Check out Marc Swoboda dropping bombs on this poor battleship jib feature in Kitzsteinhorn’s park. Ten tricks, all slayed. The boy’s a machine…

At our Send Off Session towards the end of last season, Marc Swoboda vanished for half a day. We were concerned he may have been carted off by one of the thong-wearing cougars that were prowling about the restaurant but we needn’t have worried – he was just knocking the back out of the battleship. Working his way up from mellow to mental, it’s insane the amount of control the boy has on his snowboard. Nice job, dude.

Winter is here! With the opening of the Glacier Park on Saturday, October 20, 2012, Kitzsteinhorn kicks off the 2012/13 freestyle season. Shortly afterwards, the first of many event highlights of this winter will follow: on November 11, 2012, the Nitro & Volcom Season Warm-up Session will be held. A fortnight later, the Cappuccino Club exhibition and “Sprungbrett“ talent session with Nicola Thost will provide the next action-packed weekend.

At the opening, the Glacier Park (2,900 metres) presents 2 jib lines with flat-down industry, flat rail, flat-down rail, single bar down rail and banana rail as well as a kicker line with 6-metre down riffle, 7-metre kicker and 9-metre wave box. The Easy Line offers flat box, rainbow box and mini kicker. In the course of the next weeks, the Glacier Park will be extended; you can find the current set-up at www.snowpark.kitzsteinhorn.at.

Shortly after the opening of the park, Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn kicks off with the first events. It all starts with the Nitro & Volcom Season Warm-up Session in the Glacier Park on November 11, 2012. At this open session for anyone, snowboarders can ride with Nitro and Volcom pros and take some tips for shredding the rails and boxes. At the Test & Chill Area, you can test the latest hardware by Nitro Snowboards.

The next event is Sprungbrett on November 25, 2012, a talent contest for snowboard kids from age 6 to 15, with Olympic Snowboarding Champion Nicola Thost (GER) and other pro snowboarders as well as photographers and cameramen. The Kitzsteinhorn event is the kick-off to a five-stop tour. Participation is limited to 20 riders.

At the same weekend, Kitzsteinhorn provides another highlight: the exhibition of the Cappuccino Club at the Alpincenter. Each year, the snowboarding crew produces a charity calendar – a unique blend of sport aesthetics and art. At the exhibition from November 24 to the middle of December 2012, the 12 pages of the calendar are shown in art prints. These are, just like the calendar, up for sale. All proceeds benefit charity projects.

Further events at Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn wait in December: Elooa Snowboardcamp (December 07–09, 2012), Marc Swoboda Ride With Me! (December 08, 2012) and Youngblood Freeski Camp (December 14–16, 2012). As soon as there is enough snow, the freestyle action on the Kitzsteinhorn will then relocate some 400 metres further down to Easy Park, Central Park and super-pipe. They will be gradually opened from December on and are all located near the Sonnenkarbahn. The parks are characterized by long, creative lines and high kickers. For this season, the beginners’ areas will be once again expanded. The highlight of Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn is Austria’s biggest super-pipe (160 m long, 6.30 m high), which is again taken care by “Pipe master” Ali Zehentner.

Saturdays only 10 euros for children and adolescents: The Power of Zehn!

This winter, children and youths (born 1994 to 2006) only pay 10 euros for the day ski pass every Saturday from November 24, 2012, to April 27, 2013. For further information, please visit www.kitzsteinhorn.at and www.snowpark.kitzsteinhorn.at

Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn

• NEW: Nitro Snowboards and Volcom Snowboarding as main partners
• 3 world class snow parks located between 2,500 and 2,900 m altitude
• Glacier Park on the glacier open from autumn
• During winter: Easy Park for beginners and Central Park for advanced learners & pros
• Austria’s biggest super-pipe
• Railgarden Lechnerberg in the centre of Kaprun

Glacier Park (Setup as of October 20, 2012, subject to alterations)
Easy Line
Flat Box 6 m, Rainbow Box 4 m, Mini Kicker 2 m
Jib Line A
Flat-Down Industry, Flat Rail 6 m, Flat-Down Rail 3 m – 6m
Jib Line B
Flat-Down Industry, Single Bar Down Rail 9 m, Banana Rail 7 m
Kicker Line
Down Riffle 6 m, Easy/Medium Kicker 7 m, Wave Box 9 m

Easy Park (3 Lines, subject to alterations)
Upper Jib Line
Lower Jib Line
Boxes Line
Easy Kicker Line

