finals.

Our competitors driven by self expression, creative in style, explosive in performance have with the help of platforms such as the US Open and tours like the TTR lifted snowboarding to mainstream awareness and rock-star status.  The result? Over 110 million  households will get the NBC show broadcasting the Burton US Open on April 15th(EST 1630 - 1800).  Furthermore a cool $250,000 USD will be dished out to the top contenders. And with contest favorite Shaun White already exposed on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stones and appearing on prime time shows like The Jay Leno Show our sport can buckle in and continue blowing doors, and having fun.

Tomorrow's program (Friday March 17th 2006) continues with

Halfpipe - Qualifiers (Men and Women)

0900 - 1300    Slopestyle practice
0800 - 1600    Halfpipe qualifiers men  & women
1100 - 1300    Quartepipe practice
1300 - 1845    Quartepipe qualifiers
1745 - 2015    Quarterpipe night finals
2015 - 2030    Quarterpipe Awards
2030 - 2130    MySpace concert

More infos on event and qualification results at         www.opensnowboarding.com