For Immediate Release — 2012– Alpine Rockfest, a free, televised sports entertainment festival featuring the world’s best skiers in an exhibition race including an accompanying rock music concert, returns to stunning Paganella Ski Resort in the Italian Dolomites. Programming is designed for both live and television audiences with twenty international ski stars including favorites such as Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR), Ted Ligety (USA), Bode Miller (USA), and Cyprien Richard (FRA).
“It’s a cool event with a modern style,” said Philipp Schoerghofer of the Austrian Ski Team. “Every run is quite short and this makes it interesting for the fans and racers too.”
“Alpine Rockfest is about taking ski racing forward as professional sports entertainment,” said event organizer, Phil McNichol, former coach of the most successful U.S. Ski Team in the organizations history.
The ski race format is Sprint Giant Slalom, complete with a heart-thumping jump over an actual Audi automobile. Competitors race through elimination rounds in pursuit of the largest single cash prize in ski racing: €70,000.
Twenty top Olympic ski stars race in four successive rounds with five athletes being eliminated in each round. The Alpine Rockfest final “Winner-Takes-All” round consists of the last five athletes. Past winners have been French star Cyprien Richard in 2009, collecting €108,000 in winnings, and American sensation Ted Ligety, 2011 Alpine Rockfest Champion, with winnings of €60,000.
Rock music stars, the Bastard Sons of Dioniso (www.tbsod.com) are featured at this year’s accompanying concert; the band’s hard-rocking style was recently heard as the openers for both Robert Plant and Ben Harper in Rome and Milan.
The Bastard Sons of Dioniso are joined by Reggae band Rebel Rootz (http://www.myspace.com/rebelrootz), and emerging Italian rock group, Lords (www.leoriginidellaspecie.it ), as festival concert headliners. Previous performers have been Placebo and Radiottanta. The apres-ski music concert and party continues after the racing action directly in the finish area.
Currently broadcasted as a two-hour live program on EuroSport as well as numerous national networks around the world, replay broadcasts continue throughout the winter producing more than 1,000 hours of global television coverage.
General admission to the Alpine Rockfest is free. The event venue is located at the mid-station of the Paganella 2001 Olympic ski run; best access is via the Gondola, either on foot or with skis. Paganella Ski is offering lift tickets for €10.00 or free with your FISI license.
Corporate event sponsorship is by Audi, Trentino and Andalo Paganella Italy.