Central Park (3 Lines, subject to alterations)
Medium Line
3 jib features and 2 kickers (appr. 8 m and 14 m)
Pro Line
2 jib features and 2 kickers (appr. 18 m and 20 m)
Jib Line
Creative line all across the park, with special features (A-frame box, wall ride & snow obstacles)

Super-pipe

Kitzsteinhorn Inter@ctive:

Step-up special feature, 2 kickers (appr. 7 m and 13 m)
Rails, tubes, wall ride and multi obstacle (down rail, straight rail, down tube & more)
4 different boxes (straight, down, wave)
3 easy kickers (appr. 2 m, 4 m and 6 m)

Massive airtime, a whole bunch of jibbing fun and creative set-ups in three snow parks, plus a gigantic super-pipe and heaps of events from November until March: In the 2012/13 winter season, Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn offers an explosive mix! With its sunny exposition, an ideal connection to chairlifts, and the daily shaping by the motivated crew, Glacier Park, Central Park and Easy Park as well as Railgarden Lechnerberg in the centre of Kaprun once again make for the ultimate playground in Austria. The country’s biggest and best super-pipe can be regarded as its highlight. Adding up to the action is the new cooperation with Nitro Snowboards and Volcom Snowboarding, bringing lots of exciting events to Kitzsteinhorn.


Kitzsteinhorn Event preview 2012/13

Nov 03, 2012        Nitro & Volcom Season Warm-up Session (Glacier Park)
Nov 24, 2012         Vernissage Cappuccino Club (Ausstellung bis Mitte Dezember 2012 im Alpincenter)
Nov 25, 2012         Sprungbrett – Talentscouting für Snowboard-Kids mit Nicola Thost (Glacier Park)
Dec 08, 2012         Marc Swoboda Ride With Me! (Easy Park)
Jan 05, 2013         Nitro & Volcom Pro Coaching Day (Easy Park, Central Park,Superpipe)
Feb 09, 2013         Nitro & Volcom Pro Coaching Day (Easy Park, Central Park, Superpipe)
Feb 27–Mar 03, 2013    Austrian Freeski Open (Central Park)
Mar 16, 2013         Nitro & Volcom Pro Coaching Day (Easy Park, Central Park,Superpipe)
Mar 22 – 24, 2013     X OVER Ride Kitzsteinhorn

A group of locals took the chance to go wild in the parks for a fantastic film session. While the same time the Nitro team riders Markus Keller and Nitro Rookie Jan Scherer have been in the parks to shoot for the latest “Nitro Hyped” movie. They told us about their impressions of the unique atmosphere in the parks.After an actionloaded shooting day on the mountains, Markus and Jan were impressed by the top shredding conditions in both parks. The pipe, wich was the center of the Nitro movie shooting that day, was in perfect shape and because of the slushy snow very easy to ride. “ The pipe is preperated perfectly, 22 feet wide and super slushy, which increases the fun factor while riding. All parts of the park are in awesome shape!”, Jan comments totally stoked. Also the length of the lines fascinated the Nitro cracks. Markus Keller explaines:” It´s an extremely long run, incredible how many tricks you can put into one ride. I also like that you have the chance to watch your friends rides during the way back to the top from the gondola. That´s amazing!”At the end both mentioned how happy they were to see the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn even in May in such a great shape:” We had a fantastic day in the parks, it was a pleasure to be here.”

Who now got in the mood for some wintermagic should take the chance and get to the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn and enjoy the last shreds of this winterseason. Until the end of May the parks are waiting for you! Now you can also get all current information and news about the setup, the Central and the Easy Park on your Android and iPhone smartphones.

Last Saturday, the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn welcomed a bunch of snowboarders at bright sunshine for the Oakley Talent Days. 20 highly motivated riders got up on the mountain to improve their skills at the pro coaching with the Oakley team riders Tom Klocker and Max Buri.  It was all about having fun as you can see from the nice photos and the video edit. Now it’s all about the online Talent Voting – let the battle for a brand-new Oakley Airbrake goggle begin!

On Saturday, April 21^st, 2012, the Oakley Talent Days in the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn passed off successfully. At bright sunshine, the riders were really excited to improve their park skills. Both Oakley pro coaches Tom Klocker and Max Buri were there with help and advice for the highly motivated snowboarders. The day began with a short riders meeting in the Easy Park. After dividing the group into beginners and advanced riders, the freshly shaped Boxes and Kickers of the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn were examined. The advanced group rocked the Downrail together with pro coach Tom Klocker while the beginner group tried some new tricks on the Flat-Down Box under the guidance of Oakley team rider Max Buri. The two pro coaches were obviously stoked about the motivation of their group members, Tom Klocker: “At the Downrail, all riders showed their best tricks and all of them took the big kickers as well”. Max Buri was also excited about the commitment of his group: “It was really great fun because all riders were very motivated and all of them thanked us for the cool day. I am super stoked!”

