The 45 participants found perfect freeride conditions at the 5th Big LePowSki in Davos. Despite the spring like temperatures in the valley, the mountain guides found some untracked powder lines at the Jackobshorn. The beautiful sunny day put a smile on the face of everyone at the event.

The test-village at the Ischalp offered all ski enthusiasts the possibility to test the current Black Diamond ski collection. The mountain rescue service of Davos demonstrated avalanche security measures, such as avalanche triggering solutions or the recovery of injured skiers. The after-ski barbecue at the test-village was the perfect way to bring an eventful freeride day to an end.

Avalanche Rescue Needs Training

One of the most important requirements when skiing off-piste is the correct search of buried avalanche victims. Many freeriders have the right avalanche equipment but lack a proper training when it comes to using a beacon or applying the right search, probing or shoveling technique. “Only if you know that you’ve done everything you can in the case of loosing a friend in an avalanche, you’ll be able to live at peace with yourself” mountain guide and Pieps-course instructor Othmar Hauer said.

Exciting Evening Program

On Friday the BD team showed one of the most impressive freeride movies of the decade “Superheroes of Stoke” (Matchstick Productions) at the arcades in Davos. The raffle that was followed by the movie, offered a wide range of prizes sponsored by Black Diamond, Fritschi, Pieps, Mountain Hardware and Freeride-Maps. The highlight of the raffle was the original Big LePowSki “Dude” Limited Edition Ski. “We are really happy how todays night went. We sold all the tickets for the raffle and the proceedings will go to a non-profit institution,” said Susanne Pfrengle of the Big LePowSki organization team.
On Saturday, the band “Andorphine” swiped the visitors at the Walhalla Bar in Davos off their feet.

The 5th Black Diamond Big LePowSki was once more a great event with all participants taking home countless experiences. As one participant said: “I had some great powder runs this weekend. I really need to step up my game when it comes to avalanche rescue; it’s a lot harder than one might expect. Thank you to all the sponsors for all the great goodies. The weekend was really worth it. I’ll definitely be back next year”

Alle Pictures by Baschi Bender

The post The Big LePowSki Davos: Deep Powder Runs, Sun and Avalanche Safety Workshops with the Freeride–Pros appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

A bluebird sky and spring temperatures welcome a total of about 60 riders from Grisons, Bern, Zürich, Geneva, Ticino, Canada, Germany and Austria as they arrive by train at the Oberalppass. They put on their skins or snowshoes and follow the trail in direction to Maighels Hut SAC which leads them directly to the bottom of the contest face of Fil da Tuma. Organisers and mountain guides have decided to take advantage of the actual weather and snow conditions and let the contest happen. The face of Fil da Tuma is a veritable playground for freeriders: it offers two main entries in the upper part, is freckled with rocks, and has cornices and couloirs. If you look close you can see stony shark fins poke out of the snow. Snow conditions vary from top to bottom and dells and spines are filled with drift snow as the wind played in the flanks in the past days.

The Kick The Vik Eco Freeride Contest is a competition in the big mountain format where athletes are free in their choice of line. Riders start to scan the contest face for cool lines immediately after their arrival at the bottom of Fil da Tuma. Markus Boss, founder of Kick The Vik, makes it very clear what he wants to see: solid, fluid riding and no overambitious action. All athletes must carry probe, shovel, beacon and helmet. Mountain guides Wendelin and Kasimir Schuler are responsible for safety matters on the mountain. As there will be no avalanche triggering, the contest takes place where it is naturally safe to ride.

It is a hot day and the sun burns down on the riders as they climb up to the top. There are no lifts, no snow mobiles, no helicopters, just human powered action. Also the film crew who is present with a drone carry all the heavy photo and video equipment on their own. Shortly before noon the first riders appear on the summit ridge. There is no fixed starting order: you drop in as soon as you are ready. Filmers and photographers are prepared to shoot each run. Skiers start the spectacle and show fast, technical freeriding with big drops. Snowboarders draw level and choose equally challenging lines. The atmosphere amongst riders is friendly and relaxed. You can hear jokes and cheering in the starting and finishing area. There is no grim competition vibe as most of the riders have joined the Kick The Vik Eco Freeride Contest to have a great time riding with mates. At around 2 pm it is time to call it a day as the sun has made the snow heavy. By now the face is tracked and the landing zones are full of bomb holes.

Next stop: Base Camp Maighels Hut. The thirst leads some of the riders directly to the mountain hut, whilst others decide to have a photo session before they have a beer. People check in and have a look at the gorgeous view from the hut. Everywhere you can see sun tanned faces with traces of happiness. The evening’s entertainment consists of splendid food, card games, chatting and drinking.

On the next morning the weather is still fine. People have the option to either join a guided tour to Piz Borel or hike up to Piz Nair. Of course there are many possibilities for individual freeriding too. As the riders return to the hut in the afternoon you can see a smile on many a face. After having some food and refreshments enthusiasts head out again to ride one of the many rocky spines within the range of the hut.

