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Report: Burning Boots Banked Slalom 2020 was epic!

The third edition of Burning Boots Banked Slalom had it all – sunshine, fresh snow & banked turns. The event went down in March, before the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and having fun in the snow was still on every snowboarder’s mind. On Saturday, which was reserved for training runs and qualification, the winter even came to Brauneck with 20cm of fresh snow!

The course was handshaped by Snowboard Germany & Bayern and made the 170 registered riders absolutely happy. On Sunday the weather cleared up and the contest went down in the best possible conditions. Especially the kids in the categories U9, U12 and U15 were unstoppable and it was no surprise that the U15 riders placed also at TOP spots in the Open category.

Big thanks to the sponsors: K2 Snowboards, Burton, Nitro, Blue Tomato, Shred Kids, Stie Alm, Brauneck Bergbahn und die Snowboardschule Schneesturm

The 4th edition of the Burning Boots Banked Slalom will go down 27.-28.02.2021!

Open Men:


  1. Maximilian Thalhammer (SC Aising-Pang)
  2. Korbinian Blaschek (SC Miesbach)
  3. Markus Schwab

Open Ladies:


  1. Viktoria Egler
  2. Joana Attenberger (SC Dingoldfing)
  3. Tamara Schmidt (SC Dingoldfing)

U15 Boys:


  1. Julius Reichle (SC Konstanz)
  2. Elias Hamalainen
  3. Kenta Kirchwehm (SC Altglashütten)

U15 Girls:

  1. Florina Pohl (SC Bissingen)
  2. Loreley Pigmans
  3. Salome Jansing (SC Schellenberg)

U12 Boys:

  1. Benedikt Werner (SC Miesbach)
  2. Luka Kamissek (TSV 1860 München)
  3. Felix Babilon (SC Miesbach)

U12 Girls:

  1. Rosalie Bauer (SC Miesbach)
  2. Ida Bauer (SC Miesbach)page2image1536 page2image1728 page2image1920 page2image2112 page2image2304
  3. 3. Joana Fuchs (Shreddogs Munich)

U9 Boys:

  1. Leo Schwab
  2. David Babilon (SC Miesbach)
  3. Aris Kyriazis (Shreddogs Munich)

U9 Girls:

  1. Sita Heiny (SC Altglashütten)
  2. Isabella Wörner (TSV Uhlbach)
  3. Milja Bizenberger (Wsg Feldberg)

Stay in touch with the event on Instagram.

#burningboots

Photos: Coo.Productions

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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

Report: The Greek Banked Slalom 2020 presented by The Thing About Greece

The Banked Slalom, one of the most historical and established snowboard races went down on 29th February in Greece for the second year in a row under the mindful umbrella of the World Snowboard Federation. A short report from the organisers with photos & video follows:

What a Weekend! We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout and lively energy… especially considering the lack of snow this season. Huge thanks to everyone who came down to Kalavrita snow resort to ride the snake, fly off the big booter or simply just to shake their booty!

Saturday 29th of January – Banked Slalom

After the snowstorm a bluebird day had started! The Banked slalom run was ready around 13:00 and looked like a giant snake getting into the snowpark! 34 riders were standing in the line up, including snowboarders, skiers and one snowskater!

Winners:
Best snowboard – Nikolas Plytas 0,39’

2nd place snowboard – George Stavrakis 0,41’

3rd place snowboarders – Antonis David, Lazaros Kotakidis 0,42

Best ski – Ilias Aletras 0,44’

Best bail – George Katsaros, Andreas Barelos

Best costume – Vasilis Amilis

Best Snowskater – Athanasios Perrakis

Big thanks to the sponsors and supporters!

