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It’s a given that hosting the X Games is a huge logistical investment for a ski resort, and it might be an even bigger one for a city that’s got ice on the sidewalk instead of hills and snow. In this setting, it makes sense to do a big air rather than a slopestyle—making the huge scaffolding jump a necessity. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for just one day of fun for the public, but that one day is most certainly worth all the effort.
Watch all the runs HERE
At 16:00 the women kick off the competition at the center of concentric rings of attention: people watching worldwide on the livestream, random people in the crowd on site, the media, athlete support and event staff. And a huge amount of cameras too, because don’t forget: this is a TV show!
Women’s Skiing, Women’s Snowboarding, Men’s Skiing, Men’s Snowboarding and some shitty music shows in between. Here’s tonight’s program, and what a night it is!
The women’s contest is far from laughable: Johanne Killi kicks things off with a fantastic cork 9 tail; newly 14-year-old Kelly Sildaru opts to spin rightside with a beautiful cork 720 reverse mute, barely managing to clear the landing; and Tiril S. Christiansen puts down a classy switch 10 tail.
Unfortunately not all competitors got to work their way up to their biggest tricks, with the two-jump format replacing the “jam session” format that’s been in place at the X Games in Aspen for some time. But running a jam session is apparently a lot more difficult when you have to elevator the athletes up a 57 meter high scaffolding.
On the last jump of the contest, Tiril stomps her switch 10 with authority, knocking her countrywoman Johanne Killi from the top spot and turning the Oslo X Games Women’s Big Air into a 1-2 sweep for Norway. Doesn’t get much better than that for a host country!
After the snowboard women take their turn, the ski men start their warmup with everything from switch 5s to doubles, and then the final is on. The first trick from Klaus Finne is a double cork 1440 tail that’s scored 88 points — okay, it’s REALLY on, and the scores keep going up from there. A few runs later Henrik Harlaut lands an absolutely insane nose butter double cork 1260 blunt, undoubtedly the most stylish trick of the day, while Fabian Bösch goes big on his triple cork 1620 safety to move into the lead. After that, well—you’ve got the videos and the scores to tell you what happened.
If these finals were awesome and the public somewhat responsive, we can still see how much the made-for-TV setting destroys the feeling of freeskiing with its time restrictions, advertising and the limited importance of the MCs who normally warm up the crowd.
This is the limit of a show that’s mainly focused on the TV production, a show that’s not connected to its public, a show that doesn’t allow for any kind of fantasy like a rapid-fire drop or tandem jumps.
Besides all of that, which we already know because we’re talking about X Games, this Big Air competition was a real success, with a great kicker and mostly due to the talents of the skiers we now have on the scene.
See you tomorrow for the pipe finals!
Ski Big Air Finals just wrapped up at X Games Oslo, as six women and eight men dropped in to the Tøyen Big Air venue. When the dust cleared, Tiril S. Christiansen was on top of the women’s podium, while Henrik Harlaut switch tripled his way to his third X Games Big Air gold.
MEN
WOMEN
Kai Mahler tweaks the jeebies out of a switch double misty 1260 mute on his way to a sixth-place finish in the qualifiers. Photo: David Malacrida
It was a battle to the death — or at least to the bottom of the trick bag. Today’s Ski Big Air Eliminations at the X Games Oslo more than slightly resembled a cage match, as 20 competitors were given two chances apiece to post a score high enough to claim one of eight coveted finals spots.
Those who skied their way out of the melee included Fabian Boesch from Switzerland, who stomped a massive triple cork 1620 safety clean on the last jump of the day to claim the top qualifying score of 92.66.
Fabian Bösch wins Big Air Elimination – XGames Oslo
Fabian Bösch wins Big Air Elimination @ #XGames #OsloFinals live tomorrow 18:00CET
Posté par Freeski TV sur vendredi 26 février 2016
Close behind were Øystein Bråten with a well-scored switch double cork 1440 tail grab (90.33) and Henrik Harlaut, whose forward double bio 1260 safety was good enough for 88.33 and the third qualifying spot.