After supper it is time for the riders voting. The hut turns into a cinema and the runs of the best ten men and of the best four women are shown. As the Kick The Vik Eco Contest has said good bye to its Freeride World Tour Qualifier status, the riders now take over the role of the judges and evaluate each other’s runs. At the end of the day the riders with the most votes win.

And then the party starts: people drink, chat, play card, share experiences and just chill. On the next morning clouds hang over the hut and nobody is in a hurry to get up. After breakfast riders have the chance to join a safety camp where they can refresh their knowledge using beacon, probe and shovel. Mountain guides are happy to assist in burying and locating not Easter eggs but avalanche transceivers. Then the riders start to pack and return home. The sixth edition of the Kick The Vik Eco Freeride Contest has been an eventful gathering of freeride enthusiasts in the fantastic Maighels valley. See you next year!

The winners of the Kick The Vik Eco Freeride Contest 2013:

Snowboard Women:
1. Camathias Linda (SUI), 2. Wunderlin Alba (SUI), 3. Gunther Stefanie (SUI), 4. Wunderlin Sara (SUI)

Snowboard Men:
1. Fischer Ron (SUI), 2. Rufibach Alex (SUI), 3. Bereiter Bernhard (SUI), 4. Schmid Roman (SUI), 5. Imsand Jonas (SUI), 6. Raschle Ruedi (SUI) / Gut Daniel (SUI), 8. Brönimann Roy (SUI), 9. Orelli Maxi (SUI), 10. Haldner Martin (SUI)

Ski Women:
1. Finkel Hanna, Oberstdorf (GER), 2. Sommer Nadia (SUI), 3. Gautschi Senta (SUI), 4. Spreiter Patricia (SUI)

Ski Men:
1. Tribelhorn Marco, (SUI), 2. Wohlgenannt Simon (AUT), 3. Steinemann Marco (SUI), 4. Camathias Damian (SUI), 5. Ragettli Gian (SUI), 6. Monn Stefan (SUI), 7. Guntli Ueli (SUI), 8. Beeli Armin (SUI), 9. Crivelli Philip (SUI), 10. Casutt Ciril (SUI)

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Kevin Guri and Matilda Rapaport win at the Verbier Xtreme 213. Nadine Wallner takes the first overall place and is new World Champion!

The post Freeride World Tour Verbier Live! appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

Freeride World Tour Qualifier Contest, march 16 2013
It is a wonderful day and the sun welcomes the finalists with a kiss as they check in at the OR tent near the station of Schilthornbahn. After registration, the riders gather at the bottom of the contest face to get the last info before they hike up to the starting place. Safety first – Markus boss, founder of Kick The Vik, reminds them that beacon, shovel, probe, helmet and back protector are mandatory. Mountain guides and local ski patrol are in charge of safety matters. They show where it is safe to ride and point out closed zones and hidden cracks in the contest face. Head Judge Andre Sommer makes clear what the judges want to see: fast and fluid riding without any breakneck action. Crashes are awarded with a deduction of points and ski loss leads to a non rating of the run. A team of four judges assess the riders’ performance applying the judging guidelines of the Freeride World Tour.

Then it is time for the line check: athletes dig out their binoculars and start scanning the face in search of the perfect line. The area lies outside of the boundaries of the ski resort Schilthorn-Mürren and offers a variety of possibilities to ride: open terrain, cliffs and couloirs. After the riders meeting the group takes the gondola up to the middle station of Schilthorn and reaches the starting zone after a short hike. Snow conditions are good; especially around the top riders spray pow. As the contest progresses you can see traces of creative riding everywhere: in the couloirs, between bushes and in the open field. At the end of the day the riders who show playful and controlled riding will win. But not only the ones on top of the podium will cheer; riders leave Mürren with a smile on their faces and a new pair of OR gloves on their hands.

There is no festival without a party. Organisers, sponsors and riders meet at Eiger Guesthouse to share their experiences and have a beer. As one beer leads to another, some of the party people are accompanied by the twitter of birds as they walk home.

Qualification day 1, march 10 2013
The first qualification contest takes place in the broad north face near the top station of Schiltgrat. Snow conditions are difficult. Because it has not snowed in a while the face is tracked and hard. Nonetheless, the riders are motivated to show their best riding. They share tips how to find a good spot. The terrain offers many possibilities for creative riding as it is freckled with couloirs, cliffs and bush wood. The bushes make it hard to find a line from to bottom and to track down that line in the descent. Winners of the categories ski women, ski men, snowboard women and snowboard men are listed for the finals on the upcoming weekend.

Qualification day 2, march 14 2013
Same face but different conditions: it has not snowed enough to cover the old tracks entirely. Plus visibility is critical. Athletes approach the hillside with caution and make use of the possibility to do several qualification runs. Riding is evaluated according to the judging method of the Freeride World Tour. Despite the hairy conditions, riders are motivated to show their freeriding skills. Spectators seem to enjoy the show: they stop to watch or cry out “Oh my God!” from the chair lift as they pass the face. The hillside can also be seen from the Schilthorn gondola and it slightly tilts as the passengers move to one side to watch the spectacle.

