Absolut Park’s Spring Battle 2021 Goes Digital

Since 2002, the annual Spring Battle has lured skiers and snowboarders from around the world to the pristine slopes of Absolut park in Flachauwinkl, Austria, where unique contest formats and a hefty prize purse make for one of the season’s most exciting events.

With the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions keeping many international athletes from making the pilgrimage to Flachauwinkl, the Spring Battle has evolved to adapt to the changing times. This year's Spring Battle is taking place as a Best Trick Online Contest, with an eye-opening total prize purse of $60,000 USD up for grabs.

Instead of the video-based slopestyle contest of past years (a much praised format), the Spring Battle 2021 focuses on three different Best Trick Awards: the Spin To Win Award, Best 540 Award, and Best Rail Award. Whether onsite at Absolut Park or at their home parks around the world, participating riders can submit their entries to these contests on Instagram using the hashtags #springbattle21spintowin, #springbattle21best540 and #springbattle21bestrail.

$5,000 USD is up for grabs for first place in the Spin To Win category, while $2,000 USD will go to the winners of the Best 540 and the Best Rail contests. But check yourself before you rush out to film your entry: only invited riders are allowed to enter the contest remotely. If you're not one of the invited riders, then you have to be onsite at Absolut Park this week to submit your entry.

"We had to limit the entries that are coming in from around the world at some point (for this year)," Absolut Park wrote on Instagram. "Our planning time was super short and we know that it would have been awesome to include everyone. However, the plans for next year is to make SB an open event."

The deadline for the Best Rail Award passed today at 5:00pm CET, with a boatload of submissions lighting up the ‘gram. The deadline for the Best 540 Award is Wednesday, March 3rd at 5:00pm CET, and for the Spin To Win Award on Thursday, March 4th at 5:00pm CET. The winners in each category will be announced on the following evening during the live awards show at 8:00pm CET.

Check out the Absolut Park website to learn more about the Spring Battle 2021, and search the contest hashtags on Instagram to see all of the entries from around the world!