Shakka Custom Boards​ |​ ​Yes Snowboards​ |​ ​Skibill.gr​ |​ ​RBPD Fashion culture​ ​MicroXtreme Nitro snowboards​ |​ ​Fifty Fifty boardshop​ |​ ​21StOre​ |​ ​Lasercrafters​ | ​​Hedonism Rides​ |​ ​Jackals Tattoo​ |​ ​Kalavrita snowpark​ |​ ​World Snowboard Federation​ |​ ​The Thing About Greece Snowboard.gr​ |​ ​Manic side​ | ​Xιονοδρομικό Κέντρο Καλαβρύτων

VIDEO:

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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX 2020: Rollercoaster for all snowboarders!

The sixth edition of the SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX 2020 hosted by Terje Haakonsen and Nicolas Müller, which is part of the WSF Banked Slalom tour 2019/20 took place successfully on 5-8 March 2020. Olympic champions, legends, former world champions, professional riders, amateurs and aspiring talents – everybody came together in LAAX this weekend to celebrate their passion for snowboarding.

BANKED SLALOM EXCITEMENT – Terje Haakonsen and Laax local Nicolas Müller have now been hosting the SuddenRush Banked Slalom event in Laax for six years. In the event, the participants have to complete the 400-metre course featuring 20 banked turns as quickly as possible. The Banked Slalom dates back to the origins of the sport and has been celebrating a revival in recent years. The fascination with the event shows no signs of slowing down. Terje says: “Banked Slaloms are suitable for every rider, it’s kind of like riding a rollercoaster on time. It’s an honor hosting this event together with Nicolas at his home resort.” The age difference between the oldest (56) and youngest (6) participants is almost five decades. And this is exactly what makes the Banked Slalom so special. It feels rather like a meeting of generations. A coming together of the snowboard family, with riders from the early days through to the stars of today and the shredders of tomorrow.

The Banked Slalom competitions are arranged in a wide range of categories (17 in total). The riders line up at the start divided into numerous different age classes. Each participant performs two runs. Their best time is counted as their final result.

TOP STARS AND LEGENDS – On Friday, riders over 40 years of age, including a number of legends, lined up at the start alongside the top riders of today. In the Pro Women’s event, LAAX local Sina Candrian secured victory for the first time ahead of Karleen Jeffery-Barlia, who has a wealth of banked slalom experience, although primarily in the Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom event. The previous year’s champion, Chloe Sillieres from France, took the final spot on the podium. In the Pro Men’s competition, 45-year-old Reto Neiger from Switzerland claimed the title ahead of Christian ‘Hitsch’ Haller and snowboarding icon Travis Rice (USA), who was taking part in his first SuddenRush Banked Slalom. “I was aware of this event for many years, I’m psyched to finally be here.”

In the Super Masters Men (50+), Peter Bauer (53), who was one of Europe’s first snowboarding professionals in the 90s, showed his class once again. The Bavarian was well ahead of the rest of the field in his category. Thomas Scherrer (47) claimed victory in the Grand Masters Men (45-49), while Grindelwald native Pascal Imhof took top spot on the podium for the second year in a row in the Masters Men (40-44). His wife Murielle Imhof was victorious once again in the Masters Women (40+) ahead of Austrian Nici Pederzolli and Olympic champion 2006 Tanja Frieden.

OPEN TOP SPEED – On Saturday, the action continued with the Open class for amateurs aged 18-39. This is traditionally the category with the most participants. Svenja Schallner (25) came out on top in the Women’s event, while Alex Rufibach (35) reclaimed the title he won in 2018 in the Men’s. He also caused a sensation in the coming together at the end of the day when the top three to five riders from each category went up against one another again to determine the fastest riders across all categories in the ‘Fastest Run’ race. Rufibach unexpectedly overcame the top pros and master riders to take his place on the top of the podium for the second time of the day, with Reto Neiger, Pascal Imhof and Travis Rice coming in just behind him.

KIDS & FAKIE RACE – On Sunday, as is tradition, the spotlight was on the up-and-coming talent, and the young participants enjoyed a day of bright sunshine on the course. Every year, the young stars astonish the spectators with their skills on their boards, showing they are every bit the match of their older counterparts. They fearlessly mastered the banked turns with a smile on their face. Paula Bauer and Lura Wick came out on top in the Girls’ events. In the Boys’ events, defending champions in their age classes Nico Bondi and Jonas Hasler made it to the top of the podium, having also done so the week before at the Burton US OPEN Juniors. The teenager class (14-17 years) was won by Leonie Hasler and Julian Furrer.