After the pro coaching, which was over way too soon for some participants, the day came to an end at the signing session with Tom Klocker and Max Buri in the Subway Shop Intersport Bründl in Kaprun. Alongside some chilled drinks for all participants, the best two riders from each group who made the most progress were rewarded with Oakley goggles and Oakley T-shirts. Matthias Nagel, travelled a long way to get here, was one of the outstanding riders at the beginners group: “As I live quite far away from the mountains, I can’t go snowboarding that often. Therefore, it was very good to get some useful explanations for the tricks. I really learned a bunch of new tricks from the coaches.”

Facebook Talent Voting – It’s all about style!

Starting this Wednesday, April 25^th 2012, the pictures from the Oakley Talent Day will be online on the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn Facebook Fanpage, where we will tell when the voting is ready! Every rider automatically takes part in the voting in the Facebook App! The snowboarder with the most likes in the end can rejoice over a brand-new Oakley Airbrake goggles!

If you want to improve your skills as well, come to the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn! The season is still on and you can shred in one of Europe’s best parks! NOW you can also get all current information and news about the setup, the Central and the Easy Park even on your Android and iPhone smartphone.

Good news for all of you who like kick-ass snowboard parks and riding in wifebeaters – the park at Kitzsteinhorn’s just announced it’ll be open till the end of May. Epic!

Laaaaydees, and gentlemeeeennn…

We have pleasure in sending you the most up to date information from the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn today, as the action in Park will continue until the end of May – even though the snow is melting everywhere else. We offer optimal training conditions with our large variety of obstacles and the 22 feet Superpipe. It is also an ideal backdrop for film and photo shootings.

The Olympic standard Superpipe is in great condition, open until approx. the middle of May and anticipated to open again in November. The Setup in Easy Park and Central Park will be in place until approx. the end of May and leave nothing to be desired. We are starting the action in the Glacier Park, at 2.900m, already in October, after a short summer-break. Please find the current Setup under www.snowpark.kitzsteinhorn.at

And that’s not all!

The existing Setup will be upgraded again for May and therefore guarantees varied and challenging runs:

Public Line: 1. EP Multi Step Up with Pole Jam and Up/Flat Box 2. EP Kicker 12m and Oakley Jib 3. EP Kicker 15m and Pole Jam 4. EP Jib Park: Flat, Down and Up Tubes, Rails and Boxes, Wallride (about 10 Obstacles) 5. CP Medium Jump 14m 6. CP Medium Jump 16m

Pro Line: 1. EP Multi Step Up with Pole Jam and Up/Flat Box 2. EP Kicker 12m and Oakley Jib 3. EP Kicker 15m and Pole Jam 4. CP Hip Large 5. CP Pro Jump 21m 6. CP Pro Jump 23m EP: Easy Park; CP: Central Park

The exact opening times of the individual Parks will depend on the weather and snow conditions. The current daily Park news can be found on snowpark.kitzsteinhorn.at

The Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn became the centre of spectacular tricks and sick action again: Within the scope of a dazzling shooting the Nitro Road Warriors examined the park thoroughly and tested the park by hook or by crook. The pro team around Basti Rittig and Michael Macho pushed it to a maximum with a stunningly wide range of tricks and proved that the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn offers perfectly shaped obstacles in spite of the proliferating spring!

Things got wild again in the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn and the result is a clip that is definitely worth watching: The Nitro Road Warriors around Basti Rittig and Michael Macho showed not only impressive tricks, but were convincing, moreover, in their contagious enthusiasm for the team shred session. In order to maximize the effort and output the riders were taken up on the mountain before dawn for the ultimate sunrise shooting. This clearly formed a highlight that neither the Nitro Road Warriors, nor the filmers will forget too soon. As a consequence, the motivation was climaxing just before the kick-off of the session – and the riders pushed each other to show top-class performances. Basti Rittig, Nitro team rider, tells us, “We had a blast up on the mountain! The park was in a perfect condition and it was a highlight to cruise through the entire park and really go to the maximum on the setup. Plus, it´s just great to be riding with the entire team. It´s very motivating and you can watch the others, get tips and also help others – thus you can learn a lot in such sessions. For me personally, the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn ist one of the best parks of the Alpine region. It was perfectly shaped at the shooting – there was nothing left to be desired! I really had a great time shredding with the guys on these two shooting days!”

