21-27 february 2015ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND

SWATCHSKIERSCUP.COM

EDITORIAL P. 3CONCEPT & HISTORY P. 4JP AUCLAIR P. 5ZERMATT P. 8THE CAPTAINS P. 9TEAM AMERICAS P. 10TEAM EUROPE P. 12JUDGES & SHAPER P. 14THE TROPHY P. 15BIG MOUNTAIN P. 16BACKCOUNTRY SLOPESTYLE P. 17COMPETITION SCHEDULE P. 18PUBLIC HAPPENINGS P. 19ABOUT SWATCH P. 20SWATCH COLLECTION P. 21

CONTENT FREERIDE WORLD TOUR

“Welcome to the fifth edition of the SWATCH SKIERS CUP in Zermatt, Switzerland! This year will be very special as we will honor JP Auclair’s memory. JP passed away in an ava-lanche in Chile last year, a couple of months after leading Team Americas to victory in last year’s Cup. JP Auclair is one of the major contributors to the freeskiing and freeriding sport, and would have loved to see the two Teams compete with smiles on their faces. Seth Morrison, another of the sport’s le-gends, is taking over the leader role of Team Americas, and together with Julien Regnier, Captain of Team Europe, they will make sure this week is memorable. I thank them both for their remarkable spirit. I‘d like to sincerely thank Swatch, our local partners GemeindeZermatt, Zermatt Tourismus, Zermatt Berg-bahnen, Backstage Hotel Vernissage, Air Zermatt, and clothing partners JLindeberg, and Kask, for making this week possible. Good luck to both teams!”

Nicolas HALE-WOODSFWT General Manager

SWATCH

“It was a privilege for us to meet JP Auclair, a real pioneer in freeskiing and the man who led Team Americas to victo-ry here in Zermatt last year. With his spirit to inspire them, and as a tribute to his amazing personality, the skiers will no doubt give everything they’ve got to make the SWATCH SKIERS CUP 2015 a remarkable event. The competition is unique in the world of freeskiing: it’s a dynamic and spec-tacular peaceful challenge between two continents, Europe versus the Americas, and both captains have called on terri-fic athletes to build their teams. With this year’s event set to break the 2-2 tie, we’re bound to see some truly great skiing. Good luck to all!”

Carlo GIORDANETTICreative Director Swatch International

EDITORIAL

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CONCEPT & HISTORY (5th edition)

Welcome to the Swatch Skiers Cup – the unique intercontinental battle of freeskiing!

Europe and the Americas are each repre-sented by a team of 9 carefully selected top riders who meet in an epic showdown on the playing fields of both Backcountry Slopestyle and Big Mountain skiing. The riders are known for going all out for continental pride, a cash purse, the in-ternational showcase opportunity – and of course the Swatch Skiers Cup trophy.

The current score between the two conti-nents is 2-2 with Team Americas holding the trophy from last year. Team Europe and Team Americas have faced off four times so far, with events at Valle Nevado, Chile in 2011 and 2012, and in Zermatt, Switzerland in 2013 and 2014.

The terrible loss of last year’s Team Americas captain, ski pioneer JP Auclair

(CAN), in September 2014 caused he-sitation from his friends on both teams as to whether they could continue the Skiers Cup in his tragic absence.

However, knowing that putting on a great show - in his spirit - would be the best tribute they could give him, they have set aside personal grief to celebrate the pas-sion they had in common.

Julien Regnier (FRA) is thus back as cap-tain for Team Europe and, Seth Morrison (USA) has agreed to step up from team member last year to new captain for Team Americas.

Which team has what it takes to take the lead? Follow along every day to find out when the battle is on February 21st - 27th!

Thank you JP Auclair!A tribute to JP Auclair 1977-2014

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The fifth edition of the Swatch Skiers Cup will be marked by the loss of one of skiing’s most remarkable and truly inspirational human beings, JP Auclair (CAN), former captain of Team Ameri-cas. JP was a pioneer for putting the “free” back into freestyle and freeskiing. He passed away in an avalanche accident late September 2014. This edition of the Skiers Cup will be dedicated in me-moriam of JP Auclair.

