Latest Press release from Gus Hurst, Co-organizer of the PAKISTAN FREERIDE event. The Team have arrived in Pakistan ahead of the riders to get things sorted, like the press, getting the rails made and also sorting out the logistics and helicopters!!! They are having and will have the adventure of a lifetime!!! The 20 invited riders with full expenses paid are guaranteed insane conditions and will be mixing these pro-skiers and pro-snowboarders up with some legendary names from the snowkite world. read on for Gus’s report recieved yesterday from Pakistan and keep checking back for more news as we get it:

`Asalam Aleikum` is how Rajaz Changez Sultan, PTDC Advisor (Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation) opens a lively press conference, informing a panel of journalists and news film crew that Walkabout Films and team, have an incredibly exciting, groundbreaking event set to start on 16th March in the Deosai Plateau. Sponsored and supported by the Army Welfare Trust, the event concept has the involvement of the Prime Minister and President of the country, who are in agreement that Pakistans` wealth of beauty and natural terrain is not been utilised for its massive potential for adventure sports, such as snow kiting, freestyle skiing and snowboarding - we are ecstatic to realise that Ozone kites and all our sponsors are involved in an event which has the eyes of the whole country on it, all the way to the top. The President and Prime Minster are expected to drop in for our kite, freestyle jamming and Big Mountain Freeriding sessions at Deosai. Alternatively, they may rock up for the Ozone/Walkabout Films prize giving party in Islamabad on the 25th March, where DJ Scott Nixon will be mixing it up with local flavours. What a trip - the concept is evolving fast!

After receiving a royal welcome at Charles de Gaulle, despite 280kg of luggage (beers on the house been the ultimate bonus), Brice Lequertier, Felix Hentz and Gus Hurst are collected by Nisar Malik, return to his family home in Islamabad, where a Frenzy of meetings, phone calls, emails, packing and activity, is the general theme for the next couple of days. Brice sets to work managing construction of the rail slides in Rawalpindi, we aren`t too sure about the Rainbow slide, but the rest looks sweet. Nisar manages to persuade the Minister of Tourism to give us two very last minute, extra plane tickets, for `Ultrabrite` film productions crew - they are set to make a 26 minute documentary on this high-altitude mission! Gus stirs a long list of magazines

The riders are stoked, we have just sent them confirmation that we have 10 hours air time in an `MI - 17` helicopter and six hours with a `Lama`, its always good to have friends like the army on your side. We are just as stoked, success! Nobody has ever been Heli-skiing in Pakistan before, we have achieved a lot since last years tripThis means we can add Big Mountain Freeride heli-skiing to the agenda. I would love to write more, but a `Bluebird` day has just dawned and Windguru have just given us a forecast of flyable conditions, we have a plane waiting to take us to Skardu.

We will join our team at Base Camp in a few days, and will do our best to keep you people updated with our antics, but in the meanwhile do still keep in mind some of the focus of this event. Pakistan has recently suffered a devastating earthquake, nearly throwing this event right off the map. But right through the team there has been belief that our actions will only stimulate the economy, morale and be the beginning of development of adventure sports culture in this country. If you wish to help with relief aid for Pakistan please go to www.reliefshelterdrive.org , a grassroots initiative to help build shelters in areas too remote too receive aid.

For more information on this event, full list of riders and sponsors, and images from 2005 trip, please visit the organiser`s website www.walkaboutfilms.tv and

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