Austria

Clash Of Brands 2017 - Longboard race for teams

Clash Of Brands 2017 – Team race in Jungholz, Austria

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Allgäuer Longboardverein, the oldest longboard club in Germany, is set to freshen up the European dh skateboarding scene with the first edition of Clash Of Brands 2017, a race where teams will battle to win their sponsor the “Master Of Brands 2017” title.

The event is scheduled to take place on the well known World Cup race track Jungholz in Austria, from Friday, September 8th till Saturday, September 9th, 2017.

The companies are now welcome to sign up their teams (up to 4 riders) that will represent their brand and race against the other teams.

The entry fee per rider is 110,00 Euros and the riders limit is 20 teams (80 riders). To join with your team send an email to albv@web.de and the organisation crew will take it from there.

Don’t want to race? Wanna freeride? No worries…The organisers got you covered by offering additional 30 spots available for the freeride. The registration fee for the freeride only is 90,00 Euros and you can register now via Freerides.org.

Don’t miss out.

What makes team racing so great?

Team racing is not a new concept but it hasn’t been much practiced in Europe.  However, many riders seem to be stoked about it which gives me the confidence to say that it might become quite popular.

Compared to the standard racing format where each rider competes on his/her own against the other riders, in team racing the riders will race shoulder to shoulder with their teammates against the other team.

One of the six corners at Clash Of Brands. Photo by Gordon Timpen (Gordon Photography)
One of the six corners at Clash Of Brands. Photo by Gordon Timpen @ Gordon Photography

Two teams of four, racing and making sure that every team member is as fast as possible. This means that the riders will have to work together to develop strategies, help each other with drafting and similar. Obviously, group effort will be required to win the race. The riders will get to know each other better and build stronger relationships.

What’s in it for the companies and their brand?

Besides the “team building” for their riders, the Clash Of Brands race also presents a great advertising opportunity for the companies that will sign up with their teams.

Having a team of riders racing to win the “Master Of Brands” title, working together, producing and streaming media, promoting the company…Hopefully the business owners will recognise the potential for investing into the event by signing up their teams.

About the COB 2017 race-track

Clash Of Brands 2017 will be held on the Jungholz track in Austria. The same has been the venue for the Jungholz Downhill since 2005 and it also hosted the 2007 Almabtrieb race. This track has a really rich racing history.

To get a taste of theClash Of Brands 2017 track watch the following video…

The Clash Of the Brands track stretches for 1.4 km and it is packed with 6 challenging corners. The smooth pavement will ensure a good roll speed as well as the smooth slides and solid amount of grip to rail some of the corners. The top speed the riders can reach is around 85 kmh.

Information for the riders

Included in the registration fee the riders will enjoy 3 breakfasts and 2 dinners as well as the provided campsite.

The organisers promise the first two evenings to include a DJ set while the last evening the riders will enjoy the live concert by local bands. The evening parties are exclusive to the riders.

The first runs will start dropping on Friday, September 8th so everyone is expected to arrive on Thursday evening and check-in at the registration office from 20:00 pm on.

The required protection gear for racing includes full-face helmet, slide gloves and leather suit while for the freeride the riders are required to wear a full face, slide gloves and the pads. Of course the organisers highly recommend the use of back protector as well, but it’s up to the riders to decide.

Good luck everyone!

#clashofbrands sponsors

Clash Of Brands 2017 is presented by ALBV – Allgäuer Longboardverein.

Sponsors of the event are:

Barbers Best
Gordon Photography
Luftaufnahmen Allgäu
Zötler Brauerei
Allgäu Live In
King Lui Boards
Tannheimer Tal
Dozerpucks

Clash Of Brands 2017 - Longboard race for teams

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Skaid all together - a social project for refugees

Skaid brings locals and refugees together with skateboarding

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Skaid is a freshly founded social project with the aim of connecting people from different cultures and social backgrounds through sharing positive experiences in sports.