Those who missed the cut included James Woods, who couldn’t grab tail convincingly enough on his double cork 1260 tail to truck driver; Jossi Wells, whose landed a perfect switch double cork 1080 safety on his first run, but couldn’t up the ante on his second; and Vincent Gagnier, who couldn’t put down his highly difficult switch cork 5, pretzel 180 to the judges’ satisfaction.
Our coverage of X Games Olso continues tomorrow with Women’s and Men’s Ski Big Air finals, starting at 16:00 and 18:00 CET respectively. Get the full scoop on the Winter X Games’ return to Europe at our Oslo X Games page.
Full results
GALLERY
Photo: Martin Herrmann
All photos courtesy of young mountain media / QParks
Attention freeskiers – you better start warming up right away: On February 27th 2016, the Bohny Masters Feldberg powered by MINI are celebrating their 5th anniversary at the MINI Snowpark Feldberg. The winners of the 6th QParks Tour Stop at the Schwarzwald region are looking forward to a cash prize of about 1100€ and it’s also a chance to collect some of the highly coveted points for the QParks Tour.
The notorious snowpark that boasts Germany’s longest jib line, will again host the Bohny Masters Feldberg powered by MINI. Talented boys and girls are invited to show off their most impressive tricks during the contest. As a reward, the QParks Tour has come up with plenty of special treats for you; a cash prize of about 1100€ including a 50€ cheque for the “best trick”, points for the QParks Tour as well as numerous goodies by Anon, Neff, Amplifi, MINI and QParks.
Photo: Herrmann
SETUP
The shape crew at the MINI Snowpark Feldberg is already making a great effort to create the best setup possible. The Bohny Masters Feldberg powered by MINI are bound to be creating loads of excitement in form of an action-packed slopestyle contest. Check out the park website for the current setup.
TIMETABLE
RIDER REGISTRATION
Every freeskier is invited to register. The riders can sign up online via the Tour-Website for either of the categories ladies, men and groms (born after 2001 or later). In order to get ahold of one of the in demand starting places for freeskiers you better be quick because the number of participants is limited.
Photo: Herrmann
ANON SPECIALS
You’re longing for even more prizes? Both, riders and viewers have the opportunity to participate in the “Anon Hottest Shot” competition – all you have to do is to post your best pics of the day on Facebook or Instagram and mark them with the hashtags #anonhottestshot and #qparkstour. The best pic will be rewarded with a prize by Anon as well as the chance to take part in the finals, where you’re battling for a professional photo session by Anon.
Photo: Herrmann
But don’t practice your best moves just to impress the judges and the photographers – Also at this QParks Tour Stop talent scouts will be on the look out for talented rookies on location. Watch out girls and boys – it’s your chance to bag a freeski Anon material sponsoring for the season 2016/17.
QParks Freeski Tour Teaser 2015/16 – Ready for take-off! from QParks on Vimeo.
Entertainment and catering will be provided as well, so bring along your friends, relatives and fans. By no means they should miss this outstanding event! For further updates and news on the Bohny Masters Feldberg powered by MINI and the QParks Tour Stops check out the following links:
www.qparkstour.com
www.facebook.com/qparks.freeskitour
The Vans Penken Park. Photo: Roland Haschka / QParks
All photos courtesy of young mountain media / QParks
The contest series at the Vans Penken Park enters the next round – on March 12th, 2016 the freeski scene should get prepared for the premiere of the PENKEN BATTLE! As the participants of the Mayrhofen Freeski Open have already ripped the park with plenty of smooth runs and sick tricks, the time has come to welcome the QParks Freeski Tour at Penken.
Photo: Haschka
On March 12th, ladies, men and groms will step up to an outstanding battle at the Vans Penken Park. At the 7th stop of the QParks Freeski Tour 2015/16, a cash prize of € 1,300 and loads of goodies by Anon, Neff, Amplifi and QParks are waiting for the contesters. Since there’s no entry fee, the tour is an absolute must-shred for all riders who want to raise attention and set their mark within the European freeski scene.
Skier: Markus Obwaller Photo: Haschka
It’s Raining Points!
Apart from a prospectively amazing slopestyle setup, the tempting cash prize and goodies, it’s all about gathering points at the Penken Battle. Alongside the chance to collect points for the QParks Tour… the Freeski Austria Ranking as well as the ranking of the Tyrolean Ski Association are also part of the game.
