Last Sunday, 18 March 2012, 74 participants from fIve different countries had come to the Happy Shred at Crystal Ground – Snowpark Kleinwalsertal to take part in the fourth Wir Schanzen stop. Sunshine, slush, bright smiles and the relaxed contest atmosphere made this Sunday a perfect day.

The early morning hours of Sunday were fIlled with a hustle and bustle at the registration for the Happy Shred. The organizers were happy to welcome so many young talented riders to the fourth tour stop of the Wir Schanzen. Having registered for the contest, the riders entered the park to take the fIrst training laps. The creative and perfectly shaped setup of the Crystal Ground – Snowpark Kleinwalsertal was just right for the participants to run riot on the two kickers in line and the different jibs. The riders offered a great show to the judges as well as to the visitors. This beautiful spring day was perfectly topped off by tasty bratwursts on the sun deck of the Crystal Ground.

Snowboard
The Snowboard Men category was dominated by Felix Georgii (GER) all along the line and so he won the Happy Shred. Nadine Härtinger (GER) stood on top of the girls' podium and Lou Staub (SUI) was the best Snowboard youngster.

Here is the Snowboard-Clip of the Happy Shred - http://vimeo.com/38833747.

Snowboard vs. Freeski! The video clash is now heading to the fourth and second last round. At the moment the Snowboard guys are in the lead with 2:1. It is all on the crowd – who should win the next battle? Just "Like” your favourite clip on www.wirschanzen.de and help it to win the battle!

The Stubai Jam on 31 March 2012 the Wir Schanzen is the fInal contest of this season. The fIfth tour stop is just around the corner and the Wir Schanzen welcomes everybody to the Slopestyle-Contest at the MOREBOARDS Stubai Zoo on the Stubai Glacier, as the Stubai Jam won't be an invitational event this year! The big snowpark setup in the Zoo is composed of three kickers in line as well as many boxes, rails and other jibs.Beside prizes of Ride Snowboards, Line Skis and prize money the participants ride for Wir Schanzen points for the last time this season. The legendary after party at the Blue Chip in Innsbruck will perfectly complete the Stubai Jam. A decent party is guaranteed by the beats of Smith&Smart and DJ Fu of the Wax Wreckaz who of course will be on the ground in his resident club.

After this event the points of each participant are added and the overall ranking will be published on www.wirschanzen.de. And here we lift one more secret: the overall winners of the kids category will be rewarded with a season ticket for the summer 2012 at the Inselsee Allgäu Wasserki- & Wakeboardpark. More information about the Inselsee can be found on www.inselsee-allgaeu.de.

The ranking of the Happy Shred and information concerning the Stubai Jam are provided on www.wirschanzen.de or www.facebook.com/wirschanzen.

What a show! At splendid conditions the O'Neill Kirschbaum Battle 2012 went off last Sunday in the STANTON PARK in St. Anton/Arlberg with loads of action where the snowboarders demonstrated impressively that they know how to shred a park. In the end there were many happy faces, as prizes in a total value of US$ 10,000 were given away!

Last Sunday it was finally happening: the snowboard contest of the O'Neill Kirschbaum Battle 2012 took place. Besides sunny skies and comfortable temperatures, also the STANTON PARK itself was in perfect shape, paving the way for a successful TTR 3* contest. The judges Marin Mircic and Michael Friessnegg as well as the spectators at the Rendl Beach were able to watch a spectacular show going down in the park where Speaker Rene Nocker and DJ F.o.D. cared for the right words and tunes.

In the category snowboard rookies, the Swiss younggun Corsin Züst was able to win and was obviously impressed by the contest: "the setup was awesome, especially the kickers in various sizes! Of course I come again next year!” At the snowboard girls competition, the decision was made in an all-Austrian race. In the end Klara Dinold from Carinthia emerged victorious ahead of Lisa Veith and Lea Baumschlager. At the eagerly awaited snowboard men competition, the finals went off with a lot of excitement. Eight riders fought for a podium place in the head-to-head battles. In the end the young Tyrolean Bernhard Kraxner succeeded ahead of the two O'Neill team riders Matthias Vogt and André Kuhlmann. Vogt however was still able to win the K2 best trick competition. "I was very surprised by my victory, as the training almost took motivation from me and the competition was very tough. The setup was in a great condition and really fun to ride – a true perfect day!”, says Kraxner.

At the following prize-giving also the snowboarders showed that they know how to celebrate victories – smiling faces on the podium completed this breath-taking freestyle weekend in the STANTON PARK.

