]]>Past Stylewars festivals have featured moments that have both taken the professional snowboarding world by storm as well as the music media. Ranging from the biggest snowboarding jump ever built in competition anywhere on the planet, to live music acts like The Presets, Airbourne, Katalyst, Bliss N Eso, Scribe and The Galvatrons.
This snowboarding event will again feature a three-day event over a four-day competition window, with two hours of daily continuous jam format action on a massive featured course designed specifically for the event. Also included in the Stylewars event is the night street rail jam event under lights, known as ‘28 Stairs’ held in the Village bowl outside The Frying Pan. This is a highlight of the week’s action as it aligns both the snowboarding action and the music crowds, and the party continues for everyone long into the night.
Last year’s Stylewars winner, Charles Reid from Quebec, Canada, claimed, “Stylewars is the best format event on the tour. After three days you are pretty tired, but you really get to try your best tricks and have fun riding the park. You get pushed by your friends to try harder tricks and the level gets pushed each day, for sure.”
This year’s music line up includes some of the world’s best hip hop crews, soul musicians and turntablists featuring Koolism, Steve Spacek, Ru C.L and Katalyst with Space Invadas, Mr Rex and S1 as well as Motley and the Australian DMC champion DJ Perplex. More headliners to be announced! Check the website for the schedule and updates.
Music venues will be The Man and The Frying Pan.
]]>As a surprise the event takes place earlier as expected, on 05.12.2009 the best snowboarders of the world come together in order to fight for the ring of glory. The Billabong Air & Style in Innsbruck is known for its monstrous quarterpipe but this time the riders are challenged by a straight jump. This discipline was the traditional one in the 90s in the Bergisel Stadium and will cause quite a commotion also in 2009. You can look forward for exciting tricks high in the air set in front of a breathtaking backdrop.
What you can expect
Besides the pros the youngsters get the chance to show their talent. 12 young riders compete against each other in the great popular Rookie Challenge. 16 pros are expected and for sure also this time the Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck-Tirol 09/II will present a great riders list. Between the contests you get an earful…of music! The event guarantees great live acts. The Hives will rock the stage in December in the Bergisel Stadium. The Swedish band already gathered Air & Style experience in 2007 in Munich and they know exactly how to make the crowd go crazy.
Ticket alarm!
The Presale has started on 04.07.09. Only on the official Air & Style homepage you can buy the tickets and you better be quick because they will be in great demand. Compared to the tickets last year the prices are a bit higher which is caused by switching to a straight jump. That includes a new setup causing higher costs. But a ticket with a price of 37,00 € (plus presale fee) is still affordable and above all you can expect an ecxiting and massive show.
]]>
]]>The competition was initially 1Star level, but was elevated to 2Star TTR after the display of rotations up to fs1260 in the qualifiers in the amazing Gentlemen Riders Snowpark. With regard to the groms, the South Tyrolean talent Markino Grigis was the best one with a frontside 1080 on the big kicker. As for the eight competing girls, all of them from the Czech Republic, the best one was the young Diana Augustinova, protagonists of the contest as well as of the parties.
The Snowpark set up, realized by the Gentlemen’s Riders crew, included a first table top with two jumps of 8 and 12m and a butterbox, a second table top with jumps of 14 and 18m and a 12-meter down rail. The contestants from Italy, Austria, Finland and the Czech Republic hit the park for a very high level slope style, but this event was not just about competitiveness. Sure enough, the program featured also skateboard sessions, video shootings with the pro RedBull who were invited as coaches: Filippo Kratter, Roman Dlauhy and Sarka Pancochova.
As for the contest, the format scheduled a day of training, one of qualifiers and one for the finals, everything in the jam session format. During the competition we saw cab900, cab1080, fs1080 and fs1260. In the finals, the sky-high level of the two final contenders Roope Tonteri and Darek Bergmann brought to an extra final run for a direct play-off where the Finnish won with the fs1260. Unbelievable level.
As in the tradition of the rookie fest, the prizes did not consist of money, but values for the career of young rookies: photo and video shootings with Entry Magazine and Board.TV, invitations to bigger events and surf camps offered by Protest.