Don’t Sleep, Sign Up Now!
The number of participants of the QParks Freeski Tour is limited, which means that you better be quick if you want to show off your skills at the contest line of the Vans Penken Park. Click here for the rider’s registration. You can sign up online for free. To take part in the Groms category you have to be born in 2001 or later.
Bernhard Obrist tosses a nice backflip. Photo: Patrick Steiner / QParks
“Hottest Shot” and Rookie Sponsoring by Anon
If you post on Instagram or Facebook during the tour stop and tag your pics with #vanspenkenpark, #qparkstour and #anonhottestshot you have the chance to win the Anon Hottest Shot and receive a cool prize by this popular ski brand. No matter if you’re a visitor or a rider, everyone is invited to take part and win. Watch out – during the QParks Freeski Tour Stops, Anon is on the look-out for young talents and will be giving away two material sponsorings for the season 2016/17 – it’s time to prove your skills, boys and girls!
QParks Freeski Tour Teaser 2015/16 – Ready for take-off! from QParks on Vimeo.
Timetable
You can find the most up-to-date news from the Vans Penken Parks on the Facebook page and the best pics of this season on Instagram! Daily updates of the current setup by the shape crew are available at vans-penken-park.com. Thanks to the new app, you get the latest news via your Android smartphone or your iPhone no matter where you are!
X Games Oslo Big Air PracticeFor the first time, a European city is playing host to the Winter X Games. The halfpipe is off on a distant hilll, and the massive big air scaffolding jump is parked between a park and some buildings, swimming into the insane red Northern sunset of the evening.
It’s 5pm, and I leave the streets behind as I enter a large park, looking for some otherworldly metal structure between the trees. Arriving at the top, here it is, this impressive construction tearing at the sky, the same way that the roller coasters did when my mom drove us to the amusement park as a kid. It wasn’t a big park (about 1% the size of Disney World, but I was a kid, and those roller coasters fascinated me. Looking at this big air today, wrapped in X Games-branded fencing, I felt just like a kid again. Most everyone else seemed to feel the same—well, not everyone.
“I’ve been looking at this for two weeks now, because I live right next to it,” says a woman who’s filming with her phone. “Seeing it already makes my heart beat because it’s scary, but I’m not really interested in it, I won’t come tomorrow.” Maybe this is what happens when you try to bring skiing to the people, but whatever, she’s probably not in the majority.
I enter by a back door into the contest area, and since the eliminations won’t get started until tomorrow, it looks fairly desolate, only a few people working in the dark. Thankfully, the sunset and the skiers are still making the scene beautiful.
The sound of skis thwacking onto the landing is almost like music, and I have to admit that I’m excited by this almost as much as I am by the view from the kicker in-run. It’s such a pleasure to be surrounded by so few sounds, knowing that tomorrow this place will become a madhouse.
Here is the joy of the practices sessions: some friends skiing together, dropping from something like a 70-meter-high tower onto a three-meter-wide strip of snow, before launching a kicker with 25-meter gap, and landing in front of a nearly-empty viewers’ area. No screaming fans, no girls with indecent proposals, no music, and still the skiers are doing doubles, triples and weird tricks (thanks Vinnie Gagnier). We could say that the show is insane — but you watched the video, so you already know.
See you at the eliminations!
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis (AUT), February 24th, 2016 –The construction of the 2016 Suzuki Nine Queens castle has begun in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria. The 3D models will be transformed into snow ready for the all-female supersession taking place 13th to 18th of March 2016. Joining the world’s best, invited skiers and snowboarders are the “Become a Queen” online video competition winners Johanne Killi (NOR, Ski) and Julia Marino (USA, Snb) who demonstrated solid technique, style and creativity. Don’t miss the Big Air Contest on Friday, 18th of March.
The 2016 Castle
Each year the unique feature, built by the experts from Schneestern, finds different ways to challenge the riders. This year the nearly 25 meter wide main castle boasts a total of five take-offs, with two main booters measuring 21m form the lip to the knuckle, two step-ups and a smaller kicker through the tower. The hexagon shape jib feature is centred around a draw-bridge jib surrounded with a gap to down box, a double rail stair- set and 2 fun quarters.
