Professional freeskier Ted Davenport of Aspen has joined his big brother, Chris, as a member of the Spyder Active Sports team. The younger Davenport, 29, recently returned from a month-long ski-BASE expedition on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. The trip was kicked off with a bon voyage gift from Spyder, which delivered a contract for athlete sponsorship to his home the morning of his departure. Davenport faxed the signed paperwork from his hotel in Ottawa before heading out on the Baffin expedition.
Championships all set.
Ticket to Ride (TTR) Pro Snowboarding recently announced the creation of the World Snowboarding Championships, featuring halfpipe and slopestyle competition for men and women. The first event is planned for the 2011-12 season in Oslo, Norway, with subsequent events held at rotating venues every four years thereafter. Qualifications, prize money and other details have yet to be determined.
Pending approval of the event arena at Tryvann Vinterpark, the municipality of Oslo will back the project with $4.3 million for the event and another $1.3 million for preparations. Norwegian snowboarder Terje Haakonsen, who famously boycotted the 1998 Olympic debut of the sport, is founder of the nonprofit TTR World Snowboard Tour.
Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post
