SAM Magazine-Frisco, Colo., Aug. 11, 2008-Copper will host the first U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix halfpipe series stop this Dec. 12-13, followed by Boreal and Killington. NBC and Versus will be broadcasting each leg of the tour, which will serve as a tune up for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Both Copper and Boreal are hosting tour stops for the first time.

The Boreal stop Jan. 29-Feb. 1 also includes the Visa Snowboardcross Championship series, which should feature athletes such as reigning X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley), Jeep King of the Mountain champion Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Olympian Jayson Hale (Sierraville, Calif.).

Killington returns for the second year in a row as the final stop of the tour Mar.14-15. The Killington event features a 22-foot halfpipe, and the overall Grand Prix champions will be crowned there. Last year snowboarding phenom Louie Vito (Columbus, Ohio) took top billing with two wins on the tour, and Olympic champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, Vt.) won her fourth Grand Prix title. \