Skaid all together - a social project for refugees

With a clear mindset, their first goal was to organize skate and longboard workshops for refugees, guided by the locals.

The first workshop called “Skaid – all together” took place on the 21st of May at Landhausplatz in Innsbruck.

Skaid all together - a social project for refugees

Besides the Skaid workshops for refugees, the gathering also offered a chill out area, a lottery with prizes and a King of the line contest amongst other things.

Skaid gave people a chance to get a first glimpse of skateboarding, get to feel how a rolling board feels under their feet, get some pointers from the local skaters and enjoy a chilled afternoon with a variety of people sharing the same passion.

That is what the skateboarding mentality is all about.

Follow Skaid via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/skaidconnects

PUSH 2 - Austrian Downhill Culture

PUSH 2 – Austrian Downhill Documentary

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Michael Minks, a skateboarder and videographer, released his first longboard documentary titled PUSH “A Tirol Longboard Documentary” back in 2012.

Narrated by himself, the video featured Austrian longboarders traveling to longboard events, skate sessions and miscellaneous events that happened throughout the filming period.

Have a look at what longboarding was like in Austria 5 years ago for a feeling of how the scene evolved to what it is now.

The motion captured in PUSH showed a different angle of longboarding and a representation of the contrast of how it felt to go to a longboard event besides bombing an early bird run with your best friends.

Well, we all know how longboarding advanced in the last couple of years, bigger slides and faster speeds are all the rage now.

That is why Michael has been working on another documentary for the last two years called PUSH2 “Austrian Downhill Culture” that is set to be released this June.

Here is one of the trailers featuring the Easygoinc and Graveyard Longboards crew on their home territory.

PUSH2 is Michael’s second  independent film made with the help of his close friends. This time, the stars of the show are
Patrick Bartel (Graveyard Longboards),
Julian Marksteiner (Easygoinc Longboards),
Martin Schraeg (Lush Longboards),
Quirin Ilmer (Moonshine Longboards),
the Full Grip Team  and a few other featured riders.

If don’t want to miss the release of PUSH 2, follow the PUSH2 “Austrian Downhill Culture” Facebook page for all the latest information regarding the documentary.

Felix Rupitsch of BigMountainSkate. Photo by Christian Kreuter (CK Photography)

Interview with Felix Rupitsch about BigMountainSkate and 2017 events

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BigMountainSkate started three years ago and has so far been doing their best to please skaters with their longboard events. What began with a small freeride, grew with time and became a recognised name worldwide.

Recently, BigMountainSkate introduced a few new events to their repertoire. I figured it would be cool to find out and share some more information about their activities and plans for 2017 with you.

I talked with Felix Rupitsch, one of the BigMountainSkate founders, about how it all started, followed by additional information about their three new events, Arico El Bueno (Tenerife), No Man’s Land Endurance Freeride (Slovenia) and King’s Gate IDF WC race (Austria).

Furthermore, he also gave me his insight and changes we can expect regarding their now established events, Alpenrauschen, KnK Longboard Camp, Bela Joyride and LoRaLo.

Read through our interview with Felix for all the current plans about BigMountainSkate events.

Hey Felix! How are you?

Thank you, I am doing fine. Lots of work and many things to think about but that’s just how it is. Easier days will come, haha

Please, tell us how did you get into downhill skateboarding?

Jürgen Gritzner built my first longboard back in 2010. I cruised around the city a lot. I found out that dropping down small hills makes the most fun since I don’t need to push. I am a bit lazy sometimes.

Then I met Florian Wagner who was really motivated for downhill and he introduced us to sliding. He was the one really pushing the scene, looking out for new spots and bringing people together. In 2011 we managed to visit the KnK Longboard Camp, the rest is history.

When did you guys came up with the idea of BigMountainSkate?

Flo, me and the crew were organising the LoRaLo, a small but really funny event in Lödersdorf close to our hometown Graz.