The Riders
Returning to the top of the castle are snowboard extraordinaires Jenny Jones (GBR) and Jamie Anderson (USA) as well as, Kjersti Ostgaard-Buaas (NOR), last year’s winner, who is currently turning heads showing her all-round skills on the Freeride World Tour. Emma Dahlström (SWE) who has been collecting medals on the freeski circuit is back along with Keri Herman (CAN), Kaya Turski (CAN) and many more. Mixing it up with fresh talent, there are the first-time queens, such snowboarders Hailey Langland (USA) and Katie Ormerod (GBR) who stomped a world first 1080 double cork (2014), and young-gun skiers Maggie Voisin (USA) and Guilia Tanno (SUI) recently 2nd at the U.S Grand Prix.
Katie Summerhayes and Nikki Blackall take to the air at the 2015 Suzuki Nine Queens. Photo; David Malacrida
Suzuki Nine Queens – The Concept
The event, now in its 6th year, will host various shoots during the week, including sunset and sunrise sessions, creating stunning photos and videos. In addition, the invited photographers Flo Breitenberger (GER), Dasha Nosova (RUS) and Ilana Barkusky (CAN) will be competing for best photo in various categories. Creating a unique feature for the athletes to ride without pressure is the idea behind the event, leading to incredible performances, which progress the sport. The Big Air Contest wraps up the week and is the “showtime”, where the best action takes place. See you there!
RIDERS SKI:
Dania Assaly, CAN
Coline Ballet-Baz, FRA
Emma Dahlström, SWE
Keri Herman, USA
Johanne Killi, NOR
Tiril Sjastaad Christiansen, NOR
Zuzana Stromkova, SLO
Katie Summerhayes, GBR
Guilia Tanno, SUI
Kaya Turski, CAN
Maggie Voisin, USA
Lisa Zimmermann, GER
RIDERS SNOWBOARD:
Jamie Anderson, USA
Julia Baumgartner, AUT
Kjersti Ostgaard-Buaas, NOR
Anna Gyarmati, HUN
Sarka Pancochova, CZE
Jenny Jones, GBR
Elena Könz, SUI
Hailey Langland, USA
Stefi Luxton, NZE
Julia Marino, USA
Klaudia Medlova, SVK
Katie Ormerod, GBR
Christy Prior, NZE
Birgit Rofner, AUT
Olya Smeshlivaya, RUS
Facebook: facebook.com/ninequeens
Instagram: instagram.com/nineknights/ #ninequeens @nineknights
The male version of the event, the Suzuki Nine Knights, embarks on its first “Mission” to create the “Perfect Hip” in Watles in South Tyrol, Italy, running 29th of March to 2nd of April 2016. More info about the “Perfect Hip” here.
Nock’n’Rock – An Action-Packed Day at the Snowpark Turracher Höhe
5th QParks Tour Stop, 20/02/2016, Snowpark Turracher Höhe, Turracher Höhe/Austria
Photos: Young Mountain Media / QParks
A bright blue sky and plenty of snow – perfect conditions for the Nock’n’Rock slopestyle contest last Saturday at the Snowpark Turracher Höhe! Thanks to a truly exceptional setup, talented riders and a motivated crew, everything was set for an outstanding event. The riders’ spectacular moves weren’t just winning over the judges, but also those who came to watch the show.
On February 20, the fifth QParks Tour Stop took place at the Snowpark Turracher Höhe. All the shred heads and shred queens were showing off their skiing skills in an action-packed battle. The judges as well as the spectators relaxing in a deck chair at the chill area, were impressed by the riders’ performances. In the end, the best participants unleashed their most spectacular moves, because, besides the tasty cash prize of 1160€ in total, the winners were also looking forward to loads of goodies by Anon, Neff, Amplifi and QParks.
Freeski Results
In the finals of the freeski groms category David Wolf was able to bag the first place. He was closely followed by Michael Wechner and the third place went to Josef Steger. The freeskier Elisabeth Gram completed her runs without competition and won the freeski ladies category. Sebastian Mall, the tour leader, once again convinced the judges at the Snowpark Turracher Höhe and grabbed the first place. Christian Jenny and Michi Tschallender joined him on the podium as second and third. The best trick award in the freeski category went to Simon Grissemann for his lip 270 on front 450 out on the Rail! Full results here.