2009 Summer Rookie Fest Final Results (Rank Bib G/R Last Name First Name Nationality):
Women
1- 9 G Augustinova Diana CZE
2- 17 G Stenclova Dorota CZE
3- 16 G Vankova Michaela CZE
4- 2 G Horakova Karolina CZE
5- 58 G Prazienkova Eliska CZE
6- 39 G Prochazkova Veronika CZE
7- 43 G Houvbova Eliska CZE
7- 48 G Fidrmucova Natalie CZE
Men
1- 49 G Tonteri Roope FIN
2- 6 R Bergmann Darek CZE
3- 31 R Weissenbacher Mathias AUT
4- 26 R Gurtwirth Filip CZE
5- 51 G Dreher Paul AUT
6- 46 R Grigis Marco ITA
7- 53 R Makarainen Vesa FIN
8- 44 R Naccari Ruggero ITA
9- 52 G Piller Cottner Filiberto ITA
10- 11 R Bisa Michal CZE
11- 24 R Porket Ondrej CZE
12- 19 R Mikyska Martin CZE
13- 54 R Bisol Mauro ITA
14- 3 R Vieider Hannes ITA
15- 5 G Porket Daniel CZE
16- 45 R Giacomelli Alessio ITA
17- 22 G Pajer Miki CZE
18- 20 R Horak Petr CZE
19- 38 G Noire Matteo ITA
This was the closing event of a season of rookie events all over the world, and the international stops of the next season have already been announced:
World Rookie Tour 2010:
Iberic Rookie Fest 2009 – 2Star slope style, Spain, December 2009
World Rookie Fest 2010 – 3Star slope style, Italy, January 2010
Balkan Rookie Fest 2010 – 2Star slope style, Serbia, February 2010
France Rookie Fest 2010 – 2Star slope style, France, February 2010
East Rookie Fest 2010 – 2Start slope style and half pipe, Czech Republic, March 2010
World Rookie Finals 2010 – 4Star slope style, Austria, April 2010
Summer Rookie Fest 2010 – 2Star slope style, Val Senales, Italy, July 2010
Heats are held in Mt Buller’s rail park during the day before the action moves into the Village for the final, which is held under lights from 6pm. Check out the invited riders’ list below and a short movie from last year’s edition.
Invited riders: Robbie Walker, Mikey Williams, Max Cookes, Ryan Tiene, Tom Pelley, Jye Kearney, Gus St Leon, Chris Eacott, Jake McCarthy, Charles Beckinsale, Ben Willick
]]>With the official start of the busy season quickly approaching, the TTR has released the preliminary 2009/2010 calendar of events, available here. This is the first calendar release for the new season with more events to be added through the summer, so check back for updates.
Along with the new calendar of events, the TTR crew is currently updating 09/10 event profiles that will include in-depth information on each event including registration dates, formats, photos and videos. New for this year, the TTR will feature profiles for 1Star – 2Star events in addition to the 4Star – 6Star profiles.
Following the New Zealand Open, the tour will continue in Australia with a packed schedule through the end of August with the 2Star Ocean and Earth Rampage Junior Series, 4Star Stylewars, 2Star Thredbo Freeride Series and the 3Star Boost Mobile Sno Sho.
Check back to ttrworldtour.com for videos, photos and results from the Southern Hemisphere leg and stay tuned through the fall for tour news leading up to the Northern Hemisphere kick off.
]]>Snow Farm opened in mid-June for cross-country skiers with many kilometres of world class trails. Snow Farm is New Zealand’s only Nordic ski area will host many international teams and events this season as well as continuing is successful development of Biathlon.
Cardrona Alpine Resort opened all facilities and 100% of their extensively groomed trails last Friday. Skiers and boarders had great on-piste and weather conditions throughout the day.
Treble Cone kicked off their season on Saturday opening all of its 550ha of skiable terrain, including the Saddle Basin and Motatapu Chutes, plenty of beginners took advantage of the free learner’s lift as well as the shuttle bus transporting visitors up the mountain access road.
The roll-out of Lake Wanaka’s ski areas continues with Snow Park NZ opening tomorrow (4 July). With good fresh snow coverage across the terrain park and new features introduced over summer the freestyle action will get underway. Snow Park NZ is looking forward to starting their night skiing and riding sessions, twice weekly, on Tuesday (7 July).
James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism said there was a positive buzz of excitement in town, “The ski season has started and it is great to see keen skiers and boarders coming from around the globe to experience our four world class resorts and enjoy the unique alpine town. We are looking forward to the busy season ahead,” he said.
Lake Wanaka’s resorts will again host many national and international events over the coming winter months. Events such as the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games, incorporating the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup, and the Burton New Zealand Open will offer spectacular action from world class athletes.
The new developments for Lake Wanaka’s resorts include: a new FIS certified trail and expansion of terrain at Cardrona with a snowmaking upgrade to cover the entire resort, night skiing and riding extended to three nights a week at Snow Park NZ as well as new all-inclusive accommodation packages. Treble Cone is offering free use of the lower mountain learner lifts all season long and 90 minute complimentary guided tours of the mountain (groomed trails) twice daily.
For further information, visit www.skilakewanaka.com.
]]>