February 07, 2009 – “This is the reason I ski - right here.” - That was Cody Townsend speaking after a perfect powder tree run, as he got back onto the tractor to be pulled up the mountain for another round.
It might be a day off competition on the Swatch O’Neill 2009 Big Mountain Pro, but the riders have been indulging in the endless powder in this hidden area of the Austrian Alps on a mountainside all to themselves.
“Today was honestly one of the top days of the year,” said Cody. “We love riding big faces, but pillow lines, they’re the crème de la crème of skiing.”
“I had never heard of tractor skiing before,” he said. “But I am sold.”
In the area of St. Jakob im Defreggental where the snow has been falling for days now, the riders were pulled 350m up the mountain in a wooden cart on the back of a tractor to a local mountain hut from where they were free to make tracks through the trees before being towed back up again.
Whilst a novelty to most of the riders who all were stoked on the day, for local snowboarder Mitch Toelderer, it was nothing new.
“The tractor thing we do a lot here,” he said. “This is a traditional Austrian hut. People come up by tractor have lunch and a drink with friends and then sled down.”
A hearty Austrian dinner and hospitality followed by a night run down from the mountain hut, and everyone was content. Another day of powder is promised tomorrow, with a competition day looking promising for Monday.
Riders
SNOWBOARD
Jeremy Jones
Fredrik Evensen
Mitch Toelderer
Xavier de le Rue
Eric Themel
Thomas Eberharter
SKI
Arnaud Rougier
Cody Townsend
Jeremie Heitz
Loris Falquet
Richard Permin
Thomas Diet