JP was possibly the most influential skier of mo-dern times as he played a leading role in bringing back playfulness and freedom into the essence of skiing at a time when this was about to be mo-nopolized by snowboarders having fun with gear and lifestyle inspired from wave surfing and ska-teboard. The world of skiing drastically needed to renew itself and JP was a driving force. The im-pact was such that it created new skis, new ter-rain, new markets and newfound ski pleasure in all kinds of terrain. Freeskiing had come to stay.

The team behind the Swatch Skiers Cup is extre-mely proud to have worked with JP Auclair. We send our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

BEST OFSWATCH SKIERS CUP

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ZERMATT

Some would argue that the America’s Team Captain needs no further introduc-tion. Seth Morrisson is the Peter Pan of skiing and has been blowing our minds for 25 years in video part after video part. His longevity and popularity in the industry would make any Hollywood star jealous. He has evolved alongside the sport and the hardware, ripping on skinny 195’s way back and still ripping today on the wonders of modern ski technology. His video parts have inspired a generation, watched by kids on TV’s that took up half the living room and now by kids on tablets and smartphones. His influence on modern skiing is unri-valled and he is a skier whose passion and dreams we have shared through a quarter of a decade of video parts that have no doubt inspired the dreams and passions of many of his younger peers. Seth takes over the Team Captain role at this years Swatch Skiers Cup and is humbled by the honor. “I accepted this title with regret, only hoping to make JP proud”.

A visionary rebel and trendsetter on skis. Julien is one of the founding fathers of freeskiing. He brings a creative approach to everything from his photogra-phy to ski design to his own skiing style and even to his strategy for the Skiers Cup. At the age of 18 he qualified for the French Olympic mogul team but soon began to develop his own unique style and was one of the key figures in the evolution and fusion of freestyle and freeride skiing in Europe. He debuted as Team Captain last year but he has been involved with the event since 2012 serving as a judge, and doubling up as judge and shaper of the Backcountry Slopestyle course in 2013. This year Julien wants his team to step up and deliver some «epic skiing» in honor and in memory of his good friend and peer JP Auclair.

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It is hard to imagine a better setting for this unique event than Zermatt, Switzerland. Picture perfect mountains, the ever-domi-nating Matterhorn, the clear air and the high altitude makes for spectacular shots in the snow to share with those who cannot make it there. And for those who are fortunate enough to experience this event on the spot, the action on the mountain is accessible for spectators to enjoy.The village of Zermatt, is full of contrasts combining Alpine history with modern comfort, top of the line luxury with practical mountaineering gear, traditional Swiss cuisine and health food, cozy chalets with the surrounding extreme mountains. The overall experience is greatly enhanced with the fact that the only cars around are electric.

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1-Sage CATTABRIGA-ALOSA

27/12/1979Home Mountain:

Alta & Snowbird, Utah (USA)

Seth says: “Is very well rounded and an obvious choice for this event. Laid back attitude and love of the sport comes to mind when I think about Sage. We have enjoyed many Alaska trips over the years, besides countless others. Pleasure to have him back on the team.”

2-Callum PETTIT

04/01/1990Home Mountain:

Whistler, British Columbia (CAN)

Seth says: “I have known Callum since he was a kid. Early on you could see him going for it. Still today, sending it. Impressive to see, won-der what he will do next. Another well roun-ded skiing guy, cool to see his level each year. Strong member of the team.”

3-Cody TOWNSEND

14/03/1983Home Mountain:

Squaw Valley, California (USA)

Seth says: “Last year was the first time I skied with Cody. He is a hard charger, film star. I first met him at the Woodward at Copper camp during the first season they ran it and he was honing his tricks. Worked his way through the big mountain comp scene and landed a rare spot in the film world. Entrepreneur and silly man, he brings a good mentality to the group.”