All information about the O'Neill Kirschbaum Battle 2012 can also be found on www.kirschbaum.cc/battle or on www.facebook.com/kirschbaum.stanton.

All news, tour stops and further information about the QParks Tour can be found on www.qparkstour.com as well as on Facebook: www.facebook.com/qparks.snowboardtour.

Špindlerův Mlýn - Martin Mikyska from Prague and only 18 years old is the winner of Quiksilver Snowjam 2012 and the olny one to win the battle against the bad weather. After a Friday sunny day, his ride on Saturday was still flawless, finishing with a Frontside 900 on the kicker at the end of course.

Throughout the year, Martin showed excellent form at all competitions in which he took part. He was able to use those experiences from throughout the year to dominate Quiksilver Snowjam. Martin told us: „It was amazing, there were tons of amazing tricks, though it's too bad the weather was less than ideal. But the atmosphere overall was great like every year at Quiksilver Snowjam. I got first prize thanks to the combination of all the features of the course. I got a really strong half pipe score, a pretty good score on the jib, and one of the best tricks on the kicker. It's one of the most amazing feelings to win. It's hard to find the words. Thank you.”

Young Finnish rider Ville Paumola took second place at Spindleruv Mlyn. Third place was seasoned Quiksilver Snowjam rider Thomas Franz from Switzerland. Although there were bad weather conditions, 3,000 spectators came to the slopes at Svaty Petr to witness world class snowboarding. Martin Černík said on the competition, „I'm happy that we organized another great competition this year and although the weather wasn't ideal, a lot of spectators still attended and the riders showed their best on the course."

Snickers Nutcase Best Trick – saving the best show for last
The evening program for Quiksilver Snojwam starts with a Sunshine concert on the outdoor stage right at the bottom of the slope. After that was the spectators favorite show „Snickers Nutcase Best Trick" at the Big Air under the flood lights. This is where the riders showed the best tricks they have to offer. Jan Nečas won best trick with a frontside 360 stalefish and the winner of the technical category style was Petr Horák with a switch frontside 1080 double cork.

Results of Quiksilver Snowjam 2012:
1. Martin Mikyska, CZE
2. Ville Paumola, FIN
3. Thomas Franc, SUI
4. Martin Černík, CZE
5. Dušan Kříž, CZE
6. Jan Nečas, CZE
7. Marius Otterstad, NOR
8. Petr Horák, CZE
9. Pepe Samek, CZE
10. Pavel Vyroubal, CZE

Results of Nutcase Best Trick 2012:
Style: Jan Nečas, CZE
Technical: Petr Horák, CZE

Photos and videos available for download under media heading at www.snowjam.cz

The 2011/2012 TTR World Tour came to a close a couple of days ago at the 6Star Burton US Open with men's and women's halfpipe finals. After a gripping season full of countless highlights, Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) and Kelly Clark (USA) have clinched the TTR Halfpipe World Tour Champion titles and Stale Sandbech (NOR) and Cilka Sadar (SLO) have been awarded with the TTR Overall World Tour titles.

Kelly Clark took a podium spot once again to receive the TTR World Tour Champion trophy for her clear domination in the halfpipe over the course of the season. Although Kelly didn't manage to come in first in her home state after being undefeated in 16 consecutive contests, she undeniably sets the standard for women's halfpipe snowboarding. It was Elena Hight (USA), finishing the season in World No. 4 in the TTR Halfpipe Rankings, who broke Kelly's string of wins with less than a one point difference today. Kelly had this to say about her second TTR title win, "I'm super happy to have won this, it has been a competition at every event and the other girls have really pushed me to level where I am right now."

Iouri Podladtchikov also had an amazing season standing atop podiums at every TTR competition he entered. Reaching back to the Burton New Zealand Open where Iouri took third place, he continued his season of success with a first place finish at the World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo, Norway and won again at the Burton European Open in Laax, Switzerland. He capped off his season nicely with the coveted win here at the US Open.

The TTR Overall World Tour Champion titles were a tough reach for many riders who focus on one discipline, but Stale and Cilka Sadar are consistent in both pipe and slopestyle which is a growing rarity in snowboarding these days. Cilka registered 14 TTR results throughout the season with almost a perfect balance of entries in halfpipe an slopestyle disciplines making her one of the most versatile women snowboarders in the world today.