The fakie race then brought the event to a close. This is a prestigious title for the riders, where they have to navigate the course backwards. David Hablützel showed his class here, finishing several seconds ahead of the rest of the field. “I’m fit. And I’m fast. Very fast,” he said at the start.

At the end of the day, all of the riders celebrated their passion for the sport and cruised through the course together. Simply sensational! As Reto Poltera says: “The Banked in LAAX is like a surf session at the sea!” This was SuddenRush Banked Slalom 2020 in LAAX. See you next year!

Check out also the video playlist on the LAAX YouTube channel.

Super Masters Men (50+)

  1. Peter Bauer
  2. Andy Meyenberg
  3. Thomas Hinterseer

Grand Masters Men (45-49)

  1. Thomas Scherrer
  2. Oliver Brunschwiler
  3. Didi Haab

Masters Women (from 40)

  1. Murielle Imhof
  2. Nici Pederzolli
  3. Tanja Frieden

Masters Men (40-44)

  1. Pascal Imhof
  2. Arild Brun Kjeldaas
  3. Ingemar Backman

Pro Women (from 18)

  1. Sina Candrian
  2. Karleen Jeffery-Barlia
  3. Chloe Sillieres

Pro Men (from 18)

  1. Reto Neiger
  2. Christian Haller
  3. Travis Rice

Open Women (18-39)

  1. Svenja Schallner
  2. Lia Langenegger
  3. Tiziana Casutt

Open Men (18-39)

  1. Alex Rufibach
  2. Renato Nadig
  3. Thomas Wolf

Fastest Race Women

  1. Chloe Sillieres
  2. Murielle Imhof
  3. Svenja Schallner

Fastest Race Men

  1. Alex Rufibach
  2. Reto Neiger
  3. Pascal Imhof

Fakie Race

  1. David Hablützel
  2. Reto Neiger
  3. Alex Rufibach

Young Kids Girls (up to 10)

  1. Paula Bauer
  2. Samira Sprenger
  3. Raquel Süssmeier

Young Kids Boys (up to 10)

  1. Nico Bondi
  2. Leo Thoresen
  3. Laurin Derungs

Old Kids Girls (11-13)

  1. Lura Wick
  2. Kona Ettel
  3. Rosie Rothney

Old Kids Boys (11-13)

  1. Jonas Hasler
  2. Mischa Zürcher
  3. Luis Marchesi

Juniors Girls (14-17)

  1. Leonie Hasler
  2. Samuela Mondani
  3. Alexandra Eckhardt

Junior Boys (14-17)

  1. Julian Furrer
  2. Rafael Burri
  3. Elash Ndiaye

About the event:

The annual SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX 2020 hosted by Terje Haakonsen and Nicolas Müller is taking place since 2015 in the beginning of March. With this event, LAAX brings the roots of snowboarding into the present day. Aged between four and sixty-four or more the riders’ field is made up of park shapers, pro riders, former world champions, boardercross specialists, alpine legends, leisure boarders, Olympics and, of course, host legends Terje Haakonsen and Nicolas Müller are personally on-site.

Photos:LAAX/Ruggli

#SuddenRushLaax #WSFBankedSlalomTour

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2020 Banked Slalom Events Features News report Reports

Gstaad Banked Slalom 2020 had a record number of 121 riders!

It was a great edition of the Gstaad Banked Slalom with heaps of fresh snow and a course which the 121 competitors really enjoyed!
It was also a new record of participants in the deep Röstigraben under the Gummfluh far away from the civilization.
Many kids won great prizes and the adults where having lots of fun in the well shaped banks.
Real Banked Slalom roots the way it should be…
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2020 Banked Slalom Features News report Reports

Record number of riders at the Hochkeil Banked Slalom 2020!

