Author: Tricia

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Features News

FREE JUDGE CLINIC – DECEMBER 5

Are you enthusiastic about snowboards, have a good sense for freestyle tricks and want to help to ensure that contests are fair?

Then join in and get trained as a competition judge in Snowboard Germany’s Judge Clinic.

Participation in our clinic is FREE of charge and everyone with previous knowledge of freestyle snowboarding is welcome.

When: Sunday, 05th December 2021, 09 a.m – 5 p.m

Where: Hubertusstraße 1, 82152 Planegg

Speakers: Stefan Munz & Andy Lehmann

Sign up:  heymann@snbger.com

credit: Snowboard Germany/Johannes Jank (jankfiles)/Andreas Mohaupt (andreasmohaupt)                      

The content of the workshop includes the duties and responsibilities of a judge and also the know-how of snowboard tricks and the individual judging criteria. The training is for big air, halfpipe and slopestyle and will use the official material from the World Snowboard Federation.

The WSF is working together with the FIS to optimize the pathway of young judges. Together we want to develop a sustainable judge community in Germany. For a little preview, you can check the following link: https://wsf-academy.thinkific.com

 Sign up by sending an email to: heymann@snbger.com

Categories
Features World Rookie Tour

WORLD ROOKIE TOUR FINALS ANNOUNCED

Black Yeti announces the World Rookie Finals

World Rookie Snowboard Finals
Kitzsteinhorn Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria – 26 March.2 April 2022 – Slopestyle and Halfpipe

Black Yeti announces dates and locations for the 2022 snowboard and freeski finals of the World Rookie Tour. Madonna di Campiglio in Italy, Trentino, and Kitzsteinhorn Zell am See-Kaprun in Austria, are thrilled to host hundreds of young aspiring professionals, making them live one of the most unforgettable experiences of their sports lives.

World Rookie Tour is an unmissable opportunity for those who want to transform their passion into a well-defined professional career. World Rookie Tour can confirm that even in 2022: our World Rookie Champions of snowboard and freeski, both male and female, will have a place secured in the next season of the FIS World Cup Tour, and many other incredible prizes to support their career. The future is here at the World Rookie Tour!

World Rookie Snowboard Finals | 26 March – 2 April 2022
On the snowboarding side, finals will be back in style to the historic location of Kitzsteinhorn Zell am See-Kaprun, for a seven-day contest and non-stop activities. A unique program will include halfpipe and slopestyle contests, many workshops and side events, while the convenient option of staying all at the same hotel, the Jufa Hotel, will still be valid. If you want to be present, participate and see the future of snowboarding with your own eyes. Kaprun is where you need to be.

For the finals qualification criteria, the age groups and the general rules of the World Rookie Tour 2022, visit the link The Tour – World Rookie Tour

The rest of the World Rookie Tour 2022 event calendar will be announced shortly.

All tour events, including the finals, will scrupulously follow strict Covid prevention protocols, to guarantee riders, coaches, companions and staff the best possible safety conditions.

Follow the World Rookie Tour
Web: www.worldrookietour.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/worldrookietour
Instagram: www.instagram.com/worldrookietour @worldrookietour #worldrookietour
Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/channels/worldrookietour
email: info@worldrookietour.com    

ABOUT WORLD ROOKIE TOUR
The World Rookie Tour is organized by the Black Yeti ssrl in collaboration with World Snowboard Federation, National Snowboard, Ski and Skateboard Associations, and selected action sports agencies. It was born in 2005 as a series of youth snowboard events and it consists now of a selection of high-quality International events for snowboard, Freeski and skateboard, the so-called “Rookie Fests”, reserved for riders under 18’s only, in Europe, North and South America, Oceania and Asia. The World Rookie Tour consists not only of competitions: it also features loads of other activities to help rookies to grow in the field of professional action sports, such as photo & video shootings, avalanche, and rescue clinics, meetings with photographers, and international team managers, parties and English talks. Since year zero, it awards tickets to world-class events such as X Games Norway, Audi Nines, The Arctic Challenge, The Air & Style, The World Snowboarding Championships, Red Bull Roller Coaster, Simple Session, Mystic Sk8 Cup, invitations to professional photo & video shootings, and shooting trip all around the world. Every year the tour crowns the World Rookie Champions at the end of the season, during the World Rookie Finals, a unique event format where the best youngsters from almost 30 countries compete and have fun. More information at www.worldrookietour.com.

