A usual skiing day for Candide in his home resort, could have ended in a better way this time! Out skiing with his friend Aziz Benkrich (red pants), we should probably tell you ‘DON’T try this at home’ !!

Closing week-end at our 2nd home during spring ; the Superpark.
by awone films

Superpark Spring Session from Awone Films on Vimeo.

Du liebst Skifahren, auch im Sommer? Dann bist du beim „Swiss Freeski Day – Summer Edition“ genau richtig! Wir bieten ein Training mit echten Pros für Kids im Alter von 10-16 Jahren an. Gemeinsam geht ihr auf die Wasserschanze, übt auf dem Trampolin und Vieles mehr…

Zum allerersten Mal veranstaltet Swiss-Ski einen Swiss Freeski Day im Sommer, gemeinsam mit dem Jumpin Mettmenstetten.

Am Swiss Freeski Day hast du die Möglichkeit mit echten Freeski Profis zu trainieren und Freeski zu erleben.
Datum
Samstag, 1. Juni 2013 | Jumpin Mettmenstetten

Als Teilnehmer am Freeski Day profitierst Du nebst einem professionellen Coaching auch von super Konditionen. Für CHF 20.- erhältst du den Eintritt und Verpflegung (1 Pizza, 2x 1.5 Liter Wasser, 1 Süssgetränk) vor Ort.

Melde dich jetzt HIER an, die Teilnehmerzahl ist beschränkt!

A few World Championship titles, many victories and a whole bunch of podiums at freestyle and freeride contests of the highest level! The Marker Völkl Freeski Team has experienced a truly outstanding winter season 2012/13. First and foremost one has to mention Virginie Faivre, Nadine Wallner and Nick Goepper, each and everyone a World Champion in a different discipline and for a different organisation. But the rest of the team managed to impress as well, be it well established riders like Russ Henshaw, who completed an astonishing comeback this season following a torn ACL, or young guns like Nina Ragettli and Felix Stridsberg-Usterud, who both won a Junior World Championship title. At the end of a fantastic season all these successes are well worth remembering!

Nick Goepper’s name was already well known before this season, but only few would have expected such a performance. Following some hints early on, his big breakthrough came during X Games in Aspen. Nick showed four different doubles in his slopestyle run, two each spinning left and right side while taking off forward and switch, and landing each to perfection. Nobody else has done this before and the young American took a well deserved Gold medal. He continued the season on the same level winning top events like the Dumont Cup and the Austrian Open, before finishing off an outstanding winter as second at the WSI Slopestyle in Whistler, thus securing the top spot in the Overall Slopestyle Ranking and the title of Slopestyle World Champion of the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP). At the FIS World Championships in Norway Nick added a bronze medal in slopestyle and only the most miserable weather conditions during his qualification runs at the European X Games in Tignes kept him from another success. At the end of the 2012/13 freeski season, Nick Goepper is widely considered to be the world’s best slopestyle skier and a favourite for the first Olympic Gold in that discipline next year.

Nadine Wallner’s rise to the top of the freeride world was even quicker. The young Austrian from the famous Arlberg region had qualified for the Freeride World Tour 2013 by dominating the World Qualifier events the year before and went on to upset the established Big Mountain elite without hesitation. Two second place finishes at her first ever FWT contests in Revelstoke and Chamonix made her ambition clear and her first victory on the tour at her home contest in Fieberbrunn put her in a comfortable lead before the final event in Verbier. With a rock solid performance at the legendary Bec des Rosses and a third place finish Nadine Wallner secured the top spot of the FWT Overall Ranking and thus the title of Freeride World Champion 2013 – the year that saw all the world’s best big mountain riders fight for the title on a unified tour for the very first time!

Equally surprising, but not out of the blue came the World Championship title for another rider of the Marker Völkl Freeski Team. Virginie Faivre had won both the FIS World Championships and the FIS World Cup in halfpipe before, but she only returned to the contest circuit this season in the 02.05.2013 Outstanding Season 2012/13 for Marker Völkl Freeski Team Nick Goepper, Virginie Faivre, Nadine Wallner, Russ Henshaw, Markus Eder, Johan Berg, Nina Ragettli, Felix Usterud, Grete Eliassen, Charlie Lyons, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand wake of the Olympic Halfpipe premiere in Sochi 2014 following her focus on movie projects and her own signature event Nine Queens in previous seasons. And what a successful return that was!

The first World Cup showings in Copper Mountain and Park City were maybe a bit hesitant with a fourth and a third place respectively, but then the Swiss veteran won the FIS Halfpipe World Championships in Oslo and the Olympic test event in Sochi. A solid second place finish at the World Cup finals in Sierra Nevada was enough to secure the Overall Halfpipe World Cup and another Crystal Globe for Virginie Faivre.

