AARON ROBINSON AND SHANNAN YATES WALK HOME WITH THE SWORDS AND THE OVERALL TITLE OF THE NORTH FACE MASTERS.

THE FINAL STOP OF THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING PRESENTED BY PRIMALOFT AT KIRKWOOD MOUNTAIN RESORT, CALIFORNIA

Kirkwood, California - February 28, 2010-The final stop of The North Face Masters of Snowboarding (TNF Masters) took place at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, California, this weekend as perfect conditions combined with high-level talent to make for an incredible competition in the permanently-closed and impossibly-steep ''Cirque''.

This is one of North America's best alpine venues as the Cirque's natural terrain shields it from storms and also creates the perfect viewing arena for those less-intrepid souls who get shivers from simply watching.

The start area for The North Face Masters clings precariously to the shoulder of a cliff in Kirkwood's notorious Cirque. On Day 1 ridge gusts whipped snow and competitors relentlessly as every other high-elevation chairlift at the resort got socked in and shut down. That day's storm brought over two feet of snow and set things up for a huge finale.

Infamous snowboard icon Shawn Farmer pre-ran the course before today's final heats setting the tone for antics that can only be found at a high-stakes Big Mountain snowboarding event.

With yesterday's points not carrying over, athletes came into the finals and super-finals with a clean slate, with the better of two runs deciding the winners.

Second to last out of the gate this morning was Shannan Yates of Snowbird, Utah. Choosing a technical line speckled with rock exposure, Yates impressed the judges with several cliff-drops and retained her principal standing, winning the run. Her super finals run was merely for show as she had already cinched the title with her first run which also earned her enough points to take the overall 2010 TNF Masters tour title. "I had a great season with the North Face Masters and visited new places, met new people and became a better athlete." Other competitors agreed that Yates used the entire series of Masters contests to take women's snowboarding to the next level.

In the men's division Aaron Robinson of Big Mountain, Montana, took the podium and also the unbelievably-sharp Japanese sword made for each winner of the men's and women's divisions. Robinson had this to say about his line choice: "I absolutely love the North Face Masters with its judges and crew. I wanted to make sure I rode into the powder so I pointed it and the landing was nice." He also cinched the overall TNF Masters 2010 tour title.

Kirkwood's own Joe Forest took second place by following winner Robinson's line into the Hidden Chute area of the Cirque with mandatory 35-foot cliff drops.The North Face team rider Ralph Backstrom of Squaw Valley, California, finished third place with a strong and powerfull run.

Alex Yoder, 20, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming earned ''The North Face Young Gun Award" for his remarkable performance throughout the Tour.

Hundreds of spectators watched the show from Kirkwood's sunny finish corral below the Cirque. A snowcat brought walkers to the finish area for a party with the Masters skilled touring staff.


TNF Masters 2010 Overall Winners, Shannan Yates and Aaron Robinson
TNF Masters attracts big mountain snowboarding competitors from all around the world. All male and female snowboarding competitors above age 18 are invited to participate.

The North Face Masters of Snowboarding Presented by Primaloft is supported by The North Face, Primaloft, Subaru of America, Mountain Sports International, Comcast Sportsnet, Snowboard Magazine, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Crystal Mountain, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Kirkwood Mountain Resort .

For media registration please go to www.thenorthfacemasters.com press on the registration button; create your own user account. Any time you want to sign up for an event, you can simply go to your user account info and click on the event you want to sign up for.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND ATHLETE INQUIRIES CONTACT

Nicole Greener - Athlete Relations and Communication

Mountain Sports International - nicole@mtsports.com

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MEDIA INQUIRIES AND FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Estelle Clairoux - Communications & Media Relations Coordinatorâ?¨

Mountain Sports International - office: 801.349.4638 - estelle@mtsports.com

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ABOUT THE NORTH FACE

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

ABOUT PRIMALOFT

PrimaLoft is a registered trademark of Albany International Corp. PrimaLoft insulation was originally developed for the US Army as a water-resistant synthetic alternative to down. Today, PrimaLoft is regarded as a research and development leader in high performance insulations and yarns, which provide warmth and comfort from head to toe. Its family of products are manufactured in the US, Europe and Asia. The PrimaLoft brand is recognized globally and is used in leading outdoor and fashion brands, home furnishings, work wear and military applications. For more information, please visit www.primaloft.com and www.primaloftyarn.com.