After the 3rd year in a row we were thinking about doing something bigger than LoRaLo and we came up with the Alpenrauschen Freeride. The demand on this event was so big that we decided to go bigger.

In our mind we had the biggest road we knew so far. The idea for the Bela Joyride was born…

Then we just needed a name for all of this and what expression would match it better than “BigMountainSkate”.

We used this term already before for a special type of skating. It is not about one or two curves or some slide session, it’s all about long, fast and challenging mountain roads. We figured that this makes the most fun.

Little fun fact: Flo came up with this name back in 2013 when we were skating the road where this year’s King’s Gate World Cup race will happen.

KnK Longboard Camp existed long before BigMountainSkate and is now part of it. How did this happen?

We asked Mihael Zadravec from Longboard Magazine and Nadim Burkan, organizers of KnK Longboard Camp if they want to be part of the BMS project and they confirmed…

It is great working with them, sometimes i find myself making mistakes that Mihael told me to be aware of. This just shows how experienced he is and how bad of a listener I am sometimes, haha.

I think we learned a lot from each other, this is something that makes me really happy because it is just a great example of how „working together“ instead of „working against“ can turn out. Something that is not always taken for granted in this small scene.

BigMountainSkate grew really fast. Where will it go?

To the stars haha, no, I have no idea, as long as people join our events and skaters like what we do we will keep on doing what we love.

I just want to get the sport where it belongs. Any snowboarder or surfer would love downhill skateboarding. Many of them just haven’t tried it out yet or even heard of it. And as we all know, this sport is very addictive because it just is the greatest fun ever.

This year BigMountainSkate is going to organise a freeride on Tenerife. Please, tell us a bit more about it and what to expect.

Our crew became really good friends with Martin Diaz who is the founder of the Sliders Skate House on Tenerife. It was always his dream to host an event on the island.

BigMountainSkate turned out to be the right partner for this and so together we decided to make it happen. It is a shitload of work, especially if the event location is far away from home and you do it for the first time.

Our decision to keep the riders limit low is because we really want to have a quality event. Many runs, an amount of people that is easy to handle and just having a great time with great people.

Arico – El Bueno Freeride has a higher registration fee than the other BMS event. Can you please explain a bit why is that?

Spain has different laws in case of insurances, they are really expensive and of course we must have them.

Hay bales are also really hard to find, there are basically none on the island so they need to be brought there.

First we tried to find a campsite but couldn’t find one that is really close to the airport and the track. The location of the accommodation is something really important…

Of course it would be cheaper without a hotel but imagine skaters must bring all their camp gear + skate gear to the island or look for hotels themselves. That would cost a lot of money and you would need a rental car as well.

The hotel is reachable by taxi for little money from the airport or by public transport. Supermarket, the beach or restaurants are reachable by feet or by skateboard. The rest the shuttle busses will do.

It should turn out to be the perfect skate trip combined with vacation; a “Skateation”, haha.

Will there be anything new at Alpenrauschen Freeride this year?

Yes, only two hotels instead of three and only 180 riders. We want to raise the quality.

Last year a really bad accident happened that could have been avoided. For 2017 we plan to have more ski mats, more wood and hay bales, just to make the track safer. Especially that right corner after the tunnel.

I talked with many riders last year about this issue. We will also raise the registration fee just a little bit because of the additional safety equipment. Anyone i talked to was totally fine with this decision, safety is the most important.

That sounds reasonable.
What about this new Freeride in Slovenia, No Man’s Land?

I am sure that this is going to be something really great. The area where it happens, Soča Valley, is such a beautiful place.

8 km of super nice downhill will do the rest i think. It is the endurance Freeride so make sure you are in good shape, haha. Just think about it, it’s more than twice as long as the Bear’s Guts.

Maybe i am opening a bar down half track to have a little break, haha…

No seriously, Mihael and Nadim are behind that and we all know what they are able to, expect something really cool.

8 km is a lot, what’s the track and the accommodation like?

