Return of 'Nevada Passage' Reality TV Show Spotlights State's Outdoor Adventure

Return of 'Nevada Passage' Reality TV Show Spotlights State's Outdoor Adventure

Nevada Tourism Expands Made-for-Television Program in 2006

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) announced plans for the second annual Nevada Passage made-for-television adventure competition that will expose the state's outdoor destinations to 2 million television viewers nationwide, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt announced Tuesday.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030710/NEVADA )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040114/NEVTOURLOGO )

The Nevada Passage will bring 20 hand-picked athletes to Nevada May 8-13, 2006, to compete in a series of adventure sports in six outdoor destinations in or near the communities of Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Virginia City, Austin, Pahrump and Laughlin. Paired into 10 coed teams, the athletes' experiences will be filmed and edited into a one-hour television program to be syndicated in more than 80 U.S. markets between August 2006 and February 2007.

"The inaugural Nevada Passage provided us with an extremely effective and powerful tool to show adventure travelers the rugged beauty and adventure opportunities they can find throughout the state of Nevada," Hunt, NCOT chair, said. "We can't wait to bring the same level of attention to six different rural destinations in 2006."

The 2006 Nevada Passage teams, expected to be announced in February, will have an opportunity to test a wide variety of skills as they compete in everything from off-beat events such as a ranch hand rodeo and railroad handcar races to more traditional adventure sports including biking, trail running, and jet skiing.

"Adventure sports are gaining popularity around the world, and Nevada's wide-open spaces are ideal for them, becoming a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts," NCOT Director Bruce Bommarito said. "There are few other states could combine rodeo, mountain biking, running, jet skiing, autocross and railroad races in one adventure competition the way Nevada does."

The inaugural one-hour "Nevada Passage" adventure reality show began nationwide syndication in August and has already aired in 100 markets on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and UPN affiliates as well as 11 resort networks. Viewers in top metropolitan markets such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have seen "The Nevada Passage," which is scheduled to air at least 17 more times before syndication closes on Feb. 28, 2006. Along with reaching approximately 2 million television viewers through syndication, news stories and articles about the Nevada Passage also drew attention to the state's outdoor adventure with more than 60 minutes of combined television news coverage and 350 print and Internet articles.

The stages of the 2006 Nevada Passage, which are subject to change because of weather and other conditions, are planned as follows:

Monday, May 8 - Stage 1:
Adventure - Recumbent (reclining) bicycle Human-Powered Speed Challenge
Location - Battle Mountain; Nevada State Route 305

Tuesday, May 9 - Stage 2:
Adventure - Ranch Hand Rodeo
Location - Winnemucca; Winnemucca Special Events Center

Wednesday, May 10 - Stage 3:
Adventure - Railroad Handcar Races
Location - Virginia City; Virginia & Truckee Railroad yards

Thursday, May 11 - Stage 4:
Adventure - Mountain Bike and Trail Scramble
Location - Austin; Austin Park, Cahill Canyon and Castle Loop

Friday, May 12 - Stage 5:
Adventure - Raceway Autocross
Location - Pahrump; Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch

Saturday, May 13 - Stage 6:
Adventure - Jet Ski Slalom and Obstacle Competition
Location - Laughlin; Colorado River

NCOT also plans to expand The Nevada Passage in 2006 with non-televised outdoor competitions open to all adventurers the weekend before the main events begin. The new public event, named The Nevada Passage Open, is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, and will draw an estimated 400 travelers to the north-central city of Winnemucca to compete in mountain-biking racing, kayaking, off-road running and an all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) sand drag race. Online registration for The Nevada Passage Open will open in January at www.nevadapassage.com.

TEAM Unlimited, a Honolulu-based television events and marketing company, and R&R Partners, a Las Vegas-based integrated marketing communications firm, developed the concept of The Nevada Passage to showcase Nevada's dramatic landscape and adventure opportunities. TEAM Unlimited also produces the annual Nissan Xterra USA Championship Race at Lake Tahoe.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030710/NEVADA
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040114/NEVTOURLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The Nevada Commission on Tourism

CONTACT: Chris Chrystal, cchrystal@travelnevada.com, or Bethany
Drysdale, both of The Nevada Commission on Tourism, +1-775-687-4322

Web site: http://www.nevadapassage.com/

Web site: http://www.travelnevada.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Editors: To obtain Nevada Passage high-resolution digital images or b-roll footage in Beta SP format, please contact Mike Draper at mike.draper@rrpartners.com or 775-323-1611.

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