Snowboarding is dead… NOT!
This year’s Hochkeil Banked Slalom had a record number of starting riders. Check out the report with photos and a video below.

At the seventh edition of the Hochkeil Banked Slalom on Saturday 11th of January in Mühlbach am Hochkönig, almost 120 riders started, more than ever before. The demanding banked course in the natural snow area of Hochkeil offered challenges for professionals and pleasure boarders. In addition to the fastest, the average times were again rewarded with main prizes. So there was an exciting but also relaxed race which is part of the WSF Banked Slalom Tour.


The Hochkeil Banked Slalom took place on Saturday for the seventh time at Hochkeil – Hochkönig ski area. Already in the morning there was a big rush when riders registered at the Arthurhaus lift. Around 120 snowboarders from Austria, Germany, Belgium, Scotland and the Czech Republic got one of the coveted starting spots.

During training, clouds and even fog wafted through the best-prepared banked course. Just in time for the first run, the visibility improved and the riders showed spectacular riding. Especially the kids, with the youngest participant who was only two years old, gave it all.

For the second run, the sun even came out and the Mandlwand in the spectacular Hochkönig massive. Also the second run was accident-free and fun for all riders. Stewart Orr, our Scotsman living in Kaprun, snatched the victory with a dream time in the last second in front of Friedl May, who lives in Salzburg. Jacob Zeppelzauer came in strong third.

As in the previous year, Kathrin Gappmayer from Kuchl dueled the ladies class with 2010 freeride world champion Aline Bock from Germany, who is at home in Innsbruck. With a great second run Aline secured the best time and got her first victory at the Hochkeil Banked. Lisa Wollein from Austria took third place.

Hochkeil Shaper Kim Arents from Belgium came closest to the average adult time and recived a brand new Goodboard. The legends class was dominated by Markus Ebner from Bavaria, world champion and vice world champion at the turn of the millennium, ahead of Goodboard’s founder Josef Holub from Ammersee, born in Prague. Third place went to legendary Bavarian Peter Mohr with an old school setup.
The middle time in Legends class was snapped by Mary Schumacher from Tyrol from the “Snowboarding Family”.

At the boys group, Leonardo Schweizer won ahead of Niclas Ebner and Oliver Chirstov, all three from the Bavarian team. Tina Schrott prevailed over the girls, ahead of Rosalie Bauer and Mathilda Scheid. These three brisk ladies also came from the strong Bavarian team.

The kids set a highlight at the Hochkeil Banked 2020. Fenja Jansing from SC Schellenberg / Bavaria secured a hair’s breadth from Hedi Machein from the “Snowboarding Family” / Austria and Wally Macheiner also from the “Snowboarding Family”.

The kid’s average time was snapped by Stani Macheiner born in 2018 accompanied by Lilo Krebernik also member of the “Snowboarding Family” and at home in Vienna!

At the award ceremony the sun went down and the great prizes sponsored by Goodboards, Blue Tomato, SP Bindings and 686 Clothing brought a smile to the faces of the many tired riders. The Hochkeil team is looking forward to the banked slalom next year!

Photos: Wolf Wieser
Contact for questions: Peter Radacher – info@snowboardmuseum.com

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Report: Treble Cone Banked Slalom 2019

One of the first Banked Slalom contests of this season went down on the last day of August in New Zealand’s Treble Cone resort. This year’s Treble Cone Banked Slalom counted an impressive number of 83 competitors. The organization of the event was complimented by amazing bluebird weather to create a festive atmosphere and fun event that was described by competitors and staff as the best Banked Slalom in recent memory!

Treble Cone’s Banked Slalom is recognised by the press as New Zealand’s most iconic snowboard race and has been a traditional event at Treble Cone for over 16 years.

This year the event was sponsored by: Moa Beer, Jones Snowboards, Now Bindings and POW.

Full results can be viewed here.

