The North Face and Mountain Sports International are proud to announce The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series, a two-stop tour featuring ski slopestyle and halfpipe competitions. The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series kicks off January 6 – 9, 2011 at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in California.

“The North Face is excited to bring its big mountain heritage to the park and pipe competition scene with a series that will inspire up and coming athletes and drive pro level competition,” said Aaron Carpenter, Vice President of Marketing for The North Face.

The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series will dedicate one competition day to halfpipe and two days to slopestyle. Judging will be overall impression based on creativity, degree of difficulty, combinations, variations, style, and amplitude, with $40,000 in total prize money up for grabs. The competition at Northstar Resort is the last event that will count towards getting an invite to the 2011 Winter X Games, and will count on the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) points list to qualify for the Halfpipe and Slopestyle FIS World Championships in February. The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series will work in conjunction with the AFP on competition judging, with AFP General Manager and X Games competitor Steele Spence serving as head judge for the series.

“The North Face Park & Pipe Open Series is a great opportunity for amateur and pro riders alike. This is a gateway for amateurs to flow to pro level, and a platform for pros to continue to progress the sport in a fluid, lucrative environment,” said Steele Spence, head judge for The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series and AFP general manager. “The Park and Pipe Open Series brings legitimate ski competition to both sides of the country with Northstar Resort and Waterville Valley being top venues with quality terrain parks; and the AFP is pleased to be involved with the judging and athlete relations for this series.”

“We’re excited to have been selected to host the west coast stop of the inaugural The North Face Park & Pipe Open Series,” said Nadia Guerriero, Director of Events at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort. “We’ve had a great start to the season with all of the recent snowfall, and look forward to welcoming both pro and amateur athletes to Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in January!”