ABOUT BLACK YETI ssd
The Black Yeti is an amateur sports club dedicated to the realization of snowboard, Freeski, and skateboard projects for boys and girls up to 18 years of age, in Italy and abroad. One of the most successful projects is the World Rookie Tour, the biggest and the most famous tour in the action sports world that attracts 3.000 young athletes from 30 nations to the events called “Rookie Fest”, organized all over the world: Italy, Europe, North and South America, Oceania and Asia. The Rookie Fests program includes not only the competition but also many side activities such as avalanche and rescue clinics, workshops, and English talks.

World Rookie Tour Media Manager
Marco Sampaoli – marco@moonsrl.it – Tel +39.059.9783397 or +39.340.328.55.69

World Rookie Tour Event Coordinator
Meinhard Trojer – meinhardtrojer@powdern.com – Tel +43.650.56.37.424

Categories
Features News SafeShred

SafeShred October Update

“I think it is a good thing for our young riders to become more aware about these topics that are so important when it comes to sexual harassment and bullying, that could absolutely be occurring in our sport. If we start with the younger ages now, we will do ourselves a favor for the future”, Jocke Hammar, Swedish Ski Association (SSA).

“I think it is very important because it gives tools for the youth on how to act on different situations”, Satu Jarvela, WSF President.

The first in-person Transnational Project Meeting of the SafeShred project took place in Zurich, on September 24th. The WSF General Assembly was a great opportunity to share the objectives and first results of SafeShred with the rest of the world snowboard community but it was mainly the occasion for participants to acknowledge the project achievements, plan the coming activities, adjust the timeline and align the outcomes to the expectations of the snowboard field.

Participants realized all the work that had been conducted since the project was launched, although they never before sat around the same table. To begin with, the Foundation for Sport Integrity (Stitching CSCF), represented by Carlos Gutierrez and Norbert Rubicsek, gave the results of the Fact-Finding Missions (FFM) in which 38 people were interviewed in six different countries. The most prevalent issues were related to the whistleblowing system and basic human rights, but other ethical topics addressed in the project remained important for the snowboard associations: doping, harassment/bullying, corruption, and manipulation of sports competition. The partnerships discussed the most relevant target groups for each project outcome: the Riders’ Guide will tackle the lack of knowledge among the adults (riders, trainers, managers, staff) and equip them to talk about these topics with young riders, while the Training for Riders and the E-learning Program will focus on the grassroots riders at a very young age. 

The academic partner was also able to join the meeting online from Spain. Rachel Mirabet from the Ramon Llull University provided an overview of the Desk Research, which gathers the existing regulations and policies in the countries of the partnership. She also walked the partner through a survey that will be spread among riders across Europe to analyze their understanding on the different ethical topics and eventually adapt the curriculum to their needs.

This meeting came right on point to further motivate all participants in designing sustainable tools to educate riders to recognize harmful situations and how to prevent them. Stay tuned for the coming up SafeShred activities!

Project Manager Erasmus+:
Boris Kilvinger
boris@worldsnowboardfederation.org 

Project Coordinator:
Floriane Poncet
floriane@worldsnowboardfederation.org 

SafeShred is a program co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

Categories
News SafeShred

SafeShred SEPTEMBER UPDATE: Educational Program Underway

September will be a decisive month for the SafeShred project. Indeed, September will host the first “real-life” event with SafeShred partners. This is a milestone in the project’s lifetime because the Covid-19 pandemic has so far limited the scope of all gatherings to online meetings. At the occasion of the WSF General Assembly, the six European snowboard associations involved in SafeShred and the other partners should therefore finally experience the full benefit of what any Erasmus+ Project can offer: share experiences and strengthen cooperation in a multicultural environment.