Five hairpins, more than 80 sweepers, smooth pavement, 14,5% gradient at the steepest and 80km/h top speed. I think that says it all. Just a perfect place to practice and to get some serious skills.

 

No Man's Land track on FindHills.com

Campsite is located right next to this beautiful river which will provide much needed relaxation.
If you are looking for an ultimate skate trip with your friends with all the skating your body and mind can handle, then think about going there.

Another new event for 2017 is King’s Gate World IDF World Cup race. New track, new name… No more Almabtrieb? What can we expect from King’s Gate?

In mid July this new race will go down in the south of Austria…

200 racers will enjoy another beautiful mountain surrounding and a fast, technical race track. We choose this region in Austria because of the stable sunny weather conditions during the summer time. Actually it isn’t that far from the Bela Joyride track.

We learned a lot from last year’s Almabtrieb. This new track is better for racing, I would say. I really love this road, it is one of my absolute favourites out there. Basically because I like fast right corners, haha.

A really cool feature is that you can see the finish line from the start line, that just makes it a more thrilling to watch the race.

Campground is about 2 kilometres from the start line and is located around a huge alpine hut 200 people can fit in easily. They offer food and drinks for little money. They also rent rooms in case some racers don’t want to sleep in a tent. So even if we have bad weather conditions there is a dry spot for anyone, something i consider to be very important after last years wet wet Almabtrieb.

Only 2 weeks later the KnK Longboard Camp is on. Last year we watched a video by Alternative featuring Mihael. He explained a bit about the new plans for 2017. Can you please tell us a bit more about that too?

Basically it will stay the same as we all got to love this event but there is always some new stuff going on. Mihael and Nadim raised the quality of the event year by year and so they will do it this year. Quality instead of quantity, they say.

Riders hitting a left corner at KnK Longboard Camp. Photo by Christian Kreuter (CK Photography)

There will be some improvements along the campsite. New showers and toilets were built and the party place will get a chill zone where riders can hang out after skating… sit or lay down, watch the big screen while listening to music from a new and better sound system. Party on, haha.

I don’t think any big things need to be changed, I just love it the way was and will be. Some of the best days in the year. 6 years ago when I was in Osilnica for the first time I immediately fell in love with this place.

Are you skating there or are you somehow involved in the organisation?

I am not really involved in the operative organisation but of course Flo and I will act in the background. Media stuff needs to be done for example. Mihael takes care of this while we throw our stuff so we are always working as a team on any event.

Of course I have more time at KnK than on any other event. This is the place I kind of get in the mood to be a skater at an event and not an organiser. This is sometimes really important, gets you to know why you are doing all this.

3 weeks later the one and only Bela Joyride starts. Many skaters say this is the most relaxed event of all, can you tell us maybe why they say so?

Haha, maybe its because of the track and the easy atmosphere at the campground, or the huge pack runs people do on the track… I’m not sure, but I am glad to hear that.

I can promise nothing will change at this event this year and so will not the price. It will be the same as the last years, many many runs, 184 km of downhill in 4 days in 2016 says it pretty much all.

Maybe we will get a big screen with some nice videos and a Nintendo 64 with the game Mario Kart. No racing on the track but in the evening its totally on, hahaha.

Sounds like a good plan. I can’t see any LoRaLO on this years agenda. It became already a classic. Will there be LoRaLo again this year?

Not sure yet. If it happens it won’t be under the banner of BMS.

I need to talk to the crew and see what they think about it… and if they would be down to throw it. We will see. As soon as we have informations about it I will let you know.

I really hope there will be a LoRaLo this year. Nico Nührig has to defend his new title, Quirin Ilmer won’t let this happen again, haha

There were some rumors around about a new event Brazil. Are you having an event there this year as well?

Rumors were true, we were thinking about it. Unfortunately it started a huge discussion within the Brazilian core scene.

The reason is totally understandable to me. It is not against us…

It was more the fact who we could work together with to make this happen. There are many things that need to be figured out and we don’t want to divide a scene or make any troubles, our intentions are only good. And if it is not possible it’s just not possible. More Info when we have them.