Less fortunate, but equally impressive was the winter season of Russ Henshaw. The Australian demonstrated his outstanding quality in slopestyle early on with a convincing victory at the first major event of the season, the Dew Cup in Breckenridge, and a second place at the US Grand Prix in Copper Mountain shortly after. But then he tore his ACL while training for the X Games in Aspen! His season seemed to be over, but Russ Henshaw fought back. He returned to the competition scene later in the winter and finished his season with a fantastic third place at the WSI Slopestyle in Whistler, thus moving into second place of the AFP Slopestyle Ranking. Without a doubt Russ Henshaw is back and ready for the Olympic Games next year.

Another season stand-out was Italian Markus Eder. He had missed most of the previous winter due to a severe knee injury, but returned on snow last summer with an impressive performance at the Swatch Skiers Cup in Chile. This set the tone for his winter season and obviously the South Tyrolean freestyle ace is determined to prove himself on a different ground: the backcountry of big mountain ranges! Markus Eder earned a wild card for the Freeride World Tour and managed to win the tour stop in Courmayeur – only his second real Big Mountain contest. He went on to be an integral part of the European team that defended the Swatch Skiers Cup against the Americas in Zermatt, before he shifted his focus on filming. Meanwhile another young rider of the Marker Völkl Freeski Team stood up at the Freeride World Tour. Charlie Lyons from New Zealand made the podium as third in Kirkwood and collected no less than four top ten finishes in six events. A ninth place overall and the qualification for next year’s main tour is more than a respectable outcome of his rookie season on the FWT.

On the freestyle side another two youngsters of the Marker Völkl Freeski Team managed to impress this winter. Alex Beaulieu-Marchand from Canada had a great start placing third in slopestyle at the US Grand Prix in Copper Mountain and he continued to prove his potential with several great results, among others he made the slopestyle finals both at the European X Games and the WSI. Arguably even better was the showing of Johan Berg. The young Norwegian claimed second place overall at the FIS Halfpipe World Cup, clinching his first World Cup victory at the Corvatsch in Silvaplana on the way. Meanwhile another veteran of the freeski scene made her comeback at the competition scene in the wake of the Sochi 2014 Olympics. Grete Eliassen won a bronze medal in slopestyle at the FIS Freestyle World Championships in Norway, a respectable feat considering her rather long absence from the contest circuit.

02.05.2013

Outstanding Season 2012/13 for Marker Völkl Freeski Team Nick Goepper, Virginie Faivre, Nadine Wallner, Russ Henshaw, Markus Eder, Johan Berg, Nina Ragettli, Felix Usterud, Grete Eliassen, Charlie Lyons, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand It was truly an outstanding season for the Marker Völkl Freeski Team and the future is looking just as bright. At least that‘s what two young kids promised with a title each at the FIS Junior World Championships in Italy, Nina Ragettli won in the halfpipe while Felix Stridsberg-Usterud triumphed in slopestyle. But that was not their only feat, the young Swiss from Laax continued to impress with several great runs during the Halfpipe World Cup while her Norwegian teammate even collected a third place finish at the World Cup finals in Sierra Nevada and proved that he can already keep up with the biggest names in freeskiing by winning the prestigious Frostgun Invitational Big Air in Val d’Isère, France. What a great prospect that has the team already looking forward to next winter!

Did you see Oskar’s portfolio in Twin 8?  If you liked that, you’ll love this video…

Enjoy the 2013 Spring Classics for three more weeks

Thanks to its high elevation, the Kaunertal Glacier was blessed with another layer of new snow last weekend. It’s the 2013 Spring Classics and the versatile Kaunertal Snowpark can now be shredded until 20 May 2013. Don’t miss out on this chance!

The first flowers are already poking up down in the valley, but one more load of powder has covered Tirol’s youngest glacier. Perfect for everyone who can’t get enough snow! The Schneestern shape crew has given their best to sculpt a deluxe snowpark for your enjoyment, with playful, diverse lines as far as the eye can see.

Several upcoming events guarantee that the Spring Classics will go out in style in its last few weeks.

Snowboard:

On 4 May 2013 don’t forget to pack your cleats, because the time-honored “Soccer Tournament” won’t be left out. After this day, the Brits will be storming the Kaunertal Glacier. From 4-10 May 2013 a relaxed atmosphere takes over as the newest snowboards are tested and parties are thrown during “Spring Break.” And on the final Spring Classics weekend, the “Golden Riding Days” on 18-19 May 2013 offer two coaching days for female snowboarders.

Freeski:

On Saturday, 27 April 2013 the “Line Team Days” begun too. For one full week you can test the newest material from Line, participate in coaching sessions, or cruise the park with the pros. The time-honored “Soccer Tournament” won’t be left out, so on 4 May 2013 don’t forget to bring your cleats. After a week of snowboard action, the freeskiers will be up again: during the “Skiing Mag Rail Session” a rail or two will be slayed to win some hoodies and T-shirts.