Official video:

For further info about the event & potential cooperation you can contact: Jo Lynch at jo@treblecone.com or Alejandro Cuba at c.alejandro91@gmail.com.

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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

Banked Slalom Finnish Champs and Finnish spring – what a combo!

On April 6th Banked Slalom Finnish Champs were held in Tahko, Finland in an amazing weather. The event, organized by Finnish Snowboarding Association, was full of joy as the perfect course was enjoyed by nearly 100 riders under a Finnish spring sun.

The annual Finnish Champs were held a second year in a row with lots of riders returing to Tahko. There were pro riders such as Heikki Sorsa, Siv Knudsen and Anton Lindfors, former pro riders like Joni Malmi, Sami Tuoriniemi and Heppu Pentti and a bunch of amazing riders from all ages.

The competition was held in three categories: Open, Rookies and Adaptive. Unfortunately reigning adaptive banked slalom Finnish champ, Paralympic gold winner and X Games gold medalist Matti Suur-Hamari couldn’t compete this year, but it was great to see Tomi Taskinen and a new face Sampsa Kankkunen on course. In the end it was Kankkunen taking gold with a solid run.

In open category it was a tough race. At first it seemed Jenni Viitanen and Anton Lindfors would be having an easy year as they both had straight great runs, but as the two-hour-session got further, other riders began to get better times. Unfortunately for the others, good for Jenni and Anton, but the rest of the field wasn’t fast enough. So boardercross World Cup rider Anton Lindfors took another gold, and so did Jenni Viitanen. Silver medalist in men Heppu Pentti was only 0,5 second behind Anton, and there were five riders inside one second. In rookies it was Roni Aalto and Jasmin Kaikuranta taking the fastest laps.

And not to forget team challenge on day before. With ”Gone Fishin’” theme it was a blast as riders wearing all kinds of funny costumes were killing it on course. In the end it was Team TB (brothers Jari Tuoriniemi and Sami Tuoriniemi) taking the fastest laps and enjoying the victory.

Thank you for all for taking part and see you next year with even better race!

Banked Slalom Finnish Champs were supported by Burton Snowboards, Tahko, Tahko Chalet, SkiOne.fi and Vision Fly Fishing

Open, men:

1. Anton Lindfors 33,45

2. Heppu Pentti 33,96

3. Panu Ruotsalainen 34,20

Open, Women:

1. Jenni Viitanen 37,71

2. Siv Knudsen 38,37

3. Heidi Latola 38.95

Adaptive:

1. Sampsa Kankkunen 43,47

2. Tomi Taskinen 1.10,71

Rookies, boys:

1. Roni Aalto 35,83

2. Elias Hämäläinen 36,85

3. Roomeo Aalto 37,08

Rookies, girls:

1. Jasmin Kaikuranta 41,09

2. Ronia Welling 41,86

3. Sara Nybäck 41,87

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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

Brelok Banked Slalom supported by Ride!

Last weekend (16-17.03.2019) on “Czarny Gron” ski resort there was a third edition of “Brelok Banked Slalom supported by RIDE”.

Shapers crew from “Tiger Snowpark”, made a grat job building very fun banked slalom course. All kind of riders participated, from juniors to seniors, from amateurs to pros. During the weekend we had all U could ask for to have a best day on snow- lots of friends, great wheater, dj playng good music, perfect banked slalom course, great pizes, aferparty, and lots of fun all weekend long.
Riders tried their chances in three categories: junior, amateur and pro. In women PRO category an 2018 olimpian Zuzanna Smykała won for the third time in a row.
Awesome prizes were given to the winners. Among them RIDE snowboards, GoPro cameras. Dakine backpacks, Electric gogels, NEO tools limited gadgets and multitools, rastaurant vouchers (Weranda bistro, Picollo pizza ) and more.
Every rider o the podium also were given a skateboard as a trophy, made specialy for 2019 edition.
BBS organisators, once again managed to create great eavent with a friendly and fun atmosphere. We are waiting for the forth edition. See you next year.

