Dew Action Sports Tour hosts Snowboard Rail Jam in portland at the Vans® Invitational

12-Year-Old Snowboarder Ben Watts of Bend, Ore. Expected to Compete.

NEW YORK - August 14, 2006 - The Dew Action Sports Tour, the pro tour of action sports, will host a Snowboard Rail Jam as a specialty competition at the Vans® Invitational on Thursday, August 17 in Portland, Oregon. The third stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour, the Vans® Invitational, takes place August 17-20 at Portland’s Rose Quarter.

“With its proximity to Mt. Hood, Portland is the perfect backdrop for the Snowboard Rail Jam,” said Wade Martin, general manager, Dew Action Sports Tour. “We’re pleased to welcome back some of the top names in snowboarding to the Vans® Invitational for this specialty competition. We also hope the fans in Portland will enjoy the sight of the man-made snow in August!”

Nine top male pro snowboarders-including Yale Cousino, 23, of Lincoln, Vt., who won last year’s Snowboard Rail Jam at the Vans® Invitational-will compete. Other athletes include Wyatt Caldwell, 20, of Sun Valley, ID; Michael Casanova, 21, of Breckenridge, Colo.; Colin Langlois, 25, of Morrisville Vt.; Jonas Michilot, 18, of Bloomington, Minn.; Pat Milberry, 26, of St. Paul, Minn.; Chris Rotax, 21, of Monkton, Vt.; and Ben Watts, 12, of Bend, Ore. Newcomer Watts, who is also a skateboarder, took first place in the 13 and under Junior Slopestyle and the Junior Pipe contests at the Burton European Open in Switzerland in January 2006.

Riders will start atop a 30-foot tall snow-covered platform and ride down a handrail with ledges on either side, performing tricks along the way. Each rider will be allowed one introductory run, followed by a 30 minute jam session including all athletes. Fans can watch practice beginning at 8 p.m., followed by the 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. competition.

Admission to all competitions, the Festival Village, and the Friday concert featuring Crossfade is included in the daily ticket price for the Dew Action Sports Tour's Vans® Invitational. Friday through Sunday, a daily adult ticket is $15 in advance and a child's daily ticket is $7.50 in advance. At the door, tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children. Tickets to the Vans® Invitational on Thursday, July 13 are $7.50 in advance or $9 the day of. A four-day pass to the Vans® Invitational is $20 for children and $40 for adults. Tickets are available at the Rose Quarter Box Office, online at RoseQuarter.com, participating Safeway locations, or by calling 877-789-ROSE (7673). Please note that all tickets are subject to convenience and handling charges.

The complete Dew Action Sports Tour schedule, events and locations are as follows:

DATE EVENT LOCATION
June 22-25 Panasonic Open Louisville, Ky. - Kentucky Expo Center
July 13-16 Right Guard Open Denver, Co. - Pepsi Center
Aug. 17-20 Vans® Invitational Portland, Ore. - Rose Quarter
Sept. 7-10 Toyota Challenge San Jose, Calif. - HP Pavilion
Oct. 12-15 PlayStation® Pro Orlando, Fla. - TD Waterhouse Centre

Owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation, the Dew Action Sports Tour debuted in June 2005, and consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse - the largest in action sports - and an additional $1 million bonus pool based upon year-end standings. NBC and USA Network combine for exclusive Dew Action Sports Tour coverage with the largest combined network and cable commitment in action sports. The Tour features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, and at season’s end, the Tour awards champions in the six combined disciplines with the Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event’s festival village includes live cutting-edge music, video gaming, and interactive events.

More than 150 of the top action sports athletes in the world return for the second season of the Dew Action Sports Tour to compete for the Dew Cup. The Tour’s inaugural season champions include Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Park), Bucky Lasek (Skateboard Vert), Kenny Bartram (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert) and Ryan Guettler (BMX Park and BMX Dirt).

Live Nation, formerly Clear Channel Entertainment, will be an integral partner on the Dew Action Sports Tour, lending its considerable expertise in live event touring and promotion, including a wide range of off-channel assets including Clear Channel’s Radio, Outdoor and Music divisions.

The Dew Action Sports Tour returns all of its founding partners from year one, including Mountain Dew (tour title sponsor); and Panasonic, Right Guard Xtreme, Vans®, Toyota and PlayStation® (event title sponsors). Associate partners include MasterCard, Mongoose®, OXY® Acne Solutions, Peanut Chews®, Slim Jim and Verizon Wireless.