Parking:

There is no parking facilities, but take the shuttle bus from Røa. Remember to buy a return ticket for the bus!

Tickets:

Get your tickets at Billettservice.no. Price NOK 200. Children under the age of 10 for free.

Tickets at the venue cost NOK 250.

How to get there:

Important – travel to Wyllerløypa – NOT Tryvann

Take the tram or bus to Røa, and Bus 41 from Røa to Zinober. Check out when the bus leaves at www.trafikanten.no

Handicapped:

The ground is flat and there will be handicap toilets on site. Be aware that the ground most likely will be covered in snow.

Food and drinks:

Are not allowed. Exception for baby food, fruit and vegetables. It will be possible to buy food and non-alcoholic drinks in the arena.

Camera equipment:

Professional camera equipment is not allowed. Cameraes with changeable lenses are defined as professional equipment.

Hotel:

We are staying at Scandic Hotel Edderkoppen. Our accreditation office is also situated here.

Program:

Thursday March 4th

Official opening at in front of City Hall (Rådhusplassen)

Railjam, concerts, FIFA 10, and official opening by the Mayor of Oslo, Fabian Stang, and Terje Haakonsen. Read more about the opening here:

Friday March 5th

Qualifications

20 riders moves on to the semifinals on Saturday.

Results on screen. Photo by Sveinung Svendsen

To be a laboratory for snowboarding has been the mission statement for TAC since the beginning. We change and experiment with formats, judging, competition set up, TV-production – all aspects of the sport and the presentation of it. 3 years ago we introduced the variation score for quarterpipe; awarding trick variation and sourcing this information directly to riders, spectators and TV viewers through TV graphics. The system was fair, open and exciting. The riders knew what to expect from the judges and the feedback on their performance was immediate – live, on the air, on the mike, through the wire.

With the re-introduction of slopestyle on the TAC program, we wanted to take the variation score a step further. Slopestyle contains per definition more variation than a quarterpipe as there are multiple obstacles in one run and rails, kickers, hips and corners varies in shaping. So we looked in another direction. Our ambition was to create something progressive and new, but to stay true to the sport and be fair to the riders. And we wanted the presentation to be exciting and easy-to-grasp for the fans. By judging every obstacle and displaying each score in every riders run, there is no hiding for the judges. Everything is out in the open, giving rider’s instant feedback on their performance.  So we called this the obstacle score.

But we all know that riding a slopestyle is not only about technical definition of single tricks. There is something subtle and intangible about the run that makes one guy stand out from the other (what a sick run!) – Even if the tricks are exactly the same. In snowboarding we have a delicate mix of style, flow and feeling that is hard to quantify, but nevertheless a vital part of our sport. The day counting rotations is the only determined factor in judging is the day competitive snowboarding dies. So we brought in the flow score.

In TAC 2010, we have one judge per every obstacle, giving the obstacle score. And we have two guys looking at the flow. We even brought in an assistant head judge to make sure maximum focus at the job at hand. Live TV airings is a thrilling experience, and especially with all this info going into the system. For each run there are 5 obstacle score, one flow score and a total score. Not ONE total score as in other contests. In the finals alone, the judge panel is delivering 210 scores – everything live, on the air, on the mike, through the wire.

Thank God they are all former or existing pro riders and don’t hang in the bar the night before….

To ensure that you`re not missing out, check out the program!

Program:

Thursday March 4th

Official opening at in front of City Hall (Rådhusplassen)

Railjam, concerts, FIFA 10, and official opening by the Mayor of Oslo, Fabian Stang, and Terje Haakonsen. Read more about the opening here:

Friday March 5th

Qualifications

20 riders moves on to the semifinals on Saturday.

Daniel og Terje, photo: Tommy Solstad

As The Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) has moved from January to March, new rider entry protocol is announced. The entry criteria for the January event is prolong but dates and deadlines have changed.

Here is the new set up:

• TTR top 10 from last season, according to the TTR guidelines
• Previous TAC winners
• TTR Top 20 after Burton Canadian Open
• Top 3 from the Swag qualification event in Vierli
• Wild cards TTR Top 10 from last season, previous TAC winners, Top 3 from Vierli and Wild Cards must accept or decline their spots before January 20th by e‐mailing
hilde@thearcticchallenge.com

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you were invited as TTR Top 20 after Air&Style, and you are not in any of the above mentioned categories, you have to qualify by being in TTR Top 20 after Burton Canadian Open. Confusing? Don’t hesitate to e ‐mail us.

Arrival day for the March event will be Wednesday the 3rd.
Semi- ‐finals will be Saturday the 6th and finals on the 7th. Riders attending the European Winter X Games can make the first training day by leaving Oslo on the evening of the 7th. Night finals is changed to day finals.

More info to come with details.

Dear sponsors and guests, please fill out the form for your accreditation.

Any other questions about accrediation and hotel booking can be directed to gina@studiohemsedal.com

- And still keeping its independency.

A decade of independent snowboarding

Starting out as a small pilot project back in 1999, TAC is now established as one of the greatest snowboard events in the world – although still keeping its independency. It is the only TTR 6 star event owned by a professional rider. 10 years after the first riders where invited to Norway by Terje Haakonsen, TAC still experiments with formats, arenas, judging systems and TV production in an everlasting search for perfection. Accepting no compromise throughout his whole career, Terje still makes life hard for his crew by pushing the limits for possibilities in a snowboard event. But nobody ever joined him because it was easy.

