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Innsbruck, Austria’s homegrown “S.K.A.T.E. on snow”-style contest is officially underway—the King of Innsbruck competition is back for 2016!
The action kicked off last weekend in the Nordkette park with qualifying rounds: Niclas Prachensky beat Philipp Geiger, Christian Jenny knocked out Thomas Pichler, Armin Baumann was victorious against Vinz Woerle, Flo Geyer triumphed over Julius Schneider, and Johannes Rohrmoser defeated Luca Pichler.
Keep up with all the action from “King of Innsbruck” on their Facebook page.
SFR Tour Vars – Qualifications
All the motivated riders should mark the 20th February in their appointment calendars. A total of about 1100€ in prize money, the chance to collect loads of points and a relaxed atmosphere – with these ingredients, the Nock’n’Rock Slopestyle contest promises freeski action at its finest. The registration period for riders has started already!
With various new obstacles added, the Snowpark Turracher Höhe offers even more possibilities to bust out smooth runs. You certainly shouldn’t miss the third annual edition of the Nock’n’Rock contest this year. Apart from a fair share of about 1000€ in cash, prizes include various goodies from Anon, Neff, QParks and Amplifi. There’s also a reward for the hardest move of the day – whoever manages to convince the judges with their style gets 100€ extra cash for the “best trick”. Since the Nock’n’Rock will take place not too long before the tour finals, it also offers riders a chance to secure themselves a top position in the ranking of the QParks Tour. By the way, contest-fans, spectators, friends and family are invited to hang out and have snacks and drinks at the chill area while watching the contest from there.
COLLECTING POINTS
The participants not only have the opportunity to set themselves apart in the ranking of the QParks Tour, additionally, the best freeski runs will be rewarded with points for the NASA Cup Tour Austria. As you can see, the participation definitely pays off!
THE SETUP
Nock’n’Rock stands for Slopestyle at its best and offers the riders a tasty mix of jib and kicker elements on which they can lay down their most stylish runs in order to win over the judges. All the details on the contest setup will be available soon. For further information on the Snowpark Turracher Höhe please click here.
TIMETABLE
HOW TO REGISTER?
It’s really simple – just go to www.qparkstour.com and sign up for either of the categories Ladies, Men or Rookies (born after 2001 or later). Here is the link for the registration. Once again the participation is free this season. However, you shouldn’t wait too long before signing up, since the number of participants is limited – first come, first serve!
#ANON HOTTEST SHOT
At each tour stop the riders and the spectators can upload their snapshots onto Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #anonhottestshot and #qparkstour. Amongst all of the uploads a winner will be chosen and is looking forward to cool Anon gear. Moreover, at the tour final an overall winner is elected from the winners of each tour stop. The prize – a professional photo session with Burton and Anon!
ANON ROOKIE SCOUTING
Doesn’t everybody dream of getting sponsored? At the Nock’n’Rock this dream might come true for a couple of lucky girls and boys. During the entire QParks Tour Anon scouts will be checking out your runs. So lay down your best moves and with a bit of luck you might bag one of two Anon material sponsorings for the season 2016/17!
Don’t hesitate and sign up right now. The Nock’n’Rock is an absolute must-attend-event for all freeskiers! You can find more information about the park at www.snowpark-turracherhoehe.com and Facebook
The Grandvalira Total Fight is within the Gold category, at the same level like European Freeski Open in Switzerland or US Freeskiing Open.
The rising of Grandvalira Total Fight confirms the arrival of the best Slopestyle riders in Andorra.
The organization will design a very technical and fluid Slopestyle circuit that allows the riders to perform their best tricks.
In the last edition, the Norwegian Oystein Braaten took the victory ahead of American Noah Wallace and Swedish Jesper Tjader.
Oystein got the highest score in his second attempt. Realizing a Switch Left 2 to 2, Left Soap 3 Pretzel 2, Switch Left 12 Mute, Right Dub 10 Safety and Left 3 to Left 5 at the Slopestyle circuit. Oystein is the former winner of the Red Bull Playstreets and holds the record of being the first Flip-to-Flip Rail.