In Zurich, Switzerland, the Foundation for Sport Integrity (Stitching CSCF) will present the results of their research conducted in six countries to propose the first pillars of the curriculum, which will take the form of both a Riders’ Guide and an E-learning Program. The “Fact-Finding Missions” were conducted in Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. Over the last few weeks, the Foundation for Sport Integrity and the WSF also led online brainstorming sessions with these same snowboard associations to shape a program that will respond to the needs and match the opportunities on the field. With this feedback, the CSCF team of experts is currently working hard on the first draft of the curriculum.

Finally, SafeShred also got a fresh identity in September with the finalization of its logo. SafeShred is a program co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

Just like the rest of the snowboard community, SafeShred partners already look forward to winter 2021-22 during which the curriculum will be tested by young riders across Europe and beyond. An exciting initiative to raise awareness among the grassroots riders on issues related to ethics in snowboarding.

Click here for more information on SafeShred.

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News

WSF General Assembly Information and Agenda

The WSF General Assembly will take place from 24.09.2021 to 26.09.2021 in Zurich, Switzerland at the Hotel Allegra. We’re looking forward to connecting with all the members of the World Snowboard Federation and the greater snowboard community in person.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGENDA

FRIDAY, 24.09.2021: 
Morning: Arrival for WSF Members
14.00 – 14.30: Registration and Welcoming
14.30 – 17.30: SafeShred Erasmus Plus Project
19:00: Dinner organized by WSF

SATURDAY 25.09.2021 – GA Part I:
9.00 – 9.15: Introduction
9.15 – 12.00: Reports & Projects
12.00 – 14.00: Lunch Break
14.00 – 18.00: Working Groups & Committees

SUNDAY 26.09.2021:
9.00 – 9.15: Registration of Delegates
9.00 – 12.00: Financials, Auditors Report, Motions & FIS/ WSF Agreement
12.00 – 14.00: Lunch Break
14.00 – 17.00: Elections
17.15: Closing
17.30 – 19.00: WSF Board Meeting

HOTEL BOOKING

The WSF General Assembly will take place at Hotel Allegra, in Zurich. Additional information on the hotel, special pricing, and booking information is listed below.

PRICING:
– Single Room (117.50 CHF p. P./ Night – including breakfast)
– Double Room used by two (139 CHF p. R./Night –  including breakfast)

BOOKING:
In order to guarantee all WSF members the special WSF price, we kindly ask you to send an email to: allegralodge@welcomehotels.ch and include that you are attending the World Snowboard Federation General Assembly. The deadline for the booking is August 31st, 2021.

Cancellation free of charge until 1 week before the GA

Categories
Events News World Snowboarding

BIG AIR CHUR Snowboard World Cup kicks off the winter season Oct 22-23

BIG AIR CHUR brings the live audience a mix of freestyle sport and urban music. At the first FIS Freeski and Snowboard World Cup 2021/2022, freestyle athletes will inaugurate the Big Air ramp in the Obere Au area in Chur and open up the Olympic winter. Nine international and national acts will provide top-class live music. The Skate Park, Guest Zone, Bündner Village, Gastrozone and the Promenade and Party Mile with over 20 DJs will be offering vibing variety from the early morning to late at night. Public admission goes hand in hand with COVID rules – vaccinated, recovered or tested. Advance ticket sales start on Friday 20 August 2021, at 8 AM CEST via www.ticketmaster.ch. 

Live festival with top-class freestyle sport and music

“With the BIG AIR CHUR, we want to mix the sports experience with the concert experience to create a unique event according to the motto: 1+1=3,” says René Götz, project manager of BIG AIR CHUR.  With the First Event AG (Swiss subsidiary of Live Nation, the worldwide market leader in music festivals), organizers Wolfgang Sahli and René Götz bring crucial experience with them and their team. For the sports section, they have professional experts on board and hosts Canton of Graubünden and the City of Chur are also enthusiastically behind the Incity event. Chur’s mayor Urs Marti says: “Chur is a lively and urban city. The BIG AIR CHUR Festival, therefore, fits in perfectly here, and I hope it will become a permanent fixture in Chur’s event calendar!”