And TAC certainly had its hard moments. From bankrupt sports agency firms to sleezy agents, from failing sponsor income to devastating weather, from fatal accidents to nightmare tv productions. But in between the trouble there have been unforgettable moments of great snowboarding and real life experiences. Here is the short and brutal history of TAC:

1999: Terje, Daniel and Oakley invites 12 riders to Norway to test a new concept for snowboard contests: The Arctic Challenge. No competition and no media pressure. Sushi is served on a beautiful naked female and the great people of Lofoten welcome a new breed. Halfpipe in Trysil, surf and freeriding in Lofoten.

2000: The first competition and full fledged event in Lofoten. The best TAC weather ever and plenty of snow. Many think of this as the most legendary TAC event. Halfpipe, quarterpipe, surf, skate and freeride in this picturesque peninsula called Lofoten. Unforgettable night time stories and secret missions in small fisherman cabins. Terje wins halfpipe and highest air in quarterpipe, Romain wins overall quarterpipe.

2001: The beginning of the tough years. High ambitions but no finances from british sports marketing agency Sportsworld. Rain and mild weather in Lofoten pushes the event to the south. Heikki Sorsa enters snowboard history books by blasting 9,3 meter over the qp coping in Holmenkollen. Shaun White claims his first international victory in the Hemsedal halfpipe; looking down on his childhood hero on second podium, Terje Haakonsen.

2002: Sports marketing firm Sportsworld goes bankrupt, but forgets to inform Terje and Daniel. They find out by reading the Financial Times, and they are forced to cancel the event – being the only time in the event’s history. Terje buys out Daniel, pays all the outstanding bills out of his own pocket and puts together his own team planning for the future. Together with other key people in snowboarding, TTR is born at a secret meeting at ISPO in Munich. The Air&Style kicks off the first TTR season later that year.

2003: Cancelled last year. Why don’t we kick back as hard as possible and make 3 formats this year? Halfpipe, quarterpipe and slopestyle in Trysil. No one was really prepared on the amount of work, but with the help of all marketing directors and their teams of all sponsors the arenas was finalized one hour before the first TAC slopestyle. Shaun rules and brings home the trophy. Halfpipe is hazzled by bad weather and a show is put on. Halvor Lunn takes best entry into pipe and Shaun best trick. Overall wonder boy Travis Rice comes straight outta nowhere and totally dominates the quarterpipe. TAC delivers its first live airing – on a seconds presision. And smoke coming out of the Lavo party.

2004: Back to the North and the second year as TTR finale. The city of Tromso hosts halfpipe, quarterpipe and a lifestyle programme out of proportions. Every night a new band and after party. Turbonegro, Satyricon, Gluecifer and Cato Salsa Experience. The rock elite of Norway. Finch Airlines is established. He wins the halfpipe, comes second in quarter and takes highest air in quarter. Travis Rice wins again, though.

2005: Rain, rain, rain, puke, puke, puke. The biggest and darkest cloud ever was over North of Norway for weeks. It rained for three weeks. We were depressed for weeks. Sponsors were screaming, TV was crying. Halfpipe was moved from Tromso to Finnsnes, then cancelled. Slopestyle was moved from Tromso to Lofoten, then cancelled. The quarterpipe went as planned in Tromso, but in pouring rain. Markus Keller wins, but what everyone remembers is the boat trip out of hell. 100 of 200 passengers pukes and Fredrik Austbo makes a promise he will never go on a boat again. Turbonegro saves the day in Lofoten by delivering one of their top 5 concerts, as defined by bass player Happy Tom. And it was good surf and skate, too…

2006: The final chapter of the black book. The scaffolding is too weak for the snow pressure, and is taken down and replaced two days before the events starts. The biggest snow storm in Oslo in 50 years delays the event even more. Protest rider Jody Koenders also makes it into snowboard history books – but in a nasty way by making the worst crash ever. He survives it, but that was close, man. No tricks over 6,5 meters in a icy quarter. But a good crowd and one of the best freeriding weeks ever; in downtown Oslo! Home boy Henning Marthinsen wins and becomes a household name in Norway overnight. The first glimpse of better days.

2007: What’s up, weather gods? The sun is out, and here comes Haakon, and my Gooood, he flies soooo high! Being on fire the whole day (all riders letting him taking their turn), Friday 2^nd of March 2007, Terje goes higher than any snowboarder before him. 9,8 meters and new world record. On tape, aired all over the world – even on CNN. Terje goes straight to top on Transworld’s exposure meter. Kevin Pearce starts dominating the snowboard competition scene by winning his first TAC qp in front of a packed event. Funded by solid sponsors, sports marketing director of Oakley, Pat McIlvain, says in his closing dinner speach it was the best organised TAC to date.

2008. Back in Holmenkollen. The collosseum of Norway. 7000 spectators right in your face. Beautiful weather. Chaos on the trains. Everything sold out: tickets, sponsors, parties, concerts, dinners, shopping street. Akon on stage singing dirty lyrics with Norwegian kids. The new variation judging system is praised by the riders and the TV production is world class. Future Magazine writes we will never top the Cosmo party. Well, let see about that. Kevin completely rules the competition and takes both overall and best trick. Terje makes highest air of 8,5 meters but touches the hand. A few more attemps and he could have made the magic 10 meter mark, but the contest format didn’t allow that, so lets change it for next year!

Contact information
Our adress:
The Arctic Challenge
Postboks 198 Kjelsås
0491 Oslo
Norway

Or get in touch with us by e-mail:
hilde@thearcticchallenge.com or henn-a3@online.no

Accreditation:
gina@studiohemsedal.com

Press/web:
marianne@thearcticchallenge.com