Anything else you want to say about the season 2017?

I hope to see many happy faces again this year, many people became real friends to me, something I love the most about this crazy work we are doing.

I am so looking forward to those days before and after the events, spending time and hanging out with the crew again. They are literally the best people you can wish for. Without them…nothing would have happened and we would be far from something called BigMountainSkate.
Stay tuned.

That’s it. For more, follow BigMountainSkate via their Facebook and Instagram.
To register for BMS events, head over to www.bigmountainskate.com for more info.

Kebbek - Juergen Gritzner Pro Model

Juergen Gritzner Pro Model Longboard Deck by Kebbek Skateboards

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Juergen “Ill Eagle” Gritzner‘s pro model longboard deck by KebbeK Skateboards has finally got it’s own promo video. We are stoked to finally see Juergen back on screen since he went under the radar after the “Lost in Havana” premiere at KnK last summer.

KebbeK Skateboards completely redid their lineup and presented the new longboard decks at ISPO 2016 in Munich. We were stoked to see Juergen’s pro model in the stack, representing the Austria’s finest.

Watch the video and read the rest of the post to learn more about Juergen Gritzner Topmount 38 longboard deck and its features.

 

The Juergen Gritzner Topmount 38 longboard deck features

The Juergen Gritzner Topmount 38 is a versatile directional top mount longboard deck which features a fully functional kick-tail, flushed mount and 9 ply maple construction.

The board is 38 inches long, 9.75 inches wide and it provides multiple wheelbase options, ranging from 23.8 up to 27 inches. It features a micro drop and a 0.5 rocker concave for perfect freedom over your foot placement, while providing a good locked in feeling.

KebbeK Skateboards: Juergen Gritzner Top Mount 38 longboard deck

 

Price & Where to buy

Currently, the Juergen Gritzner deck comes with a 160 Euros price tag in Europe and around 120 Dollars in U.S. You can get one on Concrete Wave (free shipping EU) for 159,90 Euros or on Amazon.com (free shipping U.S.).

For more about KebbeK Skateboards, visit their website or follow them via Facebook or Instagram.

Sara Mamone - Born To Be Wild

Sara Mamone was born to be wild

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Due to a serious knee injury, Sara Mamone can’t ride a longboard anymore, but she continues to chase her adventurous spirit on a DIY gravity vehicle dubbed Bastard Board, built by Carlo Righetti Charlie.

Sara took the Bastard Board to Bela Joyride freeride where she sent it down together with Alexander “Tiki” Frischauf who captured the run on camera. Sara’s dear friends, Helene Folliard a.k.a. Li Lù and Guido Cipolla took care of the edit.

Watch the video and read the full story to find out more about Sara, her injury and the Bastard Board.

Meet Sara Mamone

Sara Mamone is 21 years old and lives in the mountains of Northern Italy, in a small village Preseglie near Brescia. She’s a big animal lover, a horse riding instructor and she runs her own horse riding school where she teaches as well.

* Photos via Sara Mamone’s Facebook profile

Unfortunate knee injury

Her passion for horses led to an unfortunate event in 2010, when a rampant horse hit her knee and broke her meniscus. The damage was big, but eventually she managed to recover and of course, she never gave up on horses.

In 2014, Sara started longboarding and this instantly became her new passion.

Her knee was not as good as it used to be before the injury and this extra activity put lots of pressure on it. Sara kept pushing it hard with a longboard anyway, which ultimately lead to another, even more serious injury.

I was stubborn and didn’t want to stop skating. So I kept skating until my tibia came out of its place and that put a stop to it. ~ Sara Mamone

In search for an alternative to a longboard

Sara kept her enthusiasm for downhill skateboarding and she was searching for an alternative to longboarding, but didn’t have much success. Street luge or classic luge would be the closest to it, but she would still need to use her legs in order to slow down or stop, so that was not an option.

