Nike ACG Team Blog : News from the snowbard team

El Tarter. On the 26th of March i made my way to Andorra for the 4 Star TTR Contest Grandvalira Total Fight. It was the second time I have been there. We (Louis Purucker, Michi “Stani” Stanschitz) arrived with the shuttle on Thursday afternoon in El Tarter (Andorra) while a snowstorm was hitting the Area. Just right for a afternoon wellness session. Unfortunately it got already warm again in the evening and it started to rain up the mountain. There went our Pyrenees powder turns.

On Friday it was Bluebird again and temperatures were climbing rapidly to 17°C at the park. Friday was qualifying day and so I could just go get some slush powder lines and ride the park during training. There were 2 different lines to go:
-    Pipe ->  Gap Kicker (18m) ->  Step up Butter Box Step Down
-    Big Kicker (20m)  ->  Gap Step up Transfer (MotoX Jump)  -> Step up Butter Box Step Down
So we had a fun day riding and got ready for the final day on Saturday.

On Saturday about 50 riders were competing for 16 Spots in the K.O. System. We had two runs and the better one counted. I did cab 9 on the big kicker, Bs Air over the Step Up Gap and Fs 180 to Sw Bs 540 at the butter box. I qualified first for the K.O. System. First round and quarter finals we had just one run each. The guy with the higher points decided who goes first.
I won my battle in the first round. Quarter finals were next which I had to go against Jaakko Ruha. I had more points from the first round so I let Jaakko go first. That moment I was thinking about doing a cab 9. Then Jaakko dropped in and did a BS 10 to Backflip and to Fs 360 down the butter box. Damn, nice run. I was standing up there and had to change my run in seconds if I want to beat this. So I dropped in normal and went for a Fs 10 Mute which I stomped perfectly before I did a Backflip over the Step-up Gap Jump and a Fs 180 to Sw Bs 540 on the butter box! I guess my trick on the butter box made it clear and so I kicked the first finish rider out!

But what a surprise, there was the next finish kid waiting in the semifinal. Now we had two runs and the better one counts. I was dropping first with a Cab 9 on the Big Kicker. Ville Paumola went straight for the Fs 10 but he slide the last 90° and couldn’t land it clear. 2nd run Ville went for the Fs 10 again but from up there I didn’t see the landing. So I went also for the Fs 10 in the second run and stomped it perfect like the backflip and the Sw 540. Turned out that Ville just did a Fs 9. Sick, I just kicked out the second finish guy.

And guess what, there was another Finish guy waiting for me in the Final. Ville Uotila made it also to the Final. 2 runs each again. I went first and I really wanted to take the title so I went for risk. I did already two Fs 10’s and stomped 100% so I thought I go for it again and out of two runs I’m going to stick one and the rest of my run. But I couldn’t land the first one and Ville did a nice Sw Bs 9 to Fs 7 to Sw Bs 540. So I had one more run to beat that and my point was that I cant kill that Sw Bs 9 with a Cab 9. So I went for risk and Fs 10 again. Unfortunately I also couldn’t land my second either. I went to big and I guess the 12 would have been easier to land as the 10. So I guess my Tactic for the final was not the best, but you loose and you learn! And a 2nd place on a really high leveled 4 Star Contest is amazing and I’m really stoked!!!

The party was on! There was Motocross action in the evening and a big tent where the party was going off till 1am. Then everyone moved to “Nemo”, the bar that is managed by Merlin Balfour. I know Merlin since the SPC Times in Mayrhofen and from me a big THÄNKS to Merlin for the amazing hospitality all weekend.

In the TTR Ranking I caught up 4 places to 31st position. I got one more chance to climb the Top 30. In two weeks the Snickers Classic in Saas Fee is going down, which is the last 4 Star contest of the season.

So I’m looking forward to some nice spring sessions!
Greets from the Chillertal
Rudi

Oktober is nearly over and again good and bad things happened.

We had the Hot-Zone Park Opening on the first weekend of October. Good days on the mountain and a amazing party at night! We also did a Ästhetiker Tell ÄVision show.

Check it out:

Report: http://www.hot-zone.tv/content/469.0.html

TellÄVision:     http://www.aesthetiker.com/

After the Opening I didn’t ride to get my ankle better again. And it got better.

I was riding again last week on the 21^stOctober. It was amazing!!

It good cold and it was dumping that weekend and we didn’t see something because it was really foggy. But we didn’t care because it dumped about 40cm and the feeling of powder was back in my veins. Let’s pray for a good winter!