To close things out in style, free sausages will be up for grabs for skiers and boarders alike on the last day of the Spring Classics, Monday, 20 May 2013.

All information regarding the 2013 Spring Classics and the individual events can be found here  with daily updates on facebook.

The 5^th edition of the legendary FIAT Nine Knights in Livigno, Italy has officially wrapped up. Nicky Keefer was declared “Ruler of the Week” and winner of the “Best Style” award, while David Wise won the “Best Trick” award. The unforgettable week-long event on the colossal “Il Castello”  was perfect, just watch the final highlight video for confirmation!

Six years ago Nico Zacek of the Marker Völkl team had a ludicrous idea, “Lets build a massive castle made of snow, with a bunch of jumps and rails on it and get the best skiers in the world to session it for a week!” What was just an idea six years ago has turned into an eagerly anticipated event at the end of a busy international freeski calendar; a chance to session an awesome feature all week, create amazing photos, push the sport and generally have a fun time with fellow freeskiers. This year the FIAT Nine Knights castle was more than twice as big as ever, “I was blown away by the magnitude of this feature,” said O’Neill team rider David Wise, who was recently crowned AFP Halfpipe World Champion. “From the jumps, to the jibs, to the halfpipes: there are just so many options. I have never skied a feature like this!”

A blazing sun warmed gorgeous Livigno throughout the week and many rad sessions went down on the various features of “Il Castello” perched on the pistes of the Mottolino Fun Mountain. The free flow format of the FIAT Nine Knights makes it unique, as everyone can choose what feature to session and with copious photographer and filmers on site, everything gets captured and recorded. While the many jib and hip jams were super fun, the two heli sessions during sunrise and sunset definitely produced the best imagery. The riders banded together to hit every feature at the same time while the helicopter of the Flying Bulls recorded the action and the invited photographers clicked away. You don’t want to miss the final edit of the FIAT Nine Knights, it’s insane!
http://youtu.be/-HErazVyW7U

A big mission of the FIAT Nine Knights is to create unique and awe-inspiring images, which is why every year four of the best international photographers get invited to compete in the photography contest. This year’s photos truly accomplished this mission and can be viewed exclusively at www.nineknightsski.com.

Photography Awards:

“Best Action”: Alessandro Belluscio
“Best Angle”: Daniel Rönnbäck
“Best Diptic”: Christoph Schöch
“Best Lifestyle”: Christoph Schöch

Rider Awards:

“Ruler of the Week”: Nicky Keefer
“Best Transition”: Lolo Favre
“Best Style”: Nicky Keefer
“Best Trick”: David Wise - Double Misty 1080 Mute

The Jib Contest, which was held instead of the traditional Big Air due to bad weather, was won by Roy Kittler, with Henrik Harlaut and Fabio Studer in second and third respectively.

It truly was one hell of a crazy week in Livigno and the plans for next years castle are already in the works. The snow is being saved for next year, which can only mean one thing: next years “Il Castello” will be even bigger and better!

In this scene from Teton Gravity Research’s newest film, The Dream Factory, take a look at the history of skiing in Valdez, Alaska, and see what it’s like today.

Follow the story of the heli-skiing boom from Doug Coombs and the Tsaina Lodge in the early 1990s to the big mountain rippers of today like Todd Ligare, Griffin Post and Ralph Backstrom, who continue the pioneering spirit of skiing in Alaska.

Buy The Dream Factory: http://shop.tetongravity.com/teton-gr…

Read More On The New Tsaina Lodge: http://www.tsaina.com/

Read More On Valdez Heli-Ski Guides: http://valdezheliskiguides.com/

Neue Ausgabe des Erfolgs-Spiels

Dakine Schweiz knüpft an den grossen Erfolg des 2012 lancierten Online-Spiels”Wanted: Globetrotters” an. Vom 13. Mai bis 10. Juni 2013 dürfen alle virtuellen Weltenbummler wieder reisen. Der Hauptpreis ist erneut ein Around the World Ticket für zwei Personen.

“Wanted: Globetrotters” hatte im Herbst 2012 sein Debüt. Im Online-Spiel auf der Webseite von Dakine Schweiz mussten die Teilnehmer eine virtuelle Weltreise bestreiten. Dakine machte mit diesem Spiel auf die sieben Sportarten aufmerksam, für welche die Marke steht (Ski, Snowboard, Windsurf, Kitesurf, Bike, Surf und Skateboard).

Ab Mai neue Ausgabe

Der grosse Erfolg im letzten Jahr hat Dakine Schweiz dazu bewogen, eine zweite Ausgabe des Erfolgs-Spiels zu realisieren. Die Idee der virtuellen Weltreise bleibt erhalten: Die Teilnehmer bestreiten erneut in sieben Etappen sieben Wettkämpfe in den besagten Sportarten.

