Northstar California will be on the national radar in early January when some of the country’s top snowboarders descend on the Lake Tahoe ski resort.
Shaun White will be the most notable snowboarder to head down the halfpipe at Northstar ski resort, which hosts the 2014 Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix on Jan. 9-12.
White and many of the best skiers and snowboarders will be competing at the Olympic qualifying event.
Event features halfpipe, slopestyle
The U.S. Grand Prix series will feature both halfpipe and slopestyle at every tour stop with each event counting towards Olympic selection.
Halfpipe and slopestyle skiing, along with slopestyle snowboarding, will make their Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Shaun White trains at Northstar ski resort
White, who will once again train on the yet-to-be built superpipe at Northstar ski resort, is hoping to have a spot on the U.S. team locked up by the time the Grand Prix tour lands in Truckee.
“It depends on where your point standing is (coming into the Northstar Grand Prix),” said White, who has trained at Northstar the previous two winters. “It’s more practice if you have locked up a spot for yourself. It can be grueling if you’re trying to win and put yourself in that pressure situation to land that run.”
The event is an opportunity for fans to see some of the biggest names in the sport in action a couple of weeks before the Olympic Games begin.
“Northstar may be the last chance for anyone to see Shaun White before the Olympics,” said Jess VanPernis Weaver, who owns JVP Communications in Kings Beach and was previously communications director at Northstar.
David Wise also trains at Northstar
Reno snowboarder David Wise, who used to train at Mt. Rose, will draw considerable attention as well. He trains at Northstar with White and is expected to be among the competitors when the Sochi Olympics, which takes place Feb. 7-23.