#1 QParks Girls Shred Session 2015/16 at quattro Snow Park ObergurglA park that is exclusively shaped by girls! Cat and Sarah, the shape queens of the quattro Snow Park, held a workshop in shaping, too, so there might be even more shaper girls joining the QParks crew soon!
A Snowpark from Girls for Girls
Arriving at night is always something very special. You wake up in the morning, open the window shades and boom! You get blown away by the most thrilling mountain view of Obergurgl. That’s exactly how many shred girls started this beautiful day in the Tyrol. At 10 o’clock, the ladies gathered at quattro Snow Park Obergurgl to meet park designer Sarah Abelin and multimedia shaperess Cat Nicol. The two were more than happy to tell the girls all about their shred and shape careers. To get to know the daily work of Sarah and Cat a little better, a workshop was integrated where the 15 participating shred queens could give their shape skills a try.
Shred’N’Shine’N’Sun’N’Fun
The get-to-know-each-other warm-up session over the boxes of the park was followed by a yummy lunch break at the Hohe Mut Alm lodge in Obergurgl. Surrounded by the stunning view at the panorama lounge, the girls were talking about the progression session which followed in the afternoon. With the sun hitting the park, the shred queens unpacked their sickest tricks and the rookies were happy to get tips from the more advanced riders taking part in the first Girls Shred Session of the season. Inspiring each other, the afternoon session was a huge success for each and every one. Tanks, rails, wallrides and the lollipop jib were the objects of desire. Thanks to the park’s chair lift, it only took them 3 minutes and 20 seconds to be in the line-up for the next run, although hiking was also popular amongst the sporty ladies.
At the end of the day, a happy and satisfied crowd was saying “goodbye and see you soon” to the park, to Sarah and Cat and to new friends. If you wanna see more of the action at quattro Snow Park Obergurgl, check out the freeski edit of the Girls Shred Session. If you wanna take part in one of the next sessions, visit Girls Shred Sessions on Facebook and follow the #shredqueens on Instagram. You want to become a shaperess as well? Join the Shape Academy!
Text by FWT
There was a mystical atmosphere today in Flégère ski area as the clouds parted an unveiled the snow-capped peaks of one of Europe’s most legendary freeride venues. Riders in each of the four divisions, male and female, ski and snowboard, raised the bar for their respective sports and shook up the the overall rankings for the 2016 Swatch Freeride World Tour.
After a rocky start, this winter has been kind to Chamonix as heavy snows have blanked the magnificent peaks of the Aiguilles Rouge range in recent days. More snow fell than expected last night and riders were unexpectedly treated to between 50-100cm of fresh snow over the at the 2500m elevation level. Despite the heavy snowfall, some parts of the Alaska-like Aiguille Pourrie face still had some hard snow exposed due to wind, causing trouble for some riders.
FULL REPLAY
SKI MEN
Overall ski men rankings were shook up today as top riders such as Jérémie Heitz (SUI) and George Rodney (USA) put all their eggs in one basket and lost their bets after crashing on big airs. Loïc Collomb-Patton (FRA) took home his third victory in Chamonix with a powerful line featuring an impressive backflip. Young gun Logan Pehota (CAN) also fired some tricks after stomping an impressive line resulting in a second place finish. Fabio Studer (AUT) brought his new school style to the competition venue and impressed spectators with stylish spins, bringing him into third place.
SKI WOMEN
Eva Walkner (AUT) demonstrated her trademark powerful and technical skiing to once again bring home a victory at Chamonix for the former world champ. The talented Silvia Moser (ITA) set the bar high with two massive airs that she took larger and more stylishly than any riders – male or female. The desire to win was evident in Matilda Rappaport (SWE) as she skied with incredible authority and very smooth style which earned her a third place finish.
Besides the numerous fun areas which are the perfect training grounds, you will most probably stumble upon Christoph “Giggo” Wolf, a particularly dedicated freeski coach who has been encouraging talented youngsters for several years now. Some of them were taking part in the film and photo session on January 30, 2016, and showed off some of their best moves at the Freestyle Circus.