Winners of each category are the following:
Junior women 1. Giza Martyna 2. Kowalówka Martyna 3. Jędrzejczyk Hania
Junior man 1. Orlik Filip 2. Zawada Jakub 3. Jesionek Michał
Amateur women 1. Troszok Agnieszka 2. Krasińska Karolina 3. Tomalczyk Aleksandra
Amateur men 1. Trzeszczoń Oskar 2. Buliszak Dawid 3. Szpakowski Jacek
Pro women 1. Smykała Zuzanna 2. Wolska Dominika 3. Troszok Agnieszka
Pro men 1. Ligocki Michał 2. Pająk Wojtek 3. Ligocki Mateusz
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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

Landing Snowboard Banked Slalom was a blast!

Last Saturday March 23 took place the first edition of the Landing Snowboard Banked Slalom organized by the pioneering company specialized in snowboard and splitboard, Landing Snowboard, in collaboration with the World Snowboard Federation (WSF).

A first edition loaded with adrenaline and lots of fun, in which 142 participants of all ages were able to enjoy the Banked Slalom circuit in the Era Marmota snowpark at Baqueira Beret resort.

The day began at 8 am with the collection of bibs at the base of Beret and eagerly, participants both young and old, were accredited according to 4 categories: Groms (< 12) and Rookies (< 18) with number of 16 participants per category, Seniors (< 40) with 60 participants and Legends (> 40) with 50. Among the participating snowboarders were the riders of Quiksilver, pro snowboarder Mathieu Crépel and pro surfer Aritz Aranburu.

From 9 a.m. onwards, the first participants could be seen practicing and enjoying the circuit located in the Era Marmota snowpark, designed by the Baqueira – Beret Stadium team, led by Quique Quintero and in collaboration with Oriol Rosell, the builder of Landing Snowboard.

The competition started at 11 am sharp, with two rounds of the race the snowboarders were classified according to their best times. The opener of the circuit was Igor Domínguez, founder of Landing Snowboard, followed by the number 1 bib, the smallest participant with only 8 years.

Throughout the day, the riders have enjoyed a very technical circuit for those who aspired to reach the top positions but also suitable for all levels.

Among the participants, snowboarders from France, Andorra and different points in the center and north of the peninsula.

It was 16:00h when the awards ceremony was held at the Beret base, more than 8,000€ in sports equipment delivered in order of categories:

 

Groms – Women

1st Itziar Pérez

2nd Chloe Fábrega

3ª Clementine Wall

 

Groms – Men

1st Axel Domínguez

2nd Pantxo Wall

3rd Martxelo Udruzola

 

Rookies – Women

1st Uxue Domínguez

2nd Anne Ripa Tous

3rd Danae Sanllehy

 

Rookies – Men

1st Pau Riba

2nd Dani Panera

3rd Javi Acha

 

Senior – Women

1º Diana Álvarez

2nd Daniela Zwerger

3rd Galatea Spain

 

Senior – Men

1st Mathieu Crépel

2nd Jon Arribas

3rd Alfons García

 

Legends – Women

1st Elena González de Murillo

2nd Danni Wall

3rd Maria del Carmen Gonzalez

 

Legends – Men

1st Lluc Navarro

2nd Garry Wall

3rd Manuel Palacios

 

“It has been a very technical and explosive circuit but also very fun, in which all the participants have been able to feel comfortable and enjoyed a lot. We are very happy with the number of participants who came to enjoy the circuit with us. Comments Javi Guimont, founder of Landing Snowboard, organizers of the race.

 

For this first edition of Banked Slalom, Landing Snowboard has the support of sponsors such as: Quiksilver, Salomon Snowboards, San Miguel 0.0, Ajuntament Naut Aran, Val d’Aran and Baqueira – Beret.

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Banked Slalom Events Features News report

SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX 2019 hosted by Terje Haakonsen und Nicolas Müller: An intergenerational snowboarding race

The fifth edition of SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX (7-10 March) brought together professionals, legends from the past, snowboarding fanatics, rising stars and kids. 400 riders ranging from 4 to 56 lined up this weekend full of anticipation. 