This Saturday I went on the mountain because the Ästhetiker had a 2-day charity event with a school for kids with behavioural problems. The kids were really stoked to go shred with the Ästhetikers! The show will be online soon on the Ästhetiker page.

For myself, I had a good day too but it ended not well. My ankle is better and I was riding the pipe which was fun. In the end I got my backpack and did one more run through the pipe and on the last hit I did a frontside invert handplant. First it felt good but with coming done again I slipped, my thump bent over and I felt something not good.

Now I know that I part ripped or ripped my thumb ligament. Bad luck! I have to figure out if I have to get an operation. So I hope it’s gonna be good again in about 6 weeks.

So lets hope for a better November

Greets out of da Chillertal

Rudi

P.s.: Also check out the other Ästhetiker tellÄvision shows like “The perfect Day”.

Yeah Down Under!!

The last week was amazing. After the Aussie Open in Perisher Blue Resort we drove down to Falls Creek (Victoria ) last Sunday where I got invited for the Stylewars. It was such a relaxed and beautiful roadtrip. I was standing next to some big Kangaroos and also saw a baby Roo jumping around. I saw some Emus and Wombats. We stoped at a lake that was coverd with dead trees and the view was just amazing! In the evening we checked in into Silverski Lodge, which was the base for the whole event including a bar at the ground floor.

Monday was the checkout and warm up day. The park was not really finished that day and kinda closed. They had a Slopestyle with 3 kickers in a row, a hip and a massive kicker that measured 38m to the knuckle. It looked soooo big! They got the big Budda ready to jump in the afternoon. A lot of guys speed checked it including me. But just one went for it and it was Andy Finch. First Straight air and then bs 180. At the third try Andy caught his edge in the slush on an Fs 360 try and crashed at his back in the middle of the table. Never seen a crash like this live before but the slushy table was luckily forgiving! Andy, the animal, went for it again after this slam and hit it to far hurting his foot and being out for the rest of the week. Crazy shit!!

Unfortunately I overshot the third of the slopestyle kickers and I hurt my left ankle so I couldn’t even walk properly that evening. That sucked if I thought about the big kicker on the mountain!

Tuesday was 1^st Competition Day. Bluebird and a little bit windy.

There have been always two judging sessions a day. First one on the three kicker combo slopestyle and the big Budda. The afternoon session was judged on the Hip and the big Budda.

Surprisingly my ankle was a lot better in the morning but I didn’t even think about jumping the 38m kicker. I was happy to do 4 easy runs on the slopestyle at the morning session. I didn’t ride the afternoon session that day which put me in the 24^th place after day one.

That  day only Quentin Robbins had the balls to hit the big kicker. The whole mountain always stoped breathing if one shoot down the bumpy run-in with about 80 – 100 km/h. Quentin went for the bs 360 on his first try and landed perfect right behind the knuckle about 40 meters away from the take off.  He went up again to go for the 2^nd hit. He went for a bs 540 and it looked pretty good in the air but he was about 2 meters short and crashed so hard that I straight thought he is not getting up again! He was pretty lucky just bruising his right knee and breaking his board. Quentin said: “I couldn’t believe it either that I got up again after that slam!”

Wednesday, 2^nd competition day. Bluebird and no wind – best day of the week.

My ankle was good enough to do both sessions of the day. I didn’t ride the big kicker this day either. My ankle was just not good enough and you want to feel about 100% fit going on that massive jump! So I hoped for it to happen maybe on Thursday. I was riding pretty good in the slopestyle  and the hip session and improved to place 17^th at day two overall result.

About 6 guys hit the big jump that day. Torstein killed it with a fs 1080 and 4 more sick tricks. He tried it again after the BBQ lunch and was 2 meter short on that one. He also was pretty lucky to don’t hurt hisself. My favourite was a nice bs rodeo 5 by Stef Zeestraten. In the evening we had an amazing concert at “The Man” featuring Airbourne. That band rocks like hell! I first thought I’m at a AC/DC concert!!

Thursday, 3^rd competition day, Bluebird but windy. Everyone was pretty hangover from last nights party, so it started pretty slow that day! On the mountain they decided to do just one Session at the slopestyle. 60 min Tech session and 45 min style session! They also called it the last judged session of the Stylewars. Someone must have seen the weather forecast for Friday. They didn’t judge the big kicker and no one was hitting it that day due to heavy winds. I was riding pretty good again that day and did some nice runs. Bs rodeo 5, cab9, fs9, bs7, cab 7, fs3, bs1,…. So I missed one session during the week and couldn’t hit the big kicker but I still could do some good riding and finished the Stylewars at 11^th place. I’m kinda stoked considering my ankle which still hurts. In the evening was the pricegiving following Katalyst featuring RUCL and HAU [Koolism] and ATOME playing at the Silverski lodge. So we got drunk again.