When you are talking about youth development in the field of freestyle skiing, you’re bound to hear the name Christoph “Giggo” Wolf. The 29-year-old freeski coach has been supporting the young generation of the scene for the last 10 years. The local from Zams has trained his skills with his buddies during wild do-it-yourself sessions and, after several years of being an active rider on the contest scene, he decided to share his experience with up-and-coming riders in order to lead them into a professional future.
He is very excited about the development over the last couple of years; “We’re definitely heading towards the right direction. The structures are getting more and more professional and I’m particularly happy that 25 young talents joined the SFL Freestyle Team. It’s a very promising project and, since there’s plenty of support from the ski resort, it will certainly continue to convince people in the long run.” One of the dedicated coach’s and passionate farmer’s main concerns is to pass on a healthy relationship with nature; “Get away from the gaming consoles and go out into the nature – that’s our motto!” Giggo points out.
Last weekend he came to the outdoor training facility at the Freestyle Circus with several of his protégés from Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Accompanied by the cameras of the media crew, the young talents were showing off their tricks, which they had been practicing in the indoor facility before three times a week. “We started out at the chill area with some stretching exercises, afterwards we went to the boxes and did a couple of hikes to warm up.” Giggo explains. Thanks to the relaxed atmosphere the initial nervousness went away quickly and the cinematographer and photographer were able to capture loads of great shots of the young freeskiers.
“We’re still working on the freestyle basics but I sense huge potential. If we meet again for a session here at the Jib Circus in two years time, I guarantee we’re going to witness a couple of corks and doubles!” Giggo smiles. The proud coach is also enthusiastic about the range of fun features within the ski resort; “The concept of the facility in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is exemplary. You’ve got lines for beginners, amateurs and even pros as well. Moreover, there’s also the possibility to practice your jumps on the landing bag and the BigAirBag.
These are perfect training conditions!”
With Giggo, the future of the freestyle sport is in highly qualified hands and we’re already eagerly waiting to see which successful careers will take their start from his talent factory in the future. You can find the best shots of the session on this freeski edit and in the pic gallery. Visit the Feel Free website for current news on the fun areas and check out Facebook and Instagram for live pics!
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France – Monday, February 1, 2016 – After an action-packed first stop in the lofty peaks of the Andorran Pyrenees, riders and fans alike are making the pilgrimage to one of the Alps’ most important freeride destinations: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France.
To ensure the best possible riding conditions, the weather window for the competition has been extended from Friday the 5th to Saturday the 13th of February. Despite the snow arriving late this season, significant snowfall accompanied by cooler temperatures are expected to freshen up the potential venues on Wednesday the 3rd and Sunday the 7th of February.
As a result of the variability of the weather, guides and event organizers have not yet confirmed the competition face or date, but a final decision will be made on Wednesday, February 3 in the afternoon.
As the anticipation and excitement builds during the coming days, join in on the stoke in the FWT event village in the Chamonix town center where you can meet FWT fans and riders in Place Balmat for a raffle, photo exhibits, and a DJ set.
Stay tuned to www.freerideworldtour.com during the coming days to receive the most up-to-date information about the event date and competition face. In the mean time, check out the FWT Event Village in Chamonix or some of the amazing riding that went down last week in Vallnord Arcalís, Andorra on our website!
And your 2016 Skiers Cup Champions are: Team Europe!
It was no easy victory, but Team Europe prevailed in today’s Backcountry Slopestyle contest in the Andorran backcountry to defend the Skiers Cup title against a stacked Team Americas squad.
Already leading 9-7 after Saturday’s Big Mountain portion of the competition, the eight skiers of Team Europe prevailed again today on the backcountry slopestyle course sculpted by Arnaud Rougener and his team of shapers—seven jumps scattered across a playful backcountry zone across the valley from the Andorran ski resort of Granvalira.
We’ll have a full event report from today’s event coming soon — until then, here are the results from today’s head-to-head matchups.