The Obere Au offers a spacious area for live events with an audience as well as space for music stages and the Big Air steel frame. The event will, of course, be provided with its own COVID-19 protection concept via the cooperation of the FIS and Swiss-Ski associations with the town of Chur and the organizing First Event AG, so that spectators, as well as riders, crew, teams, artists, media, and services, are protected. 

FIS Freeski & Snowboard season opener

To date, a total of 160 freestylers from over 25 countries have been registered by their national associations to take part in the premiere event. Women and men will use the same construction in both freeski and snowboarding. 650 tonnes of steel will be used for the 40-metre-high and 110-metre-long Big Air discipline.

The starting field in snowboarding is shining with international greats such as the Big Air Olympic champions from 2018, Anna Gasser from Austria, and Sebastien Toutant from Canada. Followed by the youngsters Kokomo Murase (JAP), Annika Morgan (GER), and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL), who was constantly on the podium last season. Names such as current World Champions Laurie Blouin and Mark McMorris (CAN) as well as Staale Sandbech (NOR) guarantee exceptional tricks performances over the kicker in aficionado circles.

Freeski will not be celebrating its Olympic baptism of fire until 2022 where athletes from all over the world will have to qualify. Also super stars like Eileen Gnu (CHN), James Woods (GBR) and Henrik Harlaut (SWE). The best way forward would be with a top performance at the BIG AIR CHUR. A home game for the strong Swiss team? Well, with Sarah Höfflin and Mathilde Gremaud from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, the Swiss team is a podium contender. Kim Gubser, who made the leap to the top of the world in the spring of 2021 with a bronze medal at the World Championships, is also a hot commodity.

Whether the Graubündner locals Giulia Tanno and Big Air World Champion Andri Ragettli will return to the contest following injuries at the end of October still remains to be seen – but they will be on location nonetheless to experience the spectacle of the Big Air and the live concerts first hand. 

Apache 207, Jan Delay & Disko No. 1, Sido
The music line-up trumps the trumpet with hip and popular German rap. Three stadium bands Apache 207 (Friday), Jan Delay & Disko No. 1 and Sido (both Saturday) will have festival fans partying at the very thought of a live concert.

Programme overview:

Friday, 22 October 2021

Live over the Big Air:
FIS Freeski World Cup with qualifications, night finals.
Live on stage:
Apache 207, Breitbild, Nura, LIV & Geesbeatz 

Saturday, 23 October 2021

Live over the Big Air:
FIS Snowboard World Cup with qualifications, night finals
Live on stage:
Sido, Jan Delay & Disko No. 1, Lo & Leduc, Mimiks, Danitsa

Website: www.bigairfestival.com
Tickets from 20.08.2021 from 8 AM on: www.ticketmaster.ch and at Tourist Office Chur
Admission only with COVID vaccinated, recovered and/or tested certificate.

Media portal BIG AIR CHUR:
https://medien.bigairfestival.com/
Media contact BIG AIR CHUR:
Astrid Nehls, astrid@services-sbc.com
+41 79 9024215 +43 676 4314410

 

Categories
2021 Features Grassroots Projects upcoming events

Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY Kicks Off Its 9th Season In December

In December 2021, the Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY hosted by Blue Tomato and Ride Snowboards will be kicking off into the 9th season. As every year, the popular snowboard tour attracts international riders to travel to Zillertal from everywhere. Under the aegis of the Ästhetiker crew, four tour stops will be held in 2021/2022. The events will be going down in four different Zillertal snowparks, always happening with one day of coaching and training and a slopestyle competition day. This season´s series will be kicking off with the first tour stop on December 18th and 19th at the ski resort of Hochzillertal-Kaltenbach.