Her luck changed in the beginning of 2016 when she joined to volunteer for Marguzzo Freeride (Italy), an event organised by Italian downhill skateboarding / street luge legend, Carlo Righetti Charlie.

Carlo quickly recognised that one of his custom designed gravity vehicles, which he had sitting in a garage for the past six years, might be perfect for Sara. They talked about it and she decided to give the Bastard Board a try.

Meet the Bastard Board

Back in 2010, Carlo was developing a new type of gravity vehicle dubbed Bastard Board. He was motivated to come up with a design, which would enable him to practice downhill as usual, even though he’s getting older and is not as agile as he used to be.

I’m a luger, “old” and not very agile anymore, but I thought that by this means, with a braking system, I could enjoy myself. But people judged this as a suicide and Bastard Board was left in my garage for six years. ~ Carlo Righetti

Bastard Board came out as a hybrid between a longboard and a dirtsurfer.

The base of it is an old longboard deck, built by Carlo in 2008.

On its front side, the deck is mounted with a single reverse kingpin skateboard truck and longboard wheels. The front of the deck also features an extension which serves as a support for the legs which was not a part of the original design and it was added later in order for Sara to be able to use it.

The back side of the board is extended with a frame, constructed of square metal pipes, which holds a 20-inch bicycle wheel, just like on the original driftsurfer design.

Originally, a dirtsurfer is meant to be used in a standing position and it features calf operated brake lever which enables the rider to control a disc braking system mounted on the back wheel.

Sara rides the Bastard Board in a sitting position, but the braking system has not been changed. Instead of applying the pressure with a leg, she leans back with her upper body against the brake lever.

Sara’s experience with Bastard Board

Getting used to the Bastard Board was a tough nut to crack, but Sara was persistent and finally managed to have loads of fun with it.

Riding a longboard was exciting and I felt more free standing up and using my whole body. At the beginning I was shy because it felt like a “loser thing” to ride a Bastard Board, but then I realised, that the way I feel when riding is more important than what I’m riding on.

I can honestly say that riding a Bastard board for the first time felt crazy, even to me, and I like crazy things! It was hard to break because it was challenging to learn how to use the right amount of force leaning back and figuring out how the disc break would respond to the pressure. At the beginning I didn’t know how fast I can go before getting wobbles. But the most scary things for me were curves as I was so used to skating with a longboard where you turn at a smaller radius than on a Bastard Board.

Fortunately my friend Fabiano Ferretti, a longboarder and street luger, thought me how to use my hands to turn at a bigger angle. Now that I got used to it, I feel safer and more stable with the Bastard Board and also I noticed that I get less wobbles at higher speeds. So far, I even managed to reach 100 km/hour.  ~ Sara Mamone

What’s next?

Although Sara has fun with the Bastard Board, she says she will keep searching for a truck which could brake efficiently at higher speeds, to replace the BMX wheel as it makes the board more rigid and it slows her down in the corners.

If you have any ideas or would like to share any thoughts with us, drop us a comment below.

Shoutouts

I would like to thank Dante, Giulio, Fabiano, Lilù and the badass guys of the Degenerous Crew for the support they gave me. A special thanks goes to Carlo who made it possible for me to have fun again riding down full of adrenaline! ~ Sara Mamone

Follow Sara on Facebook or Instagram to stay on track with her adventures.

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 race track preview and event information

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Update, June 30th 2016
The crew went the track and filmed a rad raw run with Nico Nührig.

After taking a break in 2015, a four day race Sector 9 Almabtrieb returns to this year’s Eurotour and joins the BigMountainSkate events lineup. Previous editions were organised on a rad road in Germany, but this year the race moves to Austria.

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 race track preview and event information

As usual, we can expect some of the world’s most know downhill skateboarders on the Almabtrieb’s riders list. The race supports stand-up downhill skateboarding only and it’s an IDF WQS race. This also means that in order to register for the Almabtrieb race, you must be a member of the IDF.