Round 1
Sage Cattabriga Alosa 0 – 1 Loïc Collomb-Patton
Parker White 0 – 1 Sam Favret
Nick McNutt 1 – 0 Bene Mayr
Seth Morrison 1 – 0 Sam Anthamatten
Logan Pehota 1 – 0 Nico Vuignier
Tim Durtschi 1 – 0 Fabio Studer
Grant Howard 0 – 1 Markus Eder
Tanner Rainville 0 – 1 Mathieu Bijasson
Round 2
Nick McNutt 0 – 1 Fabio Studer
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa 0 – 1 Sam Anthamatten
Tim Durtschi 1 – 0 Markus Eder
Seth Morrison 0 – 1 Mathieu Bijasson
Logan Pehota 0 – 1 Loïc Collomb-Patton
Parker White 0 – 1 Nico Vuignier
Grant Howard 0 – 1 Bene Mayr
Tanner Rainville 1 – 0 Sam Favret
Big Mountain – Team Europe 9, Team Americas 7
BC Slopestyle – Team Europe 10, Team Americas 6
Overall: Team Europe 19, Team Americas 13
Team Europe now leads in Skiers Cup titles, 4-2 against Team Americas!
Another sunny day in Andorra
Parker White and Nick McNutt of Team Americas scope the course
Warming up
Mathieu Bijasson – Team Europe’s secret weapon
The unofficial, official Skiers Cup MVP: Sam Anthamatten!
The Be @ B&E Video Contest winners announcedPress Release
We are pleased to announce that the 6 following riders will be joining Henrik Harlaut (SWE), Phil Casabon (CAN), Tom Wallisch (USA), Tanner Hall (USA), Jossiah Wells (NZD), Clayton Villa (USA), Jon Olsson (SWE), Adam Delorme (USA), Jules Bonnaire (FRA), Sami Ortlieb (SUI), Yoshiya “BULL” Urata (JAP), and Lucas Stal Madisson (SWE), replacing injured B&E Invitational 2015 Winner Noah Albaladejo (SPA).
Max Hill (CAN)
Kye Petersen (CAN)
Torin Yater-Wallace (USA)
Ahmet Dadali (USA)
And the winners of theBe @ B&E Video Contest:
Joona Kangas (FIN)
Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (CAN)
Be @ B&E Invitational Winners
The Be @ B&E Invitational 2016 online video contest gives anyone the unique opportunity to win one of two Wildcards to ride at the B&E Invitational with 22 of the best skiers on the planet. Over 35 videos were submitted from all over the world and posted on Downdays for the European entries, and Freeskier for the Rest of the World entries. After a global audience vote brought the entries down to the final five, Henrik awarded the Rest of the World wildcard to Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (CAN) while Phil awarded the European wild card to Joona Kangas (FIN).
Henrik stated: “Alex is super stylish and really technical. He showed us just how hungry he was for the wildcard so we’re stoked to have him at this year’s B&E.”
Phil commented: “I had never really heard of Joona before, and actually discovered him through his edit for the video contest. He has a really different, unusual style so it’ll be really cool to see him ski our crazy set-up.”
The B&E Package
For the first time ever, the B&E Invitational and Les Arcs have created a short stay package, offering anyone the opportunity to attend the most highly anticipated freeski and music event of the winter. Starting at 69 Euros per person, this package includes housing for two to four days in the center of Arc 1800, and a ski pass for the duration of the stay, thereby guaranteeing access to the B&E Invitational venue and festivities.
(cover photo: Peter Morning/ESPN Images)
It started with a bang, but didn’t quite end with a whimper: Jossi Wells just won his fifth X Games medal. This time it was finally gold, as Jossi cruised to victory in today’s Ski Slopestyle finals with unbeatable style and control from the start to the finish of the slopestyle course.
McRae Williams warms up during a practice session that featured far better weather than today’s flat-light finals. Photo: Tomas Zuccareno/ESPN Images
Gus Kenworthy battled his way to the silver medal in his third and final run—his second silver of this year’s X Games—while bumping Norwegian trickster Øystein Bråten into third.
The “bang” that started the competition came in the form of Swiss youngster Andri Ragettli, who made history on his first-ever X Games slopestyle run by landing back-to-back triple corks—a first in ski slopestyle. But they also happened to be knee-grab triple corks, which the judges, correctly, didn’t reward well—Ragettli earned a middle-of-the-road 80.00 points for his run.