Am 13. Mai 2013 startet die zweite Runde des Online-Spiels, das bis am 10. Juni 2013 läuft. Eine Auffrischung erlebt das Spiel durch eine neue Strecke, ein neues Kitesurf-Spiel und einige neue Animationen. Alle teilnehmenden Personen, welche die Weltreise beenden, kommen in die Hauptverlosung für ein Around the World Ticket für zwei Personen.

Eine Voranmeldung ist ab sofort hier möglich. Alle eingeschriebenen Personen erhalten kurz vor Spielbeginn eine Erinnerung per E-Mail.

10. Style Session – ein voller Erfolg

Die diesjährige Style Session war ein voller Erfolg. Über 100 Fahrer aus der ganzen Schweiz strömten nach Saas-Fee. Sogar aus Deutschland und Österreich sind Riders angereist. Leider blieben die Bergbahnen über das ganze Wochenende geschlossen. Dies war jedoch kein Grund, die Style Session nicht durchzuführen. Kurzerhand shapte das OK Team mit den Bergbahnen ein neues Setup im Dorf oberhalb vom Skischule-Sammelplatz direkt beim Kalbermatten-Lift. Sechs verschiedene Jibbelemente und ein Kicker standen am Samstag punkt 12 Uhr beim Start der 10. Style Session bereit für die Crews.

Neuschnee, Stromausfall und über 100 motivierte Riders

Am ersten Tag der Style Session startete der Event, trotz 50 Zentimeter Neuschnee und anfänglichem Stromausfall im Dorf, mit einer Jamsession. Während vier Stunden hatten die Fahrer der 21 Crews Zeit, zwei Runs von den Judges bewerten zu lassen. Die Fahrer zeigten keine Blösse und rockten den über Nacht erstellten Park. An Kreativität in der Kleiderwahl fehlte es bei den Ridern nicht. Von Gummibären über Hippies bis zu Superheros waren viele Stylevarianten anzutreffen. Nicht nur das Outfit überzeugte, sondern auch das fahrerische Können. Bei den Girls staubte Caroline Höckel den ersten Platz und somit einen Nitrogutschein von CHF 300 ab. Als beste Rookie Crew entpuppte sich die „Bubga Bunga Berlusconi“ Crew mit Simon Bürki, Moritz Thönen, Michael Schärer, Lars Zinniker und Ralph Menth. Jedes Crewmitglied darf ein Gleis 7 mit nach Hause nehmen. Zudem können sie als Team für CHF 1‘500 bei Nitro einkaufen gehen.

Action und Spannung im Finale

Das Wetter zeigte sich am zweiten Eventtag von einer etwas besseren Seite. Noch etwas verschlafen, aber top motiviert, machten sich die 16 qualifizierten Crews des Vortags an den Start. Zwei Runs standen jeder Crew zur Verfügung, wovon der bessere in die Wertung kam. Schnell kristallisierten sich die vier Finalisten heraus. Mit dabei waren die Rookie Gewinner-Crew „Bunga Bunga Berlusconi“, sowie die „Famous“ Crew, die „Nitro“ Crew“ und die „Los Angeles Negros“ Crew. Die Fahrer wühlten noch einmal in ihrer Trickkiste und packten neben stylischen 270 Kombos über die Rails, unter anderem auch schön durchgestylte Cork 720s über den Kicker aus. Die Judges am meisten überzeugen konnten erneut die Fahrer der „Bunga Bunga Berlusconi“ Crew. Sie gewannen für ihr Team ein Wochenende im Hotel Metropol, Saas-Fee, im Wert von CHF 6‘000. Zweitplatzierte wurde die „Famous“ Crew. Mit in ihrem Team waren Janne van Enckevort, Yannic Lerien, Alessandro Jossen und Till Matti. Sie erhielten einen Swisscom-Gutschein im Wert von CHF 1‘000. Den dritten Platz belegte die „Nitro“ Crew mit Basti Rittig, Dominik Wagner, Benny Urban und Karsten Boysen. Überreicht wurde ihnen einen Einkaufsgutschein von Radix im Wert von CHF 500.

Gemütliche Atmosphäre in der Zuschauer-Area und legendäre Afterparty

Viele Schaulustige, Freunde und Bekannte liessen sich das Spektakel neben dem Kalbermatten-Lift nicht entgehen. Mit Spannung verfolgten sie das Geschehen und genossen die angenehme Atmosphäre im Zielbereich.
Am Samstagabend rockten die Freestyler das Nightlife an der legendären Style Session Party. Der Klub füllte sich schnell und bebte bis in die frühen Morgenstunden mit der Beatz4Freakz Nitro Sound Crew.

Weitere Infos zur Style Session hier