4-Rory BUSHFIELD

30/05/1983Home Mountain:

Whistler, British Columbia (CAN)

Seth says: “Is a wild child. From his many stunts we have seen in the films to his creativity as a skier. As all of us, he’s here to have a good time! Seeing his progression over the years puts him at the top of the game in men-tal calmness. He mostly does things that makes you go, Wow! Glad to have him on the team for sure.”

5-Dana FLAHR

15/12/1981Home Mountain:

Whistler, British Columbia (CAN)

Seth says: “When park skiing started to take off I was a coach at High North Camp in Whistler where I met and coached Dana for a brief period and later skied with him in films in Alaska and British Columbia. This guy can do it all as well. Easy going guy with a pas-sion for the sport. Has a bag of tricks to go with the mountain scene.”

6-Andy MAHRE

16/07/1984Home Mountain:

White Pass, Washington (USA)

Seth says: “This guy rips, son of an Olympian and from a ski family. Well rounded seems to prefer powder, yet can carve any surface, or pull a trick in a tight spot. Team mate with the K2 squad, have spent time together skiing in Chile, Alaska, British Columbia. This guy was born to ski.”

7-Logan PEHOTA

19/02/1995Home Mountain:

Whistler, British Columbia (CAN)

Seth says: “His father was a skier I looked up to at Lo-gan’s age, and in recent years we shared a trip together in Alaska filming for Poor Boyz, the trip was tough with weather and condi-tions. We also camped out in a lighthouse for a few days. He was up for the adven-ture. Another well rounded skier. I look forward to seeing how he has progressed since Alaska, he’s a smart young guy!”

8-Tanner RAINVILLE

02/10/1985Home Mountain: Breckenridge (USA)

Seth says: “I met him at an Eye of the Condor event a few years ago in La Parva Chile. He had already caught my eye in Level1 movies. He is also a well rounded skier. At some point in time my sister babysat him as a child. Small world. He is a dark horse for sure and a good guy!”

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1-Richard PERMIN

09/05/1985Home Mountain:

Vallnord (AND)

Julien says: “The Lion: Richie charges so hard it looks like he has no fear. Super fast skiing and big airs – I wouldn’t want to battle against him. He is also a really strong freestyle skier, he can send doubles off some of the biggest park jumps so he’s for sure one of my big names for the Backcountry Slopestyle day.”

2-Nicolas Vuignier

04/12/1990Home Mountain: Crans-Montana (SUI)

Julien says: «The owl : Nico is the smooth operator he is clean and precise, I just love the way he makes his turns and he is a very good card for the backcountry slopestyle competi-tion. A very original rider that sees things his own way.»

3-sverre LILIEQUIST

09/03/1972Home mountain:

Stockholm (SWE)

Julien says: “The Bear: Sverre and Kaj have really simi-lar styles on and off the snow. Sverre is a super solid Big Mountain rider with really strong alpine-style turns, huge cliff stomps, and a crazy backflip.”

4-Fabien MAIERHOFER

23/03/1984Home Mountain: Les Ménuires (FRA)

Julien says:

“The Wolf: Unfortunately Fabien is one of my best friends so he can only disappoint me as a great French thinker once said. Fab has more than a few tricks in his bag it will be interesting who he will battle.”

5-SAM FAVRET

22/06/1988Home Mountain:

Chamonix (FRA)

Julien says: “The Fox: A very solid skier in both disci-plines, Sam has strong legs and he knows how to use them. He built his reputation as a freestyle skier, but this Chamonix-based man knows how to freeride the craziest Big Mountain terrain, too.”

6-LOIC COLLOMB-PATTON

06/09/1986Home Mountain:

La Clusaz (FRA)

Julien says: “The Eagle: Loic is such a great rider I’m glad to have him on the team, he came back from a rough injury and I respect his career a lot. He is a trooper and loves skiing dee-ply. We will have fun watching him perform!”