Due partially to this judging decision, but mostly because of the low light and speed problems on the course, most of the competitors to follow opted to style out their double corks rather than “tuck for triple”—although it looked like many of them gladly would have taken the opportunity, if conditions had permitted. But most played it smart and safe, resulting in a variety of polished double flips in the jump section, while competitors tried to make their runs stand out in the rails.
Jossi Wells’ rail game was on point: his winning run included a perfectly executed right 270 on, 270 out; a skate-style hockey-stop switch 270 up onto the second rail platform, and a left 270 on to switch off it; and a flawless switch 450 onto the last rail.
In the jumps, his years of experience and ever-more-consistent style shone in a left double cork 1260 mute, a switch right double cork 1080 safety, and a switch left double cork 1440 safety, all stomped with authority.
Kenworthy nailed a technical rail transfer in the top section and a snappy 270 on, pretzel 450 out of the final rail to set himself up for his well-honed jump tricks: left double cork 1080 blunt, right double cork 12 mute, and switch right double cork 1080 japan, stomped well down the landing.
Øystein Bråten picked up his first X Games medal today. Photo: Peter Morning/ESPN Images
Bråten front-swap, front 270ed the top rail transfer before nailing all his doubles, with his first-run score of 84.00 still good enough for third place, three runs later. James “Woodsy” Woods narrowly missed the podium with an equally clean run and an 83.00.
Other moments of note included some insane rail trickery from Nick Goepper, uncharacteristic falls from Joss Christiansen, and a livestream feed that regrettably cut to an adaptive snowboarding documentary for much of the time that the ski slopestyle contest was taking place. Not that we’ve got anything against adaptive snowboarding—but if you’re going to take the time and effort to livestream a contest, we think it makes sense to show that competition in its entirety.
Final Results
Winning Runs
1. Jossi Wells (90.00)
2. Gus Kenworthy (87.33)
3. Øystein Bråten (84.33)
It’s an unusual and unforgettable moment: the sixteen skiers of the 2016 Mora Banc Skiers Cup stand at the bottom of the Tossa de Caraup face, watching in disbelief as the kids of the Freeride Junior World Championships, age 13 to 17, lay waste to the same venue that the pros will tackle immediately afterwards in their own event, the “Big Mountain” portion of the Skier’s Cup.
With the snow level at low tide in Andorra and conditions resembling spring corn at best, the Skier’s Cup riders aren’t very stoked to send it on this venue, especially after having enjoyed excellent powder conditions during previous years’ Skiers Cups in Zermatt. But after the kids of the Junior championships went so hard during their event, stomping flips, spins, technical lines and huge drops, the pros really have no choice but to step it up in an attempt to save face—nobody, least of all a professional skier, wants to get shown up by a sixteen-year-old kid!
Photo: Skierscup.com/Jeremy Bernard
Round 1
Loïc Collomb-Patton vs. Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
Round 1 kicks off with the two team captains Loïc and Sage attempting to bring home the first point for their team. Loïc opens the competition with an excellent technical line to skier’s left, lacing two big drops and a 360 to kick things off in style. Sage follows with a flowy, playful line to skier’s right that was pleasing to the eye, but not enough to beat Loïc’s performance. Europe 1, Americas 0.
Watch all the runs in the replay here: ( you can choose the runs you want to watch )
Seth Morrison vs. Sam Anthamatten
Next up is a much-anticipated matchup between an old legend and a newer one—Seth Morrison, big-mountain hero, against Sam Anthamatten, who’s rapidly been building his own legacy as a cross-disciplinary master: ski mountaineering, ice climbing, steep skiing, freeriding. Seth picks his way through the technical section to skier’s left, heading straight for Backflip Rock, but over-rotates his signature backflip, signaling an opportunity for Sam. What follows is simply mind-blowing as Anthamatten turns the contest face into his own personal playground: a little butter 360 right out of the start gate, followed by a massive cliff drop to perfect stomp, followed by a HUGE air over a natural rollover that no one else had spotted, followed by a cross-slope 360 on another sneaky natural feature: pure technical and freeride mastery. Europe 2, Americas 0.
