They come back

The 2009 Rip Curl Australian FreeRide Pro entry field has been bolstered by the confirmation that last year's Open Men’s Ski Champion Sam Foster (Jindabyne, NSW), and Open Men’s and Women’s Snowboard Champions Nate Johnstone (Mona Vale, NSW) and Wiki Jones (Thredbo, NSW) will return to Thredbo this August to defend their respective titles.

The Rip Curl Australian FreeRide Pro will run from August 11 to 13, and is a unique ski and snowboard event that takes advantage of Australia’s best freeride terrain - Thredbo’s famous Bluff run.

Johnstone, who earlier this year finished second in the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup and confirmed his place on Australia's 2010 Winter Olympic Team, is excited about defending his title at Thredbo in August.

What they say about the event

“I’m really looking forward to competing the Rip Curl Australian FreeRide Pro again this year! It’s going to be tough to defend last year’s win, as there’s been plenty of progression from everyone this year."

"The event attracts great riders too, so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the terrain offers," continued Johnstone. "No doubt I will try to step it up another notch this year!”

Event organisers are still working on the final plan for this year's course structure and competition, so anticipation within Rip Curl's and Thredbo's marketing camps is continually growing.

“The Rip Curl Australian FreeRide Pro is an important event on the Thredbo calendar " said Thredbo Marketing Manager Richard Phillips. "It attracts some of the best riders in the country, gives us a good chance to showcase Thredbo’s long runs and naturally challenging terrain. This helps to deliver the most unique event in the Australian season.”

Last year’s event was recognised as one of the best on the Australian snow calendar, being blessed with perfect weather conditions. The inaugural Rip Curl Throwdown Invitational added to the excitement last year and will again be held under lights in a purpose-built terrain park during the three-day event window at slopeside Thredbo Village.

So..

The Rip Curl Throwdown Invitational is an action-packed new event that created plenty of hype for the event and thrills for the Thredbo spectators. Last year’s Throwdown winners were Boen Ferguson (Jindabyne, NSW), Tom McGrath (Canberra, ACT) and Erin Tanner (Canberra, ACT) in the Open Men’s ski, Open Men’s snowboard and Open Women’s snowboard respectively.

An important feature of the FreeRide Pro that stands it apart from others is that Rip Curl seeks the assistance of competitors and experienced terrain specialists, such as Thredbo’s Terrain Park Manager Charles Beckinsale, Rip Curl snowboarder Russell Holt and Rip Curl skier Andrea Berchtold, when planning the special course design.