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7-Sven KUEENLE

30/11/1983 Home Mountain:

Munich (GER)

Julien says: “The Lynx: Sven has been traveling the world for fresh powder, building kickers and ripping lines for more then ten years. It is a great honor to have him in the team I know he will give all he has.”

8-Jérémie HEITZ

28/09/1989Home Mountain: Les Marécottes (SUI)

Julien says: “I know Jérémie only by his reputation and he’s a super good skier, strong and fast. I really appreciate his very engaged style, he is a big asset for the Big Mountain compe-tition.”

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THE TROPHY

As the story of the Swatch Skiers Cup continues to grow with each edition, the individual battles that made up each competition fade into the past. But one item will always remain to represent the legacy of the event - the Swatch Skiers Cup trophy. The trophy is an iron ski boot, and its massive weight represents the honorable names of past winners that are engraved upon its base. When this year’s champions stand on the podium and raise the trophy high, they are raising a symbol of the legendary history of the Swatch Skiers Cup.

ALL RISE! THE JUDGING BEHIND THE SWATCH SKIERS CUP

Three experienced judges will decide the champions of the event – Woodie Bouma (AUS), Philippe Poirier (CAN), Dimitri Charrière (FRA). The head-to-head format of the competition keeps the judging format simple. After each completed match-up, the judges lift a blue card for a winning Team Europe rider, or a red card for a winning Team Americas rider. No worrying over ten-ths of points leading to a final score - each winning rider tallies one point for their team, while the loser is awarded nothing. The team with the most points after both days of competition wins!

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The Shaper is responsible for desi-gning and building terrain park-style jumps in an untracked, off-piste area. The result is the course for the crowd-pleasing Backcountry Slo-pestyle discipline.

Passionate professional skier, down-hill mountain biker, and experienced jump shaper, Arnaud Kugener (FRA) is head shaper for the Swatch Skiers Cup. Arnaud has been in charge of design and construction on count-less backcountry jumps and terrain park features, and then throwing massive tricks off those same jumps.

THE SHAPER

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BIG MOUNTAIN

A show unlike any other sporting event, the Big Moun-tain (a.k.a. freeride) discipline is filled with intimidating challenges and unknowns. Riders choose a line down a mountain that they have only inspected visually before competition day, skiing full-throttle down thousands of feet of powder-covered steeps and cliff bands.

Sluff noun: Fast moving, loose snow sliding on the surface of a slope. Caused by a skier descending a steep face of unconsolidated snow. <Sverre always outruns his sluff>

Stomp verb: To land an air in a perfectly centered, balanced position. The ideal technique for landing. <Some riders backslapped on that jump, but Cody stomped it>

Fluidity noun: Skiing a run from top to bottom with little to no hesitation. Shows confidence, style, and abi-lity. <Favret has amazing fluidity, he didn’t slow down until the finish line>

A series of giant, perfectly sculpted jumps lead down a ridge before the course turns left to another set of ramps that launch riders into a steep-sided canyon where even more perfectly groomed take-offs dot the cliffs and cornices below. The Matterhorn and other iconic 4,000 m alpine peaks serve as the backdrop, and the entire course is covered with soft, untracked Swiss powder. This might sound like a video game, but at the Swatch Skiers Cup this is the Backcountry Slopestyle event.

16BACKCOUNTRY SLOPESTYLE

Switch adjective: Describes skiing, taking off, and/or landing backwards. <It was a switch 720 – he took off and landed backwards>

Unnatural adjective: Describes a rotation executed in the op-posite direction of the way a skier is most comfortable. <He normally spins to his right, so that left-side 540 was un-natural>

Dub 10 noun: A trick with two consecutive off-axis 540° rota-tions. Can be executed switch or regular. <That was a filthy dub 10, Richard>

Tranny noun: Short for transition, denotes the location on a landing slope where impact will be the least. Often the steepest part of the slope. <Dane hit the tranny perfectly on that switch unnatural dub 10>

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In order to guarantee the best possible conditions for the Swatch Skiers Cup 2015, event organizers will choose the two best days out of the six-day window on which to hold the Big Mountain and Backcountry Slopestyle competitions.