Sam Anthamatten: large and in charge. Photo: Skierscup.com/Jeremy Bernard
Mathieu Bijasson vs. Grant Howard
After the legends comes a battle of the unknowns: France’s Bijasson versus America’s “secret weapon” Howard. Mathieu threads a double drop to skier’s left, but crashes on a 360 off Backflip Rock. Grand presses his advantage, stomping his own 360 on the same feature and adding a creative 180 up, 180 out on a cornice at the bottom of the venue to polish things off and bring home the first point for the Americas team. Europe 2, Americas 1.
Logan Pehota vs. Fabio Studer
A battle of blasters: Austrian Freeride World Tour performer Studer, versus FWT wildcard, rookie, and all-around loose cannon Pehota. Logan comes out firing, skiing hard and fast in World Tour style down the venue to skier’s right, but whirlybirding out of his final big drop—“Canadian ballet” the announcers called it. Fabio follows to skier’s right, lacing his airs including a 360 and a double at the bottom. Europe 3, Americas 1.
Markus Eder vs. Tim Durtschi
Another interesting matchup between freestyle-capable freeriders. Eder flows smoothly through airs and drops to skier’s right, and stomps a rodeo 5 on the same cornice step-up that Fabio Studer just hit. Durtschi opts for skier’s left and Backflip Rock, landing a 360 and crashing on a backflip before losing both his poles. Europe 4, Americas 1 and it’s getting time for Team Americas to put up or shut up.
Parker White vs. Nico Vuignier
P-White comes to the rescue for Team Americas, flowing through a 360 and a little switch skiing up top, and holding onto a backflip and a cliff drop to polish it off. Skiers Cup vet Vuignier surfs the top cornice to skier’s right and lands a 180 on the step-up, but this round belongs to Parker, keeping Team Americas alive in this competition. Europe 4, Americas 2.
Bene Mayr vs. Tanner Rainville
After a frustrating start to his Freeride World Tour season, Bene is looking to perform here at the Skiers Cup. He body-slaps a 360 up top but hangs onto his run, nailing two drops and adding in a flat 3 for good measure. Rainville heads to the tech skier’s left side, nailing a cliff in the top section but skipping most of the features below. A small 180 to close out his run isn’t enough to convince the judges that he wanted it more than Bene. Europe advances its lead: Europe 5, Americas 3.
Tanner Rainville keeps it smooth. Photo: Skierscup.com/Dom Daher
Nick McNutt vs. Sam Favret
The final match of Round 1. The Canadian comes out strong with a smooth 180 up the cornice, switch ski, and switch 180 off the top cornice to skier’s right, then doubles down with a flat 3 on the step-up and a smooth nose-butter 360 off a drop to cap off a very clean run. Favret can’t hang, backslapping on his first air, and opting out of a trick on Backflip Rock. Team Americas is still hanging in there at the end of Round 1: Europe 5, Americas 3.
Judges Arnaud Rougener, Philou Poirer and Sam Smoothy keeping an eye on the action. Photo: Skierscup.com/Dom Daher
Round 2
Nico Vuignier vs. Grand Howard
Nico opts for the same line of his previous run, adding a smooth 360 up top before surfing the cornice again, and 360ing the step-up down below. It’s a clean, flowing run, but Grant Howard is hungry. He also repeats his first run and improves on it, stomping a very clean 360 safety off Backflip Rock, and gets the nod from the judges—is this the beginning of an American comeback? Europe 5, Americas 4.
Nick McNutt vs. Fabio Studer
Nick sticks with the playful 180 up, switch 180 off the top cornice, the flat 360 and the nose-butter 3, but doesn’t stick the final trick clean. Fabio demonstrates his consistency, sticking his first run again and upping the ante with a flat 3 japan and a high-speed runout down below. Europe 6, Americas 4.
Fabio edges out McNutt for another European point. Photo: Skierscup.com/Dom Daher
Sam Favret vs. Logan Pehota
Favret goes for a 360 on Backflip Rock this time around, but can’t stick the landing. Logan nails his run with a little butter 360 off the top cornice, then bangs out a clean double drop at the bottom. Slowly but surely, Americas is catching up: Europe 6, Americas 5.
