Kings Cup Ski & Snowboard Championships 2009

As we speak, Peter Scott, a 19 year old South African, has qualified for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and is training with Alex Heath (3 time SA winter Olympian) at Tiffindell Ski resort in the Eastern Cape.

At the same time a squad of 5 talented local snowboarders are training at the newly completed Snow Park at Afriski (www.afriski.net). This group of passionate snowboarders have recently returned from the first FIS Slopestyle World Cup in Italy where they showed the world that South African snowboarders can compete with honour next to the worlds best. SA’s best result was Martha Jekot from Durban who qualified in 10th spot overall at this historic event.

The next big event on the local winter snow calendar is this years Kings Cup, hosted by Afriski in Lesotho.

The Kings Cup is being organised by local snowboard club, snowboarder.co.za and endorsed by both Snow Sport SA as well as by the Lesotho Winter Sports Association. The event is also host to the first inter club championships in 10 years in which SA’s 9 local ski and snowboard clubs will be fighting it out for club championship honours. Although the club championship title is the fun aspect of the event, it is also a sure sign that the popularity of these unusual winter pursuits are on the increase.

On the more serious competitive side, top local skiers and snowboarders will be battling it out for top spots as all of the countries best skiers and snowboarders will decent on the Afriski Ski resort, just 4.5 hrs from Johannesburg, later in July.

A big thank you to the event sponsors, Oakley, First Ascent, Thule and Skull Candy for sticking their necks out and getting involved in supporting these unusual sports.

The event includes will include Alpine Giant Slalom, Dual Slalom and the Oakley Snowboarding Slope Style which incorporates a series of five park features including rails and big air.

In the 2008 Dual Slalom event Chris Amoretti, defended his Title for the third year in a row, gaining himself the well deserved title of Chris “3-peat” Amoretti. The King's Cup has only been running for 3 years, and Chris Amoretti has taken the Dual Slalom title each year, despite a slow start in the qualifying Giant Slalom race each year. “We are looking forward to a tight race this year as many of the riders have been perfecting speed and agility to take on the Dual Slalom champ,” explains media officer Julie Coetzee.

The Oakley Slope Style course this year will be more technical than before, keeping riders pushing their skill to the next level. Some of the features include a flat-to-down box, riders will show more technical manoeuvres on the butter-box, into a rainbow, into a 35ft Big Air and then a wall ride.

Marta Jekot, defending girls champ commented on this years Oakley Slope Style competition, “I’m looking forward to Slope Style as the set up this year is even better than before, I can’t wait to hit the course. I’m also stoked to see more girl riders than in the past.”

In the Men's competition Marchi Jekot took the win in 2008, with two flawless runs in the Slope Style. This type of run shows that South Africa can certainly produce the goods with regards to park-style snowboarding. The Oakley Slope Style competition in the males division is highly competitive with strong contenders to watch out for including Matthew Amoretti, Katlego Maponyane, Robbie Alunni and Ruben Storbeck to name a few.
The standard of SA snowboarding improves each year and the competition base of riders increases each winter season. Our riders benefit greatly from the constant improvement of South African snow slopes, and having the opportunity to spend seasons abroad. Most importantly is the role of Snowboarder.co.za and SnowSports South Africa providing snowboarders with competitive events to challenge their skills and ride competition level conditions.

Should you wish to enter the event please click here to sign-up.

Snowboarder.co.za Club
Snowboarer.co.za is SA’s first snowboard club dedicated to the spirit of free-riding and park riding

The Snowboarder.co.za club’s main aim is to introduce new people to the awesome sport of snowboarding, and to develop the sport in Southern Africa. In North America and Europe snow-sports are a multi-million dollar industry which dominates the sporting industry. Snowboarder.co.za’s team of committed riders has a vision to put South Africa on the map as a noticeable contender in snowboarding in the international arena.

This year the Snowboarder.co.za club is focussing on getting more snowboarders in all fields. They are also focussing on improving park infrastructure, increasing club membership and securing long-term sponsors who share the vision of the benefits of snowboarding in Southern Africa.

Should you wish to know more about the club, join or aid in developing snowboarding in South Africa please consult the website for more information or contact:
Oliver Schwankhart
oliver@snowsports.co.za

Afri-Ski Resort, Lesotho
High up in the mountains of Lesotho, nestled in the mystical Mahlasela Valley, lies a winter wonderland. For years South Africans have flocked to Europe and America to experience a little of what it's like to play in the snow. No longer. Four and a half hours from Johannesburg, six hours from Durban and four hours from Bloemfontein is the Afriski resort. Situated 3222m above sea level in the Maluti Mountains, Afriski offers you the best African snow encounter.

The Afriksi resort provides you with everything that you might find in a traditional European ski resort – a 1km long ski slope, ski lift, rope lift, beginners slope, snowboard park, ski shop and ski school. Their well trained ski and snowboarding instructors will ensure that your first snow experience is one never to be forgotten. For those who have already experienced the high of skiing or snowboarding, the snowboarding park and ski slope provide the opportunity for you to hone your skills and encounter the best of what Africa has to offer. The Afriski snow making and grooming equipment ensure that the resort and all that it has to offer is of the best quality possible.

The resort is run on a cash only basis, so make sure that you take enough money with you to cover the length of your stay. An adult ski pass costs R300 a day and the equipment R280 a day (whether snowboarding or skiing). Rands are accepted, as well as the Lesotho Loti – one rand buys you one loti. Accommodation is available at the resort with a variety of chalets as well as a backpackers to choose from with rates ranging from R1050 to R4600 a night per chalet. The resort also offers a resort bar as well as a restaurant; however, many of the chalets are self catering.

Access to Afriski is gained via the Caledonspoort Border Post at Fouriesburg and is about 80km or an hour and a half from the border. The roads are fully tarred, except for the last 500m to the resort which is gravel but still fully accessible by any vehicle. The season ends in August or September 2009. Remember to bring your passport with you to get through the border which opens at 06h00 in the morning and closes at 22h00 at night. Please ensure that your medical aid covers you while you are in Lesotho and come prepared for the time of your life!

For accommodation bookings or general resort enquiries please contact:
www.afriski.net
Bookings: 0861 754 754