Sebastian Funk was filming on the two days of the shooting and he, as well, was truly won over by the setup and the condition of the snowpark: “When other parks become soft and slushy you can still count on perfect conditions in the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn! Since the park is located so high up on the mountain, it stays the way it is way longer than other park which is great for shootings! Even though I`ve seen quite a bit as a filmer, I always find the park very impressive when I come here. This time, the sunrise shooting was the special highlight! The snowpark offers a massive playground in a relatively compact area – it offers countless riding opportunities and is especially exciting for me as a filmer ! Now, the shooting day with the Nitro road warriors was epic and they showed numerous sick tricks and massive airtime! In fact, I believe that, when working together, the most important thing is that everyone is having a good time and is stoked for the joint shooting! It´s all about the right ambiance!”

For all further information on the park visit www.snowpark.kitzsteinhorn.at. Stay tuned!

kitzsteinhorn.at

Wow! It was a day packed with freestyle action, riding fun, sick tricks, and plenty of good advice from the pro coaches Moritz Neuhäusler, Lisa Filzmoser and Niko Pflanzelt for the snowboard stars of tomorrow: The Nitro & Planet Sports “Power of Zehn Action Day” in the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn!

All photos: Till Reinken

All freestyle-snowboarding teenagers could not have wished for a better program this past Saturday, 17th of March 2012: The Nitro & Planet Sports “Power of Zehn Action Day” had so much to offer for the select group of dedicated shredheads! All the stops were pulled out for the motivated crew and, thanks to the Power of Zehn they got the lift tickets for just 10 € for all under 19 year olds. Furthermore the well-known snowboard pros and Nitro & Planet Sports team riders Moritz Neuhäusler, Lisa Filzmoser and Niko Pflanzelt stood aside the participants during the pro coaching with invaluable advice and helped the ambitious troupe to set themselves into the limelight at the professional photo shoot and film set.

It could hardly have gone better! With peerless enthusiasm, the group of ongoing professionals and their role models rocked the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn neatly and put their skills to the test! “We were really lucky with the weather and all the riders were so motivated! Some were literally running riot on the obstacles and the riding level was quite high. The kids truly demonstrated their skills in the rail session and even performed some lipslides!

This park really caters for riders of all levels and so we were shredding all of the obstacles, except for the big kickers and the Superpipe, but we had the greatest fun on the Downrail. All in all it was in fact a sweet day and a top-notch event!”, Moritz Neuhäusler comments on the session. Lisa Filzmoser definitely enjoyed the Action Day, too, “It´s so much fun to pass on tips, show new moves and instantly see improvements! My personal highlight was a girl who had never jumped a kicker before and had the least experience of the group: She performed the fs180 and rightly blew me away! I think it’d be great if there were more events like this one and I would involve schools to reach out for a wider audience – this way more kids would get the chance to start snowboarding again!”

Now check out the clip and the gallery of the Nitro & Planet Sports “Power of Zehn Action Day” and see for yourself what fun factor this extraordinary session had to offer and what the riders have learned!

Who has the most Power of Zehn? Win a Nitro snowboard! Watch out, the fun continues! In addition to the Nitro & Planet Sports goody packages that all the participants have gotten on site, there is the ultimate gimmick for all the riders now: The chance to win a brand-new Nitro Team board! Here’s how it works: Find your pic in the gallery on the Snowpark Kitzsteinhorn Facebook fanpage and tag yourself on your best shot in order to be automatically enabled for the final voting! Then you should motivate your buddies and collect as many votes as possible, because the shot with the most votes wins the precious snowboard! Be there and you will sponge this stylish price! Stay tuned!

We hit up Kitzsteinhorn last season to shoot a spotcheck for our dead tree edition and were blown away by how the park setup had come on since our last visit a few years before. It’s one of those places where there’s something for every level of freestyle rider to have a pop at: from mellow jibs and jumps, to creative up-and-down sections, to mid-sized kickers and rails all the way up to the pro-line which is as boom-worthy as you’ll find on European shores. All this plus they have a killer superpipe and are at an elevation where you can guarantee conditions will be good till late in the season.

We want to go back there now and, after you’ve watched this, we’re sure you’re frothing to hit it up too. Hell, even if you’re bearded freeride dude there’s some epic pow runs to be had in that resort…