Teva Mountain Games 2007

At next weekend’s Teva Mountain Games in Vail, over 2,000 pro and amateur athletes are expected to compete in more than two dozen kayaking, rafting, running, biking, climbing and fishing competitions. However, outdoor competition is only half of the story at the Teva Mountain Games. The five-day festival is pleased to announce a nightly line up of art, music, awards and films to complement the world-class competition.

“The Teva Mountain Games is a total celebration of mountain culture and the athletic competitions are just a warm up to the parties, films and concerts we’re hosting every evening,” states event organizer Joel Heath of Untraditional Marketing. “From the Everest Awards, to our Flix & Pix event, to the new Zest Mud Village, we’ve got a terrific lineup of lunar entertainment.”

A new addition to the Teva Mountain Games, Flix & Pix combines the annual Zest® for Adventure Photography competition with selections from the Telluride Mountainfilm Tour. This year’s photography competition includes over 300 photos that were submitted to the Teva Mountain Games website by professional and amateur photographers. The photography finalists, which were selected through a public online vote with consideration from a jury of professional photographers, will be on display at Donovan Pavilion and later in Demott Gallery. The winning submissions will be announced on Thursday night. The Telluride Mountainfilm Tour will include many of the new, winning films from the Telluride MountainFilm Festival, which takes place this weekend. Admission is free and doors open at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday night, the seats of the Ford Amphitheater will be filled with a collection of the world’s best adventure athletes. The third annual Everest Awards celebrate the year’s greatest accomplishments and achievements in eight different categories. The three male and female finalists in each category have already been announced (http://tevamountaingames.com/ev_everest_category.cfm) and the winners will be revealed on Friday night in a fun, mountain formal ceremony.

A DJ and renowned L.A. singer-songwriter Jay Nash will provide musical entertainment throughout the evening. Admission is free and donations will be accepted on behalf of the Waterkeeper Alliance.

Mountain Ball, Samana Nightclub, 10:00 p.m., Fri., June 1
The theme of the Ball, as always, is ‘Tevas and Tuxes.’ The Mountain Ball provides a unique opportunity to mingle and party with professional and amateur athletes alike, while enjoying music, dancing and ridiculous outfits. Free admission.

Freestyle Rodeo Competition at the '06 Games

The Zest® Mud Village, Golden Peak, 6-9 p.m., Sat., June 2
Featuring: Teva X-1 Mud Fun Run, Mountain Bike Slopestyle, Purina Diving Dog Challenge, Live performances by Banyan and DJ J Boogie, and the Zest Foam Tent The Teva Mountain Games new epic Saturday night line-up features a complete smorgasbord of food, competition, music and mud.

The Teva X-1 Mud Fun Run will be a short lap course around the base of Golden Peak with guaranteed slippery, sliding fun for racers of all ages and abilities.

The Mountain Bike Slopestyle will feature big air and big tricks from some of the country’s best Mountain Bike freeriders.

The Purina Diving Dog Challenge features pooches launching upwards of 30 feet into a pool and gives amateur canines a chance to compete against the big dogs.

Finally, Banyan (http://www.myspace.com/banyanband), an L.A based band made up of former Jane’s Addiction and Snoop Doggie Dog musicians, will play with back up from San Francisco DJ J Boogie (http://www.jboogie.com/jboogie/index.html). The Zest® Foam tent will help to keep the party and the partygoers clean all night long.

The Samples, Checkpoint Charlie, 3:45 p.m. Sun. June 3
Colorado hometown favorites, The Samples (http://www.thesamples.com/) will wrap up the Teva Mountain Games with a free concert in Vail Village at Checkpoint Charlie.