Tanner Rainville vs. Markus Eder
Rainville puts down one of the smoothest performances of the day with a 180 off the cornice to skier’s right and beautiful switch carves down the face underneath, and adds another 180 on the step-up down below. Markus heads skier’s left with creative line choice, surfing the cornice above the technical section before nailing a big 360 over Sam Anthamatten’s natural roll. It’s a clean run, but the judges reward Rainville’s polish and smooth switch control. It’s all tied up: Europe 6, Americas 6 and we’ve got a match on our hands!
Team Americas picks up another point – Smoothy disagrees. Photo: Skierscup.com/Dom Daher
Bene Mayr vs. Parker White
Bene is one of few skiers to mix up his line, heading to skier’s left this time. He nails the double at the top, then stomps a perfect backflip on Backflip Rock. Solid performance from the German. But Parker White’s got a trick up his sleeve—a film-worthy nose-butter 540 off the top skier’s right cornice, possibly the best freestyle trick of the day, and skis the rest of his line fast and clean with solid drops. For the first time Team Americas takes the lead: Europe 6, Americas 7.
Seth Morrison vs. Mathieu Bijasson
Seth Vicious goes for redemption on Backflip Rock, riding out of his signature trick with only a small backslap. The pressure’s on for young Mathieu, but he holds his own with a perfect backflip of his own, tying it up again: Europe 7, Americas 7.
Seth gets redemption on the backflip, but it isn’t enough to beat Mathieu Bijasson. Photo: Skierscup.com/Jeremy Bernard
Loïc Collomb-Patton vs. Tim Durtschi
It’s the second-to-last match-up, and things are getting down to the wire! Loïc shows why he’s team captain with a solid technical run, stomping two big cliffs perfectly to skier’s left and adding a little switch 180 down below for good measure. Tim Durtschi goes for a more freestyle run, landing a 360 and nailing a solid backflip on Backflip Rock, but it’s not enough to beat Loïc’s technical expertise. Europe 8, Americas 7.
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa vs. Sam Anthamatten
The final match of the day: Sage has a chance to even the score for Team Americas, but he’s up against possibly the most threatening competitor in the contest—the only competitor who was intently scoping the face through his binoculars before heading up for the second round.
Sage opts for the flowing run again to skier’s right, skiing cleanly and smoothly, but definitely conservatively as well. He tries to spice it up a bit with a tight drop at the bottom, but bounces off a rock and barely holds it together.
And then it’s time for the Sam Anthamatten show. The last run of the day is unquestionably the best: Sam blends technical big-mountain ability with freestyle finesse like no other rider in the field. He jibs the cornice across the top of the chute to skier’s left at high speed, then nails a big drop before heading toward’s no-mans-land: a grassy melted-out chute that no one else has bothered with. Anthamatten promptly straightlines down the grass as the crowd below roars its approval, then ollies at high speed over a massive cliff at the bottom, hip-checking but hitting perfect tranny and bouncing immediately back to his feet. Just about everybody’s mouth is hanging open—either mutely in disbelief, or screaming in admiration. It’s the last nail in the coffin for Team Americas today— Europe takes the win, 9-7.
“It was challenging today because the conditions weren’t great,” said Bene Mayr. “But it was still a lot of fun. We all pushed each other through the second round, and Europe won!”
“At first we had a bit of a discussion whether we wanted to do it or not, because conditions weren’t that great,” said Nico Vuignier. “We weren’t going to go big in that kind of snow, and the Skiers Cup has always had a really sick big mountain day, so there was a discussion of what we should do. We ended up choosing to ride. We took it pretty mellow but I think we saw some nice lines, and Europe took the lead!”
“The conditions were very springlike, but I really liked the guys’ creativity,” said judge Sam Smoothy. They didnt risk the whole thing, but just had fun and put on a good show. I think Sage put it best when he said, ‘We just want to show that skiing can be fun in all conditions.’ You don’t have to go 110-percent all the time.”
There were a few tough calls for the judges, Smoothy said, but it was clear who the most impressive skier of the day was.
“Sam Anthamatten—that little Swiss bastard was firing,” said Smoothy. “He always finds something that’s different and unique, and we saw a bunch of airs from Sam that no one else did. He was fired up, it was great to see.”