Nine years of Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY hosted by Blue Tomato & Ride Snowboards! Thanks to the ongoing support by Zillertal Tourism GmbH, the Zillertal mountain companies, and tourism associations, as well as loyal partners like Blue Tomato, Ride Snowboards, Red Bull, Horsefeathers, and Dana Beanies, the popular VÄLLEY RÄLLEY will be coming home to Zillertal in December 2021 again.


Rider: Mika Schweizer photo: Dan Mullins

Zillertal Tourism General Manager Beate Kassner is looking forward to the event series: “The support of up-and-coming talents in wintersports is an extremely important topic for us in the Zillertal. We are delighted to welcome so many young athletes to the Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY. The tour starts in December is an important date for all of us and we wish all our participants good luck and great success.”

In the past eight years, Zillertal´s famous snowboard tour has become one of Europe´s top events for up-and-coming snowboarding talents. „With the Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY we are providing a platform for young riders to enter professional snowboarding and breathe fresh contest air,“ Ästhetiker prÄsident Steve Gruber explains. „The unique combination of coaching and contest has proven its success over the past years. Young athletes take advantage of our events to push their own level of progression. We are proud to announce that some of them have qualified for the Olympic Games.“

Boardsports fans can look forward to four action-packed weekends in the Zillertal. At every tour stop, the latest Ride Snowboards and bindings will be available for free demo/testing. And while the coaching day stands for freebie freestyle training in small groups and together with snowboard pros, Europe´s rising stars will be throwing their best tricks down all over the slopestyle course on the competition day.

All four competitions come along with medals, prizes, and prize money. And while Ride Snowboards hands out brand-new snowboards to the winners, presenting partner Blue Tomato will be organizing side events and fun competitions on the coaching day. Horsefeathers will deliver a brand-new outerwear combo for the Horsefeathers best trick winner at every tour stop.


2020’s Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY overall tour winners showing off their goods. Photo courtesy of Zillertal.

With every contest result, athletes will accumulate points in the Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY overall ranking. The Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY 2021/2022 overall tour winners will be crowned into the new Royal Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY family at the fourth and final stage at Hintertux Glacier. Riders participating in the tour will automatically be collecting points for the International World Snowboard Point List (WSPL). The points of the first three VÄLLEY RÄLLEY events further count as ASA (Austrian Snowboard Association) Austriacup results. According to the accumulated points after the first three events, the best man, the best woman, and top rookies (U18) are qualified for the Austrian Master’s Slopestyle Finals. Rookies (U18) are collecting points in the World Rookie Ranking to qualify for the World Rookie Tour Finals. More info about the international points system can be looked up at http://www.powdern.com

Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY event schedule 2021/2022:

1.Tour stop – 18.-19.12.2021 – Skiregion Hochzillertal-Kaltenbach, Erste Ferienregion im Zillertal
2.Tour stop – 15.-16.01.2022 – Zillertal Arena, Zell-Gerlos
3.Tour stop – 26.-27.02.2022 – Penken Park Mayrhofen, Mayrhofen-Hippach im Zillertal
4.Tour stop – 23.-24.04.2022 – Hintertux Glacier, Betterpark Hintertux, Tux-Finkenberg

It’s understood that the actual safety precautions and conditions will be communicated, controlled, and complied at all Zillertal VÄLLEY RÄLLEY events. Late contest registrations will not be possible on site. Check www.valleyralley.at and www.zillertal.at/valleyralley for categories, age groups and registration.


Zillertal’s parks are made for all levels, from freestyle newbie to super pro. Photo courtesy of Zillertal.

About the Zillertal:
The Zillertal counts among the most popular alpine destinations. It’s well-known as Europe’s number one valley for snowboarding. Zillertal’s snow parks rank high, attracting the world’s top snowboarders to train in the valley since time immemorial. The choice is huge and there are jumps, rails, and boxes available for all levels. No matter, if you’re a freestyle newbie or snowboard pro, Zillerta’s snow parks deliver the perfect playground for any kind of tricks, jumps, and creativity. Find out more at www.zillertal.at

Categories
Events Features

WSF BANKED SLALOM TOUR IS BACK FOR 2021/22 SEASON

The WSF is pleased to announce that the WSF Banked Slalom Tour is on for the 2021/22 season. We’re in the early stages of tour preparation and are encouraging event organizers to submit their dates so WSF can complete the finalized tour calendar.

