Perisher's TUBE MY RIDE competition

A new winter event comes to life this season at Perisher with the inaugural Coca-Cola Tube My Ride.

Briefly, the Tube My Ride (TMR) concept sees competitors produce a slick video of themselves or their mate, taking a run (or runs) down the PlayStation Slopestyle Park on Front Valley. The clip is then uploaded onto the TMR webpage and voted on by the public to see who takes the $5,000, winner takes all, prize that's up for grabs.

The fundamental premise behind TMR was for Perisher to come up with a new event idea that was less impacting on the resort's resources and also less disrupting to its' guests. "Often events held in the resort require us closing terrain parks, runs or the Superpipe for extended periods, thus affecting visitor experiences, as they often can't use these areas until the competition is over," said Neil Thew PR & Business Development Manager, Perisher.

The Coca-Cola Tube My Ride concept allows Perisher to conduct the event (officially earmarked for 1-2 August) without closing the PlayStation Slopestyle Park, as competitors have until 15 August to submit their entries. That means multiple runs in the Park can be edited together into a polished production, not necessarily shot during the first weekend in August.

The main stipulations are: competitors must fill out an Event Participation Waiver before they start filming; each clip is to be no more than three minutes in length; a Coke and a Perisher sign are evident in the piece (these will be set up 1-2 August); and, accompanying music is taken from a selection of Launch Your Band winners (available from the TMR webpage).

This is NOT a 'Jackass' style event, that is, it is not to be a series of dangerous stunts caught on film that cause or depict injury for the sake of some perceived humour value. "The idea is to be creative and portray the best run that someone can undertake on film, craftily cut and edited to music," said Mr. Thew.

A new Coca-Cola Tube My Ride mini-site has been established off Perisher's website, check it out at: www.perisher.com.au/winter/tubemyride/index.php. Entries are open to competitors 15 years and over, with everyone expected to comply with the Terms and Conditions stipulated on the mini-site.

"We still see traditional events as an integral part of our resort operations, however we see them as evolving away from watching competitors do two runs, one after the other, all day long, judged by four guys based on their criteria," said Mr. Thew. "We see TMR as a way of integrating the resort with our sponsors and the key 16-34 year old demographic, in a vibrant format that encourages creative flare without the pressure of nailing the perfect points based run," continued Mr. Thew.

Perisher sees TMR in 2009 as a test year for the event, with really no idea how many people might enter. It could be one or it could be 100 who knows? Whatever the amount of entries, they see it growing into a successful event similar in popularity to the Launch Your Band competition that now receives close to 500 entries each year.