VERNON, NJ ??” It’s that time of year again, when Mountain Creek gets you out of the shops and onto the snow. The 5th Annual Tour de Creek Ride Team Challenge is scheduled for January 18, 2005, with registration kicking off at 7:00am and the event running through 6:00pm.

We know shop employees are sick of always working the cool events and never getting to participate, so Mountain Creek and Ride have teamed up for the event that lets snowboard retail shop employees strut their stuff and compete for the title in the East Coast Shop Championship, and take home the coveted Tour de Creek Championship Cup. As you will remember from years past, all entrants must be employees of a valid shop and have proof (ie. pay stub, letter from shop owner on letterhead, etc.) in order to compete.

There are two categories for this snowboard event, the four-person shop team and the sponsored rider session. Riders will battle it out in Mountain Creek’s Main Park on Vernon Peak and compete in a backyard slopestyle jam. The winning team riders will win a trip to Whistler Blackcomb for four days of shredding in BC! Second and Third place teams will receive awesome product from Ride.

Plus don’t forget about the photography contest. Photographers, both amateur and pro, can get in on the action with a chance to show their on-hill picture-taking talents. All of the day’s photos will be displayed later that same day at the after-party slideshow at the Hex Bar & Grill. Ride will give a snowboard to the photographer and the rider pictured in the winning photo.

The event is free to enter however competitors will need to purchase a $5 Park Pass if they don’t already have one. Advance registration is recommended by contacting Nikki Scoggins at 973-827-3900 x513 or via email at [email]nscoggins@mountaincreek.com[/email], as well as on site at the Mountain Express on the day of the event.