LOCATION: Event villageDATE: 24-26 February 2015TIME: From 3.00-7.00 pm

The Swatch Skiers Cup is looking forward to welcoming you to the official event village located in the heart of Zermatt next to the Swatch Store. Come join us for the après-ski with specialty foods and thirst quenching drinks. Take part in daily competitions with plenty of prizes to win and enjoy the live music. Come meet your favorite riders during the autograph session and the official prize-giving ceremony on the main stage. Join us at the Swatch Movie Night for a screening of MSP’s «Days Of My Youth» at le Cinema Vernissage with guest appearances of Swatch Proteam athletes including Cody Townsend, Ri-chard Permin and Markus Eder. And of course don’t miss out on the award ce-remonies and official parties that will take place on the two competition days.

PUBLIC HAPPENINGS

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

Stay tuned on www.swatchskierscup.com and www.facebook.com/swatchskierscup for the latest updates on the program, the contest venues as well as daily photo and video highlights!

CONTEST DAY 1 – GEE’S BARDate confirmed 48 hours in advance - as from 11.00 pm

THEME PARTY : “Cocktail night”

CONTEST DAY 2 – PAPPERLA PUBDate confirmed 48 hours in advance - as from 11.00 pm

THEME PARTY : “SUIT UP PARTY”

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OPENING PARTY – VERNISSAGE - BACKSTAGE HOTEL21 February 2015 - starting 10.00 pmTHEME PARTY : “Gringo Party”

Big MountainPossible dates of competition (weather dependent): 22-27 February 2015

Location: the Big Mountain location will be decided at the last minute to ensure the best possible conditions. No public access.

Backcountry Slopestyle Possible dates of competition (weather dependent): 22-27 February 2015

Location: the Backcountry Slopestyle location will be confirmed two days prior to the event.The following options are foreseen:Option A: Schwarzsee Face. Public viewing from Restaurant Schwarzee Option B: Guggli North side. Public viewing from top of Breitboden lift

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Swatch, launched in 1983 by Nicolas G. Hayek, is a leading Swiss watch maker and one of the world’s most popular brands. The first Swatch watches surprised everyone with their revolutionary concept, creative design and provocative spirit. Today Swatch continues to innovate and surprise with new models, collections and special editions. The brand maintains a strong presence in the world of sports with its commitment to snowboarding, freeskiing, surfing, beach volleyball and mountain bike slo-pestyle. Right from the start, Swatch connected with art and artists, and Swatch watches remain a prominent canvas for artists from a broad range of disciplines.

STARS, STRIPES & A MAPLE LEAFSwatch pays tribute to free-spirited freeskiers with the score tied at two wins apiece for Team Europe and Team Americas, the stakes couldn’t be higher: Swatch Skiers Cup 2015 sees the world’s best freeskiers go head to head in spectacular Backcountry Slopestyle and Big Mountain disciplines.

To celebrate freeskiing and full-throttle free spirits, Swatch has created two colorful New Gents with cut-away dials and multi-colored movements. The design was inspired by the traditional alpine heavy-knit sweaters: Team Eu-rope in blue & white with blue stars (SUON112C), Team Americas in red & white with red stripes (SUOR102C). Part of the Swatch RED WHITE & BLUE collection, both feature the Canadian Maple Leaf. This symbol honors the memory of JP Auclair, the Canadian freeskier who led Team Americas to victory last year, and whose un-timely death in 2014 rocked the freeski world and free spirits everywhere.

Follow the Swatch Skiers Cup

swatchskierscup.com facebook.com/swatchskierscup twitter.com/skierscup #swatchskierscup

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PHOTOGRAPHERS : JEREMY BERNARD

DAVID CARLIERDOM DAHER