Burlington, Vermont (Ski Press)-Confirmed dates and locations are listed below for the upcoming Burton Global Open Snowboarding Championships, the international event series that gives local, amateur and pro snowboarders an equal shot at a world class title. This season, the contest series will crown its first male and female Global Open Champions at the Burton US Open, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2007.

Burton Global Open Snowboarding Championship Dates:
New Zealand Open August 3-5, 2006 SnowPark, New Zealand
Australian Open August 25-27, 2006 Falls Creek, Australia
European Open January 20-27, 2007 Laax, Switzerland
Nippon Open February 20-25, 2007 ALTS Bandai, Japan
US Open March 12-18, 2007 Stratton, VT USA

�We�re expanding the Burton Global Open series to give more people the chance to witness some of the best snowboarding in the world,� says Bryan Johnston, Vice President of Global Marketing at Burton. �Each of the Burton Opens will take it to the next level in terms of event execution, TV coverage and podcasting to give riders, spectators and viewers at home the best possible experience.�

Fernie: French Fries to Fuel

Calgary, Alberta (SP)-The plaza at Fernie Alpine Resort was recently filled with the unlikely combination of high school students, French fries and biodiesel. Local students from Fernie Secondary have developed a way of turning waste fryer oil into biodiesel, which they will now use to fuel Fernie Alpine Resort�s front end loader.

The program is called �Zero Waste�, and is part of the Rocky Mountain Education Series, coordinated through Wildsight - An organization designed to facilitate learning experiences for youth that promote understanding and awareness of local waste issues, explore creative solutions to minimize and utilize waste, and ultimately empower young people to make a difference locally while addressing issues that are of concern on a global level.

The students used 40L of fryer grease and changed it into biodiesel, which was then used to fuel machinery at the resort.

Aspen to Open Silver Queen

Aspen, Colo. (SP)-A grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, July 1 when the new Silver Queen Gondola will open for the first time. Crews have been working on the gondola for the last two years in preparation for this day. The gondola will feature 147 new, Swiss-made cabins. The new six-passenger cabins offer floor to ceiling windows, are roomier, have better ventilation and feature both black and red cabins with new silver logos.

A ribbon cutting and opening celebration will take place on the gondola steps at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday July 1. Aspen Ski Co reps and Olympians Chris Klug and Gretchen Bleiler will be on hand. The Silver Queen Gondola carries riders from the heart of Aspen 2.5 miles to the 11,212 foot summit of Aspen Mountain.

Quik�s New Russian Partner

Huntington Beach, Calif. (SP)-Quiksilver Inc., announced that, in partnership with Sprandi International Ltd., it has created a joint venture with the exclusive rights to design, manufacture, market and distribute Quiksilver and Roxy branded products in Russia.

The joint venture will be responsible for establishing a Russian distribution network of company-owned retail stores as well as a sizeable wholesale business that will include licensed retail stores, large key accounts and small independent retail chains. This venture, which replaces a former license and distributorship agreement, builds on the Company�s strategy to own and operate its business in key territories. The Company believes that the Russian market is increasingly vibrant and that its brands have a strong, resonant message and considerable untapped potential with Russian consumers.

USST �Sports Parenting� Tips

Park City, Utah (SP)-A new CD produced by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association and USA Swimming titled �Successful Sports Parenting,� is now available. Packed with tools and information for parents, coaches and club administrators, �Sports Parenting� is the most comprehensive resource ever created to support the successful development of young athletes from novice to elite level of all sports.

The CD is hosted by Deborah Phelps, a Baltimore county middle school principal and mother of swimmer and six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. http://educationshop.ussa.org.

Big White Wins Award

Kelowna, BC (SP)-Big White Ski Resort was recently presented with the �2006 Tommi Tyndall Award� from the Far West Ski Association at their annual convention held recently in Phoenix, Arizona. The Tommi Tyndall Award is presented on a yearly basis to the ski area, ski area operator, tourism bureau or ski area association who has made a distinguished contribution to skiing and/or the Far West Ski Association in the past year or in a prior year. Since the award was first presented in 1966, only two other
Canadian resorts have been honoured with this distinction: Lake Louise in 1997 and Big White�s sister resort Silver Star in 2001.

Kirkwood Names Seamans COO

Kirkwood, Calif. Chip Seamans, a longtime ski industry leader, has been named general manager and chief operating officer for Kirkwood Mountain Resort, announced David Likins, the resort�s chief executive office. His responsibilities will focus on the resort�s ambitious master plan and a long held philosophy appealing to the hearty winter enthusiast in search of an authentic ski resort.

�Chip�s extensive background in resort operations will play a key role in steering Kirkwood to a national class level in terms of resort offerings, overall guest service and peak day experience,� stated Likins. �Kirkwood is known as an authentic ski resort community with amenities that complement the core values of the sport and the mountain lifestyle. We see Chip moving that brand to an unparalleled level.�

Red�s Management Change

Rossland, BC. (SP)-Howard Katkov, President and CEO of Red Mountain Ventures Inc., today announced changes to the senior management team at Red Resort. Effective immediately, Jim Greene has been appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Red Resort Properties Ltd., the Real Estate Company, wholly owned by Red Mountain Ventures Inc. Greene will continue in his current capacity of Vice President of Resort Operations for the 2006/07-ski season, during which time he will transition with his replacement, Mr. Erik Kalacis, currently Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Red Resort.

�I congratulate Jim for his fortitude and remarkable management of Red Resort over the past 10 years.� said Mr. Katkov, �His experience at guest services and all aspects of mountain operations provides a great launching pad for running Red Resort Properties. Jim�s passion and commitment to mountain living, Red Resort and Rossland will serve him well in his next critically important role for the company He will be directly responsible for selling over $40 million of Red Resort real estate projects over the next 18 months and will play a key role in the strategic planning of the rollout of the master plan.�

NSP Names DeWeerd to Board

Lakewood, Colo. (SP)-The National Ski Patrol�s board of directors elected Dr. James DeWeerd Jr. as National Chairman at the annual board meeting held June 23-24 in Lakewood, Colorado. DeWeerd is one of five new board members seated March 1, 2006, as a result of the special election held in February. DeWeerd hails from the North Central Region of the Central Division where he has been an NSP member for 34 years. He replaces outgoing chairman Dick Everett.

�I see the challenges that the NSP faces as great opportunities to improve our organization,� says DeWeerd. �I am committed to a transparent leadership and governance model that provides NSP members the highest level of service and respect we all deserve. I am dedicated to keeping this organization member-driven, and making sure that it continues to be a group that communicates and grows with all its customers, constituents, and partners in the snowsports industry.�

Factory Hires 4 More

Denver (SP)-Factory Design Labs, the Denver-based urban design collective announced the addition of four new staff members. Stephanie Houchens has joined Factory�s Account Services team as Account Director. Stephanie comes to us from Karsh Hagan and brings six years of agency experience with her.

The second addition to Account Services is Brittany Holt who will be working as an Account Coordinator. Joining the Creative Team as Junior Art Director is Mike Scarano. Prior to joining Factory, Mike worked at Xylem Interactive. Mike�s role at Factory is focused on design and motion graphics for both broadcast and web. On the Interactive side, Aaron Wilson has been hired as Flash Developer and will be responsible for website development, action script programming and production management.