And it was a perfect schedule considering that Friday was very shitty weather with rain up the mountain. A lot of people already took off that day. We chilled that day having a Jacuzzi at the top balcony of Silverski Lodge. And it was worse staying another day because that night one of the best Aussie HipHop band “Bliss’n Eso” was rocking the Oishii Go bar at the Silverski Lodge. The DJ was unbelievable fast, nearly scratching at speed of light.

Stylewars 07 was truly rocking whether snowboarding, band line up or the people that have been there. I’m glad I could be part of it!

So, my Southern hemisphere tour 07 is over and I moved to the 20^th place at the TTR World Tour 07/08. I’m in Sydney right now trying to get some waves before I’m on my way back to Austria.

Greets to all of you out of Dee Why!

Rudi

                                                               

Snickers Classic & Popcorn Wallride

19.-22.04.07

TTR 3* event

Organized and hosted by Fredi Kalbermatten & Marco Schwab

It was the final stop of this years Ticket to Ride Tour. And it was a really nice event! I was the third time in Saas Fee and I always like to go there because it’s such a nice place with such nice people. And I got invited instead of my bro Chris Kröll because he injured his knee in Canada this February. I went there with Mone Monsberger and Friedl Kolar to represent the Ästhetiker crew! We went there on Thursday. In the evening there was already the first concert feat. Scott Sullivan. What a concert!!!!! Thanks Scott!

The park was really nice. The line included a little cliff drop, a big kicker with about 17 m, a step-up roller with about 15 m and a nice butter snow box at the end. On Friday would have been the final but they decided to do just a session and free training that day. Sick! So they did the finals and the Super final on Saturday! Two final heats, both with an hour of jam session. So everyone did 3 runs. The best 6 riders of each heat advanced to the Super finals. I got second behind Fredi Kalbermatten in my final heat. Doing fs7 tail, cab 9, BS rodeo 5, BS 7, BS 5 off the butter box and bs1 off the cliff.

12 riders have been to the super final.3 runs each again. The riding level was very high in the Super finals. I had nice runs and a lot of variety of tricks. I did fs5 and BS 5 off the cliff, cab 9, FS 9, sw BS 9, BS rodeo 5, sw BS 7, cab 7 and cab1 on to backflip off the butter box.

So I got 3^rd and I’m really stoked!!! It’s an amazing season ending for me!

Slopestyle Results:

1.    Nicolas Müller (CH)
2.    Juuso Laivisto (FIN)
3.    Rudi Kröll (AUT)
4.    Frederik Kalbermatten (CH)
5.    Alessandro Boyens (GER)
6.    Antony ‘TonTon’ (CH)

This last TTR contest puts me in 82^nd position in the world ranking list. With just 4 TTR results out of 6 you would need. Nice little bonus.

Yeah!! Saturday night and another party night!! Live on stage with A.F. (Allpot Futsch)!! Really nice Swiss Punk Band! Daniel Bumann is the guitarist which I was riding with in the Völkl Team a few years ago. Nice to meet him again and see him and his band live for the first time.

On Sunday was the Popcorn Wallride which took place right at the Popcorn Plaza on the mountain. Because of to much drinking action I had just a little session. Friedl Kolar was doing pretty got with nice Fastplants among others. I thought he would have been top 3 but placed 4^th. Eöööhhh

Wallride Results:

1.Denis Supersaxo (CH)
2. Nicolas Müller (CH)
3. Reto Odermatt (CH)
4. Friedl Kolar (AUT)
5. Christian Weber (SUI)
6. Andy Monsberger (AUT)

Before we hit the road home we listened to some more tunes from Scott Sullivan. Thanks Scott for playing me a Good Bye song! I like!  It was blue sky and spring temperatures. Not really motivating for an 8 hour drive back home.

It was a sick weekend in Saas Fee. Thanks Switzerland! Thanks Fredi & Marco! Thanks Daniela! It was a pleasure.

Greets from da valley

Rudi

www.snickersclassic.ch

www.scottsullivanmusic.com

www.af-punkrock.ch

www.method.tv

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