The Rookies Quest kicks off  in 3 weeks !!!   These qualifications  will allow the riders to win 6 tickets for the world most famous freeride event, the O'Neill Xtreme by Swatch in Verbier (March 17-19 2006). In this perspective, the selection committee has retained twice 30 candidates for the first two qualifying heats that will respectively take place on the 4th and 5th February  in Andermatt, in the Swiss canton of Uri and the 7th and 8th of February in  Mayrhofen, Austria. Out of the 215 registration  forms sent from 18 countries the selectors have chosen 60 candidates that will have to show their aptitude during the two qualifying heats. Amongst them riders or forerunners that have already participated in the Verbier Xtreme, but  also skiers and snowboarders with rich and various profiles and of every possible origin. All the riders had to count on the prescribed 3 minutes film to convince the selection judges. Finally 7 female  snowboarders, 6 female skiers, 25 male snowboarders and 22 male skiers coming  from 12 countries will be present in Andermatt et Mayrhofen. Note the strong  participation of the alpine countries, the presence of candidates from Scandinavia, the USA, Russia and even one candidate from Japan. Cyril Neri, selector of the Rookies Quest: "We have to admit that the craze for  freeriding is constantly increasing and that the reputation of the O'Neill  Xtreme by Swatch extends over the globe"

Riders selected for the ANDERMATT heat:

Men

1 Gian Andrea Albin  Snow M SUI
2 Emilien Badoux  Snow M SUI
3 Nicolas Bossard  Snow M SUI
4 Raphaël Bullet  Snow M SUI
5 Ralph Castelberg  Snow M SUI
6 Aurélien Debrand  Snow M FRA
7 Simon Favier   Snow M FRA
8 Milon Favre   Snow M SUI
9 Xavier Jordan  Snow M SUI
10 Roch Malnuit   Snow M FRA
11 Aurélien Routens   Snow M FRA
12 Gilles Sandoz   Snow M SUI
13 Michel Schneeberger   Snow M SUI
14 André Sommer  Snow M SUI
15 Nicolas Vaudroz   Snow M SUI
16 Nicholas Wolken  Snow M SUI
17 Martine Gleditsch  Ski F NOR
18 Katharina Mihaljevic   Ski F AUT
19 Giulia Monego  Ski F ITA
20 Marie Pieronne   Ski F FRA
21 Amélie Simond  Ski F FRA
22 Janicke Svedberg  Ski F NOR
23 Laurent Chuard   Ski M SUI
24 Seb De Sainte Marie   Ski M FRA
25 Raphaël Gillioz   Ski M SUI
26 Mickaël Lamy   Ski M FRA
27 Olivier Meynet   Ski M FRA
28 Vivian Stauffer   Ski M SUI
29 Felix Tanguay  Ski M SUI
30 Cory Zila   Ski M USA

Riders selected for the MAYRHOFEN heat:

1 Aurélie Garcin   Snow F FRA
2 Anina Karvinen   Snow F FIN
3 Betina Köfler   Snow F AUT
4 Marina Levkova   Snow F RUS
5 Tiffany Noel   Snow F USA
6 Bibi Pekarek Snow F AUT
7 Nathalie Zenklusen Snow F SUI
8 Ile Eronnen  Snow M FIN
9 Daniel Furberg   Snow M SWE
10 Gennady Hryachkov  Snow M RUS
11 Ryutora Morita   Snow M JAP
12 Gunnar Plöner Snow M AUT
13 Flo Puritscher  Snow M AUT
14 Markus Wopfner  Snow M AUT
15 Martin Zarfl  Snow M AUT
16 Max Zipser   Snow M AUT
17 Oliver Andorfer  Ski M AUT
18 Sebastian Blasy  Ski M AUT
19 Clemens Denhard  Ski M AUT
20 Florian Edenberger   Ski M AUT
21 Stefan Häusl   Ski M AUT
22 Joonas Karhumaa  Telemark M FIN
23 Florian Köfer   Ski M AUT
24 Patrik Leidsted   Ski M SWE
25 Roman Rohrmoser > Ski M AUT
26 Olivier Schmied   Ski M AUT
27 Oskar Sosa  Ski M ARG
28 Kristijan Thorstensen  Ski M DAN
29 Aleksey Vodolazkin   Ski M RUS
30 Torgrim Vole  Ski M NOR

Infos :

Media  organisation : Isabelle de Lalène [email protected]
Selections  coordination : Cyril Neri [email protected]