The fascination of Banked Slalom remains undiminished. The fifth edition in LAAX has once again shown that this is more than just a race, but is about seeing friends again and meeting up with the whole snowboarding family. Beaming faces and good moods are everywhere to be seen, as stories are regaled and new memories created. Everybody here shares the same enthusiasm. Xavier De Le Rue, former Freeride world champion and appearing at the SuddenRush Banked Slalom for the first time, sums it up perfectly: “I think my biggest satisfaction of the weekend is to see the snowboarding vibe so alive here in Laax. This event is so refreshing, it’s just heartwarming and I wanna come back and do more events like this.” 

The 400-metre course beneath the Crap Sogn Gion, featuring 21 banked turns, took centre stage over three days. Numerous helpers spent weeks shovelling snow to get the course in shape, including the event hosts Terje Haakonsen and Nicolas Müller, co-organiser Chris Bachmann from SuddenRush and US pro rider Nick Geisen. 

“The snow work is better than ever. It’s perfect. The banks are just the right height. The course is built for all classes. It’s the same for everyone, for masters, open riders, kids and professionals. This is important. This ensures that everyone has fun and will come back,” says the experienced event participant Virgilio Crivelli. 

The Pro class and Masters (40+), Grand Masters (45-49) and Super Masters (50+) were the first to take on the course on Friday. Host Terje Haakonsen showed his class once again and emerged triumphant in the Pro category. In the women’s event, Chloe Sillieres, former LAAX Open participant, secured first place on the podium: “I used to compete in Slopestyle competitions, but now I only take part in Banked Slaloms. I love the atmosphere, everybody just wants to ride and have fun. Here in LAAX, especially, everything is very familiar. It’s just a cool resort.” Also worth mentioning is the Super Masters class (50+), which is like a ‘Who’s Who’ of snowboarding legends and pioneers from the past. Peter Bauer, who dominated the alpine snowboarding scene in the 1980s, came out on top here yet again. 

The Open category followed on Saturday. Laax local Tiziana Casutt won the women’s category, while David Birri was victorious in the men’s. The top 3 or top 5 in each category went up against one another again at the end of the day. This was to establish the fastest woman and fastest man across all categories. The riders in the Pro class showed their skills here. Swiss rider Ariane Staib-Glaus and Canadian boardercross World Cup rider Elliot Grondin secured victory. 

It was the turn of the kids to make their way fearlessly through the course on Sunday. It is always refreshing to see the enthusiasm the little ones bring to the event and how naturally they traverse the course on their snowboards. Even the juniors, who subsequently lined up, were amazed. Siria Poltera and Jonas Hasler, participants in the Halfpipe Burton US Open, put in dazzling performances here. They recorded times that would have seen them make the top 10 in the adults’ events. Almost 80 children and teenagers reached the finish line in total. The Fakie race, where participants ride “backwards” through the course, brought the event to a close. Terje once again showed that he is a master of his trade here, scooping his second victory of the weekend. 

Respect the Nature – the focus on sustainability is a mission from both SuddenRush and LAAX. The Laax Greenstyle Initiative was clear for all to see all weekend. Recycled bib numbers from old banners from previous events as well as living trophies in the shape of the Swiss stone pine tree, which is native to Laax, for the winners to take home with them are just two such examples. The course was also completely shaped by hand without the use of any machinery. Part of the entry fee goes to the Greenstyle Foundation and to the Atlantic Rainforest Organisation, which Chris Bachmann, the man behind SuddenRush and co-organiser of the Banked Slalom, helped to establish. Worn Wear Repair Tour from Patagonia was also on hand in Laax, repairing outdoor clothing of any brand free of charge. 

This was SuddenRush Banked Slalom LAAX 2019 – a tribute to the origins of snowboarding! A guarantee for the future of snowboarding. 

 

Photo Credit: Philipp Ruggli and Sam Oetiker