Stale Sanbech (NOR) also registered 14 TTR results throughout the season across slopestyle, halfpipe and big air disciplines. Although he wasn't able to get a top spot in halfpipe, Stale took podium spots in slopestyle at the Burton New Zealand Open and in big air at the Air & Style Beijing. When asked how he feels about winning the TTR Overall title, Stale said, "I wasn't really going for it at the start of the season, but then I was leading and thought ‘wow', maybe i can actually do this! Now at the end, it was exciting 'cause I didn't qualify for today - But it is really cool to be part of that legendary list of riders who won it before."

After an action packed season, where Big Air and Slopestlyle throphies were already handed out, the 2011/2012 TTR World Snowboard Tour season is now in the history books. Check out www.ttrworldtour.com for videos and highlights from the past year and keep up to date on the 2012/2013 season which officially begins with the Quiksilver Spring Battle taking place March 28th to 30th, 2012.

The Crystal Ground has quite a lot to offer. Gaia Giacomazzi and Carmen Beccaro had called on a ladies-weekend that took place about one week ago. Dreamlike weather, a perfect park, a bunch of motivated girls and a superyummy BBQ were the ingredients for this gorgeous weekend. And to prevent you from boredom the Happy Shred on next Sunday, 18 March 2012 is just around the corner. You should not miss that spring highlight in the Crystal Ground!

Many snowboard girls have come to the JIB DAYS to spend a smashing weekend with birds of feather at the Crystal Ground – Snowpark Kleinwalsertal. Two days of shredding in a setup planned by Gaia Giacomazzi and Carmen Beccaro with perfect weather. The ladies were just stoked and decently creamed off cash and prizes with their best tricks. The rad skills of the ladies are proved by a great number of pics that can be seen on www.facebook.com/crystalground.

Here we go again! On 18 March 2012 the Wir Schanzen community moves to the Happy Shred in Kleinwalsertal. The Crystal Ground is waiting with a super-creative setup to be rocked. For those who want to check out the setup and make a few training laps Saturday 17 March 2012 is THE day. You better do not miss the chance of this training opportunity. The perfect introduction to the Happy Shred is the Pre-Party at the tanzbar – derclub on Saturday, where DJ Stamina and DJ Maximilian will fire up the party people.

To be prepared for this fourth tour stop you should bring two important accessories – sun screen and sun glasses. Pop in and get a free BBQ with your registration!

Timetable:
08.00 - 09.45 Registraion Kids/Girls (Men till 12)
08.30 - 10.00 Training Kids/Girls
10.15 - 10.30 Ridersmeeting Kids/Girls
10.30 - 12.30 Kids/Girls
12.45 - 13.00 Prize Giving Kids/Girls
12.30 - 13.15 Training Men
13.15 - 13.30 Reshape
13.15 - 13.30 Ridersmeeting Men
13.30 - 15.30 Qualification Men
15.45 - 16.45 Finals Men
17.00 - 17.15 Prize Giving

For your information – the registration will take place in the glass box right next to the Schirmbar, you cannot miss it!

All further information concerning the Happy Shred can be found on www.wirschanzen.de or www.crystalground.com.

Treble Cone will expand its on-mountain experiences this season with the introduction of the new Jazz Fun Park, hosting entry level features for young skiers and snowboarders.

The park includes eight features comprising of rails and boxes and is designed to introduce riders to the thrill of park riding.

The features can also be clipped together to make multiple variations allowing the field staff to change the park regularly keeping the Jazz Fun Park fresh and interesting. Being light-weight they can also be moved by snowmobile, groomer or even skied to different areas of the mountain for competitions and coaching purposes.

"We are thrilled to have broadened our repertoire of on-mountain experiences. The Jazz Fun Park will be great for our young visitors, to help develop their confidence in a terrain park purpose built for this sector,” said sales manager Julia Atkinson.

The Jazz Fun Park will be located at the bottom of the Bullet trail in the Saddle Basin and will be up and running when the mountain is open for the season.

Jazz Apples (ENZA) is the major supporter of the Fun Park and has confirmed their support to developing the youth's freestyle advancement and enjoyment over the next three years.

Treble Cone early bird season passes are on sale until 31 March 2012 through the website or by visiting the downtown Wanaka office at 24 Dungarvon Street.

Treble Cone will open on 28 June with a scheduled closing day of 30 September. For further information, visit www.treblecone.com.

History was made tonight as Nicolas Müller took X Games gold in the inaugural Real Snow Backcountry contest, presented by burn.