About the Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 track

The crew was busy scouting the Austrian mountains in search for that perfect road which would match the Almabtrieb’s reputation and recently they finally found one.

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016

The event will take place from 13th till 16th  of July
 2016 in Loser Berg / Altaussee
 / Loser Panoramastraße, Altaussee in Austria.

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 will feature a 3.9 km alpine road with an elevation drop of 405 meters surrounded with spectacular nature and breathtaking views. The track is at an altitude of around 1800 meters above the sea level and in the same area as the Alpenrauschen track. The track has the steepest grade at around 19% and the crew already gave it a try and reported the top speed to exceed 100 km/h (62MPH+). You’ll be happy to know that there’s a sick hairpin waiting for you at the end of it.

Not for beginners

Just like for Alpenrauschen, beginners should think twice before joining this race. Serious downhill skills are required and the competition might be too hard to handle, but you’re always welcome to give it a try and watch the rest of the race if you drop out. In contrast to that, those more expirienced will be able to blow out some steam.

Riders limit and registration, accommodation

Everyone is uber hyped about this year’s Almabtrieb and it’s expected to be sold out very fast. If you are down for serious racing, make sure that you don’t miss the registration, which should start on Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 at 8pm CET via the BMS website.

The riders limit will be set at 180 and the registration fee is expected to be 199 Euros with camping included. If you want to sleep in a bed, there will be some rooms available in a hotel nearby. Price for the room is not known yet. The campsite is located just at the end of the road, next to a big alpine hut.

For inquiries regarding the room rental, it’s the best to get in touch with the BMS crew via the official email address info@bigmountainskate.com and ask about it.

Food and drinks at Almabtrieb

So far all we can say is that that there will be a restaurant with a bar next to the campsite where you’ll be able to grab something to eat and drink.

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 Start View

How to pack for Almabtrieb

You should consider packing the same stuff as for Alpenrauschen freeride with an addition of camping gear. In July, the nights in the mountains should be a bit warmer, but you’ll still need some warm clothes to feel comfortable when the night falls.

That would pretty much be all about it.
If you have any additional questions, leave a comment below.

Let’s check out the track

Also, Markus had a chat with Stephan Risch, who is the OG organiser of the Almabtrieb. Read through Stephan’s words and find out what the Sector 9 Almabtrieb is all about.

“I wanted a new road, a challenging road, which meets the riders skills way better, then the old one in Neukirchen. That’s why we paused the Almabtrieb last season. But now – we found this good looking road, with a badass alps-panorama. For me, it is kind of going back the the Almabtrieb roots. Dated back the first races at Jungholz, we started skating in Austria and finished in Germany – there was always a special bond for me between those two countries. So I was pretty happy, to start working together with my friends from BigMountainSkate. Organising is also way better and easier in groups, so it was a logic way to start working together with them. Felix, Flo and the crew are very experienced and I love the way, how they do things.” ~ Stephan Risch

Thank you, Stephan!

Now let’s lean back and enjoy the official Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 trailer with our friends Gregor “Nussi” Nussbaummüller & Markus Knoblechner skating down the race track last autumn:

Awesome video filmed with bicycle featuring Ferdi Mohr, Stefan Reinprecht and Alexander Mohr

Awesome video filmed with bicycle featuring Ferdi Mohr, Stefan Reinprecht and Martin Schræg

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About a month ago, Ferdinand Mohr shared with me a video filmed by his brother Alexander Mohr, featuring him and his buddies Stefan Reinprecht, Martin Schræg.

Rather then full raw runs, which have overcrowded our Facebook timelines in the past couple of years or more, I’m a great fan of “edits” because it takes much more effort to create them and personally I find them to be more interesting. This one impressed me very much.

When I finished watching the video, I was curious to find out more about it because just posting a video without any additional information really isn’t what I’m trying to do here on Longboard Magazine.