More info about the QParks Tour here:
www.qparkstour.com
www.facebook.com/qparks.freeskitour
This is the sixth edition of Excelent Soldiers in Deštné v Orlických Horách, Czech Republic, and the first weekend in March is the time. Infamous freeski event / competition will welcome top worldclass riders who are ready to conquer the biggest jump in the broad region of Central Europe.
If they conquer the jump, will they survive the party? This will also be quite a challenge, as Soldiers party belongs hands down to the wildest nights one can ever experience. The event location and venue set up offers ideal conditions for the competitors and spectators as well. The crowd in Deštné pushes riders to their top performance so that they use the heaviest amo of their trick arsenal to prove who is the real Soldier. And it can be you confronting your skills with the best skiers on this planet. Just come and register, qualifications are open for everyone. Competition Worldwide respect and reputation – this is what event Excelent Soldiers has earned in his history. Format of the contest is succesful, thrilling and kept for the sixth time in a row. Worldclass riders, thousands of spectators, jump of XXL size.
Height of the kicker over 10 metres? And length of table exceeding 27 metres? Those are the dimensions of the bigair snow fortress! Either superpowers or just enormous portion of courage mixed with the real freeski skills is what true rider needs to fight in this battlefield. Location Deštné v Orlických horách (CZE) is nice family ski resort located in Eastern Bohemia near the borders of Poland. It offers wide range of activities on perfectly groomed ski slopes, cross-country ski tracks and accomodation facilities ranging from low budget mountain cabines to high end pensions and hotels with top cuisine and exclusive services. One weekend per year, everything mentioned above changes and Deštné becomes the Europen freeski centre #1. The XXL jump situated on the slopes of Marta II will host trainings, semi-finals and also finals that will take place in the dark under the artificial lightning.
The party tent with capacity over 2000+ visitors offers three nights full of stunning live band performances, DJs sets, drinks and pure fun for all the spectators. Riders We are awaiting delegation of top worldclass riders not only from Europe but also from overseas. In previous years, we could see names of freeski riders from both Olympic Games and X Games in the starting list of Excelent Soldiers and we are doing our best to confirm those riders for this year´s edition again. Moreover, Excelent Soldiers has become a part of prestigeous AFP Wourld Tour and received ranking of „AFP Gold Event“. This helps to make communication with the big name riders a little bit easier. Program of Excelent Soldiers Contests: DELL Mission – team contest, three riders in the air at the same moment. The size of the jump allows riders to be in the air at the same time as the rest of their team. Not just huge pack of difficult tricks can bring you the top spot in this contest. Best overall composition and creativity matter.
Main Contest – consists of qualification, semi-finals and final rounds. At the begining in qualification, the riders have to jump „stylish trick“ with maximum rotation of 720 degrees. Both, the second and the third jumps are optional, but the rotation must be different from previous tricks. The same system is applied for semi-final play-off battles, from which the best four riders advance to the final round. The finals give no limits and riders can perform their best tricks to fight the rest of the competitors.
There will be six rounds for each rider in the finals, of which the best three scores count. The competiton entrance for spectators is free of charge Party ticket for all parties is for 290,- CZK The tickets can be purchased at GoOut.cz
Program:
BONUS
Luca Schuler and the Swiss Freeski Team will be hungry for a victory on their home turf. Photo: Allesandro Belluscio
The Freeski World Cup in Corvatsch, Switzerland is around the corner, and judging by the press release we just received, it looks like this event will continue to grow its reputation as one of the best slopestyle courses on the FIS World Cup circuit.
You can read the release below to get all the juicy details, but beyond the big names and the livestream schedule, the take-away news from this is the innovative “Bowl” feature that’s the centerpiece of this otherwise fairly standard course—yet another curveball tossed into the World Cup slope scene, which was just rocked with the highly creative Olympic test course in South Korea last week.
Looking at this drawing, it’s hard to imagine how this feature will actually work out. But we’re sure that given the reputation of the Corvatsch event, this thing will ride. So the only question that remains is—is slopestyle now skiercross?
