After three successful years in Livigno, Italy, Burton is proud to announce that the Burton European Open is moving to Laax, Switzerland. Next season's event is scheduled for January 15-22, 2005.

Laax is a well-known resort inside the snowboard circuit with a long history of organizing high-quality snowboard-events. The resort has proven many times to be the innovator and leading force when it comes to not only accepting, but also embracing snowboarding.

Hermann Kapferer, General Manager of Burton Europe, has the following to say about the partnership, "I am very happy to work with such a professional resort as Laax where the infrastructure and event experience is surpassing all standards. Laax is all about snowboarding! We have high expectations in building a long-term relationship with Laax to set a new standard on the European event circuit and to take progressive snowboarding further."

Reto Gurtner, CEO of Wei�e Arena AG in Laax, states, "Both Burton and Laax were pioneers in snowboarding and have remained highly committed in regards to the ongoing development of the sport ever since. We also share many views of what snowboarding is about, so the partnership for the event is actually a perfect match and somewhat natural. And of course, hosting the Burton European Open in Laax is a great pleasure, and I'm sure it will be a thrilling freestyle festival."

Also new for the Burton European Open, Donald Nader will head up the organization team as Event Director. Donald's experience in organizing events like the Take Off in Laax or the Finals at Easter in Davos and his strong insight into the sport of snowboarding proves without a doubt that he is the right person to take the Burton European Open to new heights.

Donald Nader, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , phone: 41-1-2606234