Metro Denver Sports Commission is recruiting ski teams representing ski and snowboard manufacturers to compete at a “Battle of the Brands” that will take place the first day of Denver Big Air presented by Sprint on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

The commission said a team from Colorado's own Icelantic Skis is the first to confirm its participation in the event which is open to brands worldwide. Team members Leigh Powis, Josh Stack and Jaron Stadler, all world-class acrobatic ski wizards, will represent Icelantic in the competition.

The “Battle of the Brands” will open Denver Big Air presented by Sprint, a two-day event that revolves around world-class skiers and snowboarders flying off an amazing 102-foot high ramp that will be built and covered with snow in the heart of Downtown Denver at Civic Center Park. World-class competitors will zoom down the 102-foot high ramp and launch themselves in the air to execute gravity-defying, breathtaking acrobatics on skis and snowboards.

“The 'Battle of the Brands' will showcase some of the greatest ski acrobatic athletes in the world,” said KieAnn Brownell, President of the Metro Denver Sports Commission. “To have a team from a Colorado company like Icelantic make the first commitment to the competition is great and will give everybody a chance to see if there is such thing as a 'home mountain advantage.'”

With Denver Big Air being a prelude to the Ski Industry of America's huge “Snow Show” at the Denver Convention Center, many worldwide recognizable ski brands are expected to enter their teams in the “Battle of the Brands” competition. Denver Big Air presented by Sprint will announce more teams soon. The SIA Snow Show starts Jan. 27 and is one of the world's largest skiing and snowboard trade shows.

Tickets for the Jan. 25th and 26th, 2011, Denver Big Air presented by Sprint are now on sale to the general public and are available at www.denverbigair.com; paid viewing passes are only $45.00 for a single-day pass, $80.00 for a two-day pass. Daily VIP passes are $100.00 and include food, beverages and premium viewing.

Denver Big Air will be one of the most amazing athletic spectacles ever staged in Downtown Denver. Denver Big Air opens with the Nature Valley Big Air Challenge, the freestyle skiing “Battle of the Brands” Big Air event on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Day two, Wednesday, Jan. 26, will feature the International Ski Federation's (FIS) LG FIS World Cup Snowboard Big Air, a sanctioned event on the established global snowboarding circuit.