BUCKLES AND BARR WIN SUBARU U.S. SKIERCROSS NATIONALS

February 1, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BUCKLES AND BARR WIN FOURTH ANNUAL SUBARU U.S. SKIERCROSS NATIONALS AT SNOWBIRD
Men’s finals ends with a photo finish, Buckles dominates women’s field

Snowbird, UT—Despite eight inches of new snow on the course this morning, the Fourth Annual Subaru U.S. Skiercross Nationals went off without a hitch. Thirty-five of North America’s top skiercross competitors converged on Snowbird today in pursuit of a $7,500 prize purse. Master course builder Corley Howard sent racers through one of the most technical runs he’s ever built—a 50-second combination of tables, fall-away turns, double- and triple-rollers, and rhythm sections finishing off with a 50-foot gap jump over a brand new 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX.

Skiercross veteran Brett Buckles of Steamboat, CO, dominated the women’s field, winning the time trials by over two seconds, and taking both semi-finals and finals—beating out last year’s winner Anik Demers of Sugarbowl, CA, by a 40-foot margin. Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole, WY, came from behind in the finals to clench the third place spot.

“I was really disappointed with how I did at the X-games,” said Buckles, “so I came here ready to prove something. It feels great to come out on top, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the tour.”

Men’s competition was a tight battle all day between Chris Del Bosco of Vail, CO, and Davey Barr of Whistler, B.C. They took the top two spots in time trials—with Del Bosco winning the trials by one-hundredth of a second—and went on to win each of their heats in qualifiers and semi-finals. The final round brought them head-to-head, with Barr taking an early lead, but almost losing the win on the final jump.

“He went a little too far right, allowing me to sneak in on the inside,” said Del Bosco. “I thought I had him.” However, Barr was able to hold on, winning the finals by half of a ski length.

“I honestly didn’t think the competition would happen with all of the new snow, but the [event] crew and course were great,” Barr said. “I’m psyched how it all turned out.”

The Subaru U.S. Skiercross Nationals is the first stop on the Subaru U.S. Skiercross Series, which continues onto Steamboat, CO, for the Subaru Rocky Mountain Skiercross Classic on February 11, and concludes at the Subaru North American Skiercross Championships, April 2, at Kirkwood, CA. For registration, schedules, news, photos, videos, and other important event information, visit the newly re-designed www.skiercross.com

Men's Results:

1ST PLACE Davey Barr
2ND PLACE Chris Del bosco
3RD PLACE Kyle Sul
4TH PLACE Jakub Fiala
5TH PLACE Eric Archer
6TH PLACE Justin Glick
7TH PLACE Tahir Bisic
8TH PLACE Lloyd Tucker

Women Final Results

1ST PLACE Brett Buckles
2ND PLACE Anik Demers
3RD PLACE Jess McMillan
4TH PLACE Anne Marie Lafrancois
5TH PLACE Elisha Stephens
6TH PLACE Alexis Bennett