So, I asked Ferdinand to tell me a bit more about what went down that day and what I found out blew me away. It might not seam that big of a deal to you (hopefully it does), but to me this was special.

As I was watching the video, I thought that some scenes were filmed with a follow car, but it turned out that the guys used a bicycle in order to make the whole experience safer. How freaking awesome is that!?

I know that to many of you this might be nothing new and for sure it has been done before, but the way this video came out… These guys deserve some respect for sure.

While following and filming a skater down a hill on a bicycle might not be an option for every situation, for example, when skating downhill at higher speeds, this is a great option for youngsters who don’t have a car or a driving licence…or if they want to play it safe.

Hopefully this video will inspire other young skaters out there to try out something similar. For more stoke check out this photo from the shooting.

Filming a run with a bicycle. Photo by Sebastian Mohr

It all started last year when my brother, Alexander Mohr wanted to film a video with me, but we were wondering how to film, because we were afraid of filming with a car. That’s how we came up with the idea to film with a bike and his glide cam. It was a funny construction, but it worked really well. We went to spots all over Vorarlberg (Austria) and Liechtenstein. Big thanks to my brother and of course to the community! ~ Ferdinand Mohr

There you have it… It doesn’t necessarily take a car to make great video which would get noticed and appreciated 🙂

Alpenrauschen 2016

Alpenrauschen 2016 freeride by BigMountainSkate

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The BigMountainSkate season 2016 will start spectacularly with Alpenrauschen, a four day freeride which will take place high up in the Styrian mountains in Austria, from June 9th till June 12th, 2016.

Alpenrauschen 2016
Alpenrauschen 2016

I had so much fun on last year’s Alpenrauschen and so did probably everyone else who was there. Those who will join us for the first time this year have a lot to be excited about for sure.

About the Alpenrauschen track

For the second year in a row, the BigMountainSkate crew will cater with a 4.8 kilometers long beautiful alpine road which leads to Tauplitzalm ski resort in Styria.

BMS Alpenrauschen track aerial shot

Surrounded by beautiful mountains this track has much more to offer then just epic views. It’s packed with 8 hairpins, countless sweepers, top speed at around 95 km/h and 9% average grade.

Be warned, Alpenrauschen is not recommended for beginners. You’ll need some serious downhill skills to be able to keep up. So, see you there 🙂

Riders limit and registration fee

At Alpenrauschen camping is not allowed, but a bed in a cozy room is included in the 175 Euros registration fee. Because the number of beds is limited this event can take in only 170 riders.

If you miss a registration, you’ll not be able to “sneak in” like on some other events, so make sure that you register on time. Registration for Alpenrauschen started on Sunday, February 14th at 8pm CET via the official BMS website and has been sold out in a matter of hours.

Required protection gear

Full face helmet and slide gloves are the only required protection gear on Alpenrasuchen, but since the track is very fast, you should consider wearing a leather suit. Last year I wasn’t wearing one, but this year, I will. The Alpenrauschen track is very demanding and if you want to skate another day, it’s better to be on a safe side, I guess. Knee pads, elbow pads and a back protector are also highly recommended by the organisers.

Upon your arrival

The big parking on top of the Alpenrauschen track was my van’s final destination for the next 4 days. It takes a couple of minutes to get to the hotel from there, but the walks were always nice. That red colour behind the tree on the left… That’s my van 🙂

Parking on top of the track

Food and drinks at Alpenrauschen

The nearest store is 10 kilometers away and each time you want to drive up the track, the Tauplitzalm Alpenstraße, you’ll have to pay around 10 Euros (see prices here). However, the good news is that you will not have to leave the mountain anyway. Last year we got everything we needed right there in the hotel which opens just for the event.

You can get breakfast, lunch and dinner (also vegetarian and vegan meals), plus all kinds of drinks at the hotel’s bar.  If you have a sweet tooth like me, you’ll be happy to know that you can get some chocolate and cookies there as well.

The hotel’s staff was very friendly, especially the girls who made sure that we always