By Andrew Mitchell
The first phase of the If Ullr Was a Girl contest wrapped up last week, with 10 professional skiers and snowboarders receiving invites to phase two, along with three pro contenders and three amateur contenders who will be taking part in the second phase of the contest.
Hundreds of girls submitted videos, photos and bios to the Whistler-Blackcomb contest, with people voting online for their favourites. On March 1, six girls were chosen to go head to head with the pros named last week. At that point the voting reopened with all 16 finalists, and will remain open until the contest wraps up on April 18 during the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. New votes will count for a portion of the participants’ overall scores, along with their performances in Stompede, a WSSF event, the Ullr Unleashed mountain culture exhibition, and a big mountain competition held in-bounds.
The winners of the open category are eligible to win a $25,000 prize purse, while the top amateur will win a professional photo shoot, inclusion in a DVD, new gear and a Whistler-Blackcomb season pass.
The pro skiers added to the roster are Sarah Burke, Grete Eliassen, Lynsey Dyer, Michelle Parker, and Jess Cumming, and the pro snowboarders are Leanne Pelosi, Silvia Mittmemuller, Bev Vuilleumier, Dominique Vallée, and Mercedes Nicolls.
The three finalists in the open category are Whistler’s Vanessa Stark, Joanna Dzierzawski of South Lake, Tahoe, and Pip Hunt of Crested Butte, Colorado. The finalists in the amateur category were Angie Seeley of Sun Peaks, Ash Crist of Snowbird, Utah and Meredith Eades of Dewittville, Quebec.
Ullr is the Norse God of snow.