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Top freeriders from around the world will be rocking the slope of Plan du Fou this weekend from the 15th till the 16th of March.
300 riders applied for this years event, but only 100 will habe the chance to participate this Friday. The participants will be selected by their Freeride World Tour Qualifying Rank. The qualifications will take place at Tracouet, on the northwest face of the Dent de Nendaz (the Maretze) beginning at 9h30. Access to the freeride village (10min from Tracouet) can be easily found via the ski slopes from the Dent ski lift.

The best riders will compete in the Final on Saturday at the summit of the Mont-Gond in Nendaz’s Plan-du-Fou ski area. They have the chance to win 5000 Euros prize money. A pool of experienced international judges from Slovakia, Scotland, Spain, France and Switzerland will be there to rank the riders. Spectators can relax in The Red Bull Village facing the Mont-Gond and enjoy the breath-taking rides. Snacks and drinks are available at the snow bar with music and live event updates.

The post Nendaz Freeride Confirmed for this Weekend appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

The event will be started with a big bang on friday night with a gripping movie-night and featured films like “Superheroes of Stoke” and a special “Dude”-Megawatt ski raffle. All proceeds will be donated to a charitable cause.

Saturday and sunday will be occupied by workshops on Jschalp, the middle station at Jakobshorn, Davos. In small groups the participants will learn how to plan backcountry-trips, read freeride maps and asses avalanche risks. The right handling of your safety equipment is a large topic and using your beacon and finding buried friends will be one of the main topics during the day. A backcountry foto-workshop and a ladies only freeride workshop will be on the program as well. Saturday night will host the legendary Dude-party at the Wallhalla-Bar. The metal band “cobra death” will blow your ears away.

Two days full of ski BD ski, beacon and security equipment testing – all for free. You’ll get a personal guidance on the new collection of Mountain Hardware and Polartec. Experienced guides and BD athletes will show you the best powder faces in Davos. So hop on and register for the last remaining spots at the workshops right here: www.TheBigLePowSki.com

The post Get your Freeride On – with the Dude at the Big LePowSki appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

The action startet at Friyday, 1. March with the qualification: 95 skiers and boarders shot down to Riffelsee/Hirschtal as fast as possible, to get one of the highly demanded qualification spots. The 65 best athletes ascended to the 3173m high Mittagskogel, where they would start for the comp. And the comp is crazy: after a highly narrow and steep couloir, the skiers would race down wind-pressed snow flancs that would open up to five different routes down the open face of the mountain. The riders come into a forest section and the race ends after some leg-crushing bumps and bashes.

Tobias Heinle was the fastet at this event, killed the 1510m with a time of 6.08 minutes and eventually set a new track record. Matthias Jorda one in the snowboarding category with 8,09 minutes. Geli Kaufmann rocked her run and one against the female competition in a time of 8,04 minutes.

The Pitztal Wildface is a hell of a great comp and everyone who wants to see some crazy action should be there next year!

The post Pitztahl Wildface – The Freeride Race appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

Wednesday, February 27 First Possible Contest Dat
8:00am – 8:30am Athlete/Media Load Chair 10
9:00am- 4:00pm Sponsor Village open Mountain Plaza
9:00am – 10:30am Men’s Skiing The Cirque
10:30am-11:30am Men’s Snowboarding The Cirque
11:30am-12:00pm Women’s Snowboarding The Cirque
12:30pm-1:30pm Women’s Skiing The Cirque
3:00pm- 3:30pm Awards Ceremony Mountain Plaza
7:30pm- 12:00am Event After Party The Red Cliffs

Thursday, February 28 Weather Day
9:00am-4:00pm Sponsor village open Mountain Plaza

Friday, March 1 Weather Day
9:00am-4:00pm Sponsor village open Mountain Plaza

Saturday, March 2 Weather Day
9:00am-4:00pm Sponsor village open Mountain Plaza

Sunday, March 3 Weather Day
9:00am-4:00pm Sponsor village open Mountain Plaza

The post Freeride World Tour – Kirkwood appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

Anthamatten discusses his strategy and preparation for competition at Kirkwood.

The post Sam Anthamatten on Kirkwood appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.

Unlike the hyped-out brands like Oakley and Smith, with big-dollar skiers and robocop sunglasses, Zeal has always just stuck to their roots. They make eyewear that fits and functions, and they try not to have a negative impact on the environment.

This year, while the hype went to all the GoPro helmet-camera copies, Zeal stole the show at ISPO with a camera mounted in their goggles, the HD Camera Goggles!
And their sunglasses, the Brewer, came home with an award because they used a plant-based resin to make the frame (not a crude-oil plastic frame like every other sunglass frame out there).

Thanks, Zeal! For sticking to the roots and showing us the core brands are still alive as innovators!

The post Zeal Optics Steals the Show at ISPO! appeared first on Freeridecounty.com.