Müller's film, produced by Absinthe Films and featuring a pumping soundtrack by former pro snowboarder Trevor ‘Trouble' Andrew, showed Nico at his smooth, stylish best combining spontaneous all-natural powder riding with progressive moves not usually seen outside the snowpark, including his first-ever double cork.

Like Nicolas, burn rider Gigi Rüf stepped up the technical difficulty with some new moves including an amazing BS 900 Japan and both backside and frontside double cork 1080s. Gigi's playful and creative style, perfectly matched with filmmaker Jake Price and scored by Baron, ensured he came in a close second.

Rounding off the podium, Finnish rider Jussi Oksanen's big tricks, big mountain and big smile approach to snowboarding earned him a well-deserved third place, as well as first place in the Fan's Favorite category.

REAL SNOW CONCEPT

The concept of integrating backcountry snowboarding was brought to the X Games by burn to celebrate a side of snowboarding that represents the heart and soul of snowboarding, yet is rarely seen in the contest environment.

The rules were simple: 8 of the world's best snowboarders were invited to make a 90 second video part filmed exclusively in natural terrain. The videos went public on the 22nd of February giving the fans an opportunity to vote for their favorite film in a live head to head knockout hosted by ESPN.

The rider list read like the who's who of the snowboarding world with Gigi Rűf, Mathieu Crepel, Iikka Backstrom, Devun Walsh, Nicolas Műller, Jussi Oksanen, John Jackson and Mark Sollors.

Following on from the success of first Real Snow award that was launched earlier this year at the X Games in Aspen, this second edition truly harnessed the spirit of the event and with a prestigious gold medal and a massive $50,000 cheque for first place as well as a Fan's Favorite award of $10,000 no expense has been spared to reward the rightful winners.

RESULTS

X Games Gold Medal - Nicolas Müller
X Games Silver Medal - Gigi Rüf
X Games Bronze Medal & Fan's Favorite - Jussi Oksanen

The TTR Overall World Tour Champion titles were a tough reach for many riders who focus on one discipline, but Stale and Cilka Sadar are consistent in both pipe and slopestyle which is a growing rarity in snowboarding these days. Cilka registered 14 TTR results throughout the season with almost a perfect balance of entries in halfpipe an slopestyle disciplines making her one of the most versatile women snowboarders in the world today.

Stale Sanbech (NOR) also registered 14 TTR results throughout the season across slopestyle, halfpipe and big air disciplines. Although he wasn't able to get a top spot in halfpipe, Stale took podium spots in slopestyle at the Burton New Zealand Open and in big air at the Air & Style Beijing.

The 2011/2012 TTR World Tour came to a close at the 6Star Burton US Open with men's and women's halfpipe finals. After a gripping season full of countless highlights, Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) and Kelly Clark (USA) clinched the TTR Halfpipe World Tour Champion titles.

Kelly Clark took a podium spot once again to receive the TTR World Tour Champion trophy for her clear domination in the halfpipe over the course of the season. Although Kelly didn’t manage to come in first in her home state after being undefeated in 16 consecutive contests, she undeniably sets the standard for women's halfpipe snowboarding. It was Elena Hight (USA), finishing the season in World No. 4 in the TTR Halfpipe Rankings, who broke Kelly's string of wins with less than a one point difference today. Kelly had this to say about her second TTR title win, "I’m super happy to have won this, it has been a competition at every event and the other girls have really pushed me to level where I am right now."

After an exciting day of slopestyle finals at the 6Star Burton US Open, Sebastien Toutant (CAN) and Jamie Anderson (USA) have been officially crowned the 2012 TTR Slopestyle World Tour Champions. The 2011/2012 season was packed full of amazing slopestyle competitions around the globe and after today's finals at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, USA, Sebastien and Jamie were awarded with the TTR Slopestyle Tour Champion trophies. Sebastien clinched the title with his win in today's slopestyle competition and Jamie set her title in stone with her first place finish, as well.

The slopestyle finals at the 30th Anniversary of the Burton US Open featured a high level of competition today in both the men's and women's events. The women's finals kicked off in the morning on the slopestyle course where Jamie Anderson displayed her buttery smooth style on the jumps and rails. Jamie's second run was her best of the day and earned her the victory with a frontboard to fakie, Cab 720 nose grab, switch backside 540 mute, tailslide to 270 out and finished with a 50-50 to backside 180 out. Kjersti Buaas (NOR) had a solid run to take second place and Enni Rukajarvi (FIN) ended up in third.