——————–
Corvatsch/Silvaplana, February, 23rd, 2016
FREESKI WORLD CUP CORVATSCH
with a new setup and top athletes confirmed
The world´s best freeskiers will be gathering at the Corvatsch Park in St. Moritz from March 2nd until 5th, 2016. Beside the title of the FREESKI WORLD CUP CORVATSCH, the overall victory of the FIS Worldcup, coming along with a massive prize purse of 50.000 Swiss Franks ,will be up for grabs in St. Moritz. This upcoming top-class competition is furthermore classified as a PLATINUM event of the AFP World Tour.
Top athletes of all leading freeski nations have confirmed their participation at the FREESKI WORLD CUP CORVATSCH. While previous year´s winner Felix Stridsberg-Usterud and X-Games medalist Oystein Braaten will be representing Norway, Olympic Champion Joss Christensen and third-place Olympic finisher Nick Goepper are coming all the way from the United States. Further big names on the startlist will be the Canadien high flyer Alex Bellemare, who just claimed the title at the Olympic test event in Pyeong Chang and lively Jesper Tiader from Sweden, also former vanquisher at the Corvatsch.
Swiss team determined to claim their first title at Corvatsch
Last but not least, the Swiss team stands strong and determined to claim a title at their „home“ World Cup. World Champion and X-Games Champion Fabian Boesch, Andri Ragettli and Luca Schuler, they have all been on the podium at Corvatsch before, but not brought home the gold medal, yet! In the women´s competition, spectators can look forward to an all-Scandinavian head-to-head battle between previous year´s winner Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen (Nor) and runner-up Emma Dahlstrom (Swe). Also Lisa Zimmermann from Germany and Corvatsch winner 2014, will be joining the battle for the top spots.
Extended course with seven obstacles including “The Bowl”
Not just a high-class starting field, but also the brand-new and extended slopestyle course are the indicators of a massive spectacle. The new setup has even more obstacles (seven in total) to offer, more flow and scope for creativity than the past year´s setups. Riders will finally be juming out of a steep wall in the exceptional bowl.
Live webcast and daily webisodes
For the very first time, the 2016 FREESKI WORLD CUP CORVATSCH will be endowed as a PLATINUM event, the highest possible category of the AFP World tour. The prize purse counts a total of 50.000 Swiss Franks. On the final day, Saturday, 5th of March, riders will be clinching their stakes. Around 120 male and female riders out of twenty-three nations will be competing on Friday, 4th of March in the qualifications. Ten men and six women will eventually make it to Saturday´s Finals, starting off at 11.00 a.m. The FREESKI WORLD CUP CORVATSCH will be broadcasted live on TV and on the webcast. Daily webisodes will be released from February, 28th on, delivering background stories, rider statements and action shots from the Corvatsch Park.
Winning photo of the overall category King of Dolomites 2016, which was themed “Lines”.
Rider: Neil Williman — Photo: Klaus Polzer
In the words of Neil Williman: “Lines have many forms and recipes. For this one take The Dolomites and sprinkle on some powder, a puff of wind, a fruitful search and smiles.”
For general information on what was happening last weekend at the Arc’teryx King of Dolomites event in San Martino di Castrozza, Italy, please read the following press release and enjoy all the winning photos. A more personal take on last weekend with words of Neil Williman and photos of Klaus Polzer will follow shortly.
San Martino di Castrozza – Sunday, Feb 21 2016
One Italian town, two days of shooting, eight professional and 40 hobby photographers and endless possibilities to shoot and play. This Sunday San Martino di Castrozza crowned the King of Dolomites in seven categories. Sverre Hjørnevik who came all the way from Norway won the Pro Action and Landscape category. Christoph Oberschneider took the best photo in the Pro Alpinism. The Wannabe winner Action and Landscape is Stephan Kothner, the best Wannabe Alpinism was shot by Andrea Costa. The crown for the overall category KOD 2016 Line in which amateurs and pros were competing together went to Klaus Polzer.
The fifth edition bolstered the Arc´teryx King of Dolomites once again as one of the premier photography freeride events of the winter. 150 talented photographers and riders from ten countries travelled to San Martino di Castrozza to get the best shot during two days. As in previous years everyone was inspired by the diversity and beauty of the landscape around and the hospitality and charm of San Martino, making the little Italian town the perfect base for creativity. The result was an impressive number of stunning pictures.