HOW TO BECOME A PART OF THE WSF BANKED SLALOM TOUR:
WSF invites all national associations that have existing banked slalom contests to be part of the tour and fill out the attached application form to participate.
WSF also invites all of you to organize a banked slalom contest and get support from us on how to do it. WSF will provide technical support to those who have never organized a banked slalom event as well as support the PR and communication for all WSF Banked Slalom Tour events planned for the season 2021/22.

In order to be part of the WSF Banked Slalom Tour, each event organizer will be asked for a 25 euros event fee. The fee will be used to run and promote the WSF Banked Slalom Tour and will allow WSF to promote, communicate and support WSF member events.

Please download the application form and check out the general information, event benefits, and recommendations.
Membership application is to be found here.
Do not hesitate to contact us at: events@worldsnowboardfederation.org
Please send the application forms back to: events@worldsnowboardfederation.org

WSF Banked Slalom Tour 2021/22 Calendar:  

15.01.2022: Dual Banked Slalom – Hafjell, Norway
29.01.2022: Brown Bear Banked Slalom – Saint Lary, France
29.01.2022: Banked Bakony – Siaréna Vibe Park Eplény, Hungary
22.04/23.04.2022: QKLS Rally Banked Slalom Finnish Championships – Tahko Ski Resort, Finland

For any other info contact us here: events@worldsnowboardfederation.org

Categories
News

WSF GENERAL ASSEMBLY DATES SET

WSF General Assembly Dates are fixed for September 23rd to 27th in Zurich, Switzerland. We’re looking forward to meeting in person and discussing the FIS and WSF contract, WSF elections, and working groups to discuss relevant topics for the future of snowboarding.

More information to come.

Categories
News SafeShred

SafeShred Update: Empowering young riders to face unethical issues in Snowboarding

The different partners involved in SafeShred, an initiative co-financed by the Erasmus+ Sport program of the European Commission, started their cooperation at the beginning of 2021. Since then, they have already done considerable work on the project.

SafeShred aims at designing and implementing an educational program to raise awareness among the grassroots riders on issues related to ethics in snowboarding. The first step in the process is to collect the key information and practices about several topics such as manipulation of sport competition, doping, harassment, corruption, etc. This preparation phase, also called “Comprehensive Research” should help in building a strong program adapted to the young riders.

In the last two months, the University Ramon Llull Fondacio based in Spain, has led a research on the legislation and policies of the partner countries, and more broadly in Europe. In the meantime, several experts from the project partner Foundation for Sport Integrity (Stitching CSCF) have interviewed expert riders, coaches, managers, ethic and law experts, supporting personnel and other stakeholders coming from the field of snowboarding. These fact-finding missions were conducted in six countries: Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. The contribution of the WSF members (list below) has been extremely valuable in understanding how people view the existing policies related to these ethical topics and how the practices observed on the field reflect (or not) the legal documents. The last ongoing step in the preparation phase is a survey constructed and conducted by the University Ramon Llull Fondacio among the athletes to learn about their perspective, prior knowledge, trust, fears, and exposure.

The curriculum will be created by the experts of the Foundation for Sport Integrity (Stitching CSCF) and adapted in two formats: a Riders’ Guide and an E-learning Program. The WSF already looks ahead to the delivery of the education program to the young riders by gathering good practices and experiences across the partner countries. Throughout the winter 2021-22, training for riders will be organized across Europe and beyond, to test the curriculum and review the final project deliverables.

Special thanks to the members of the WSF involved in SafeShred: Austrian Snowboard Association, Finnish Snowboard Association, Snowboard Germany, Snowboard Italy, Swedish Ski Association, Swiss Ski.