This did not make for an easy job for the jury who sat together for six hours to pick the seven winners. The intensive discussion was shaped by the distinct backgrounds of the judges merging high level sports, photography, artistic and cinematographic expertise. Freerider Stian Hagen (NOR), mountain and outdoor photographer Piotr Drożdż (POL) and director of photography Maxime Alexandre (ITA) adjudicated the photos based on athletic performance, riders’ style, emotions, scenic beauty of the Dolomitic context, composition and lighting. The awards ceremony took place in the town center of San Martino on Sunday afternoon awarding the winners with cash prizes and technical freeride gear.
Winning photo of the pro category “Action”
Rider: Bård Oymar – Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik
Winning photo of the amateur category “Action”
Rider: Raphael Öttl – Photo: Stefan Kothner
Winning photo of the pro category “Alpinism”
Riders: Matthias Aigner & Lukas Oberschneider – Photo: Christoph Oberschneider
Winning photo of the amateur category “Alpinism”
Riders: Tommaso Cardelli & Cristian Dallapozza – Photo: Andrea Costa
Winning photo of the pro category “Landscape”
Riders: Seb Mayer & Bård Oymar – Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik
Winning photo of the amateur category “Landscape”
Rider: Raphael Öttl – Photo: Stefan Kothner
A screenshot from the, em, low-key Real Ski awards ceremony televised in the United States last weekend.
After Sammy Carlson won the X Games Real Ski Backcountry contest three years running, it was clear that it was time to mix things up a bit. This year X Games Real Ski took to the streets, with six top riders competing for the first-ever X Games medal to be awarded to skiers for an urban-based video segment.
One watch through these videos is all you’ll need to know that this contest produced what’s arguably the best consolidated 540 seconds of urban skiing ever documented at one period of time—and also one of the most difficult contests to judge.
“When they first told me they were doing the contest, I immediately thought of how impossible it would be to judge,” said Will Wesson. “After watching [the edits] for the first two times, I was even happier I wasn’t a judge.”
“Every video had at least [one] shot that’s like, one of the best shots that’s even been filmed,” said judge Freedle Coty.
Last weekend, Will Wesson and his filmer Johnny Durst were crowned the victors of the 2016 Real Ski with their supremely out-of-the-box segment. Will and Johnny’s entry stood out creatively amid the heavy-hitting field as Will slid bricks, chains and steps to showcase his unique vision of urban skiing, complete with his signature underslide and a few crazy tree gaps for the closing “bang” factor.
It was a hard-fought win—JF Houle came in a narrow second with his own polished edit featuring Houle-sized rails and wallrides as well as the single gnarliest trick of the contest, a nose-butter disaster 630 on. Clayton Vila took the bronze with his own signature blend of massive features, clean style and the biggest backflip in the joint, while Tom Wallisch took home the fan-favorite online vote.
The judging panel for this contest was in an unenviable position—with so many great skiers, each bringing his own style to the table, awarding medals was a difficult call that could have gone in a few different directions.
“Each video stood out in its own way, and I had absolutely no idea who would win even after they announced bronze and silver,” said Will. “I guess that means all the skiers did a good job.”
What’s next for Will Wesson, X Games gold medalist—the Olympics?
“Definitely not,” Will said. “What’s next isn’t much different than before December. Time to organize some Traveling Circus trips, and figure out how to continue skiing for as long as possible.”
In other words, life as usual for this world-traveling ski vagabond—who’s now got one more feather to add to his cap. Will he hang the gold medal in the Traveling Circus van?
“No,” said Will. “It’s in my storage unit. Along with everything else that doesn’t fit in my suitcase and ski bag.”
Case in point.
Closing Notes:
I love Hot Pockets! More product placement needed! Put Luke Van Valin in a Hot Pocket body suit! Giant inflatable Hot Pocket for Clayton to backflip over!
Awards ceremony: Apparently held in an abandoned theater? An odd note to end an otherwise highly impressive competition. Watch for yourself. My mind is definitely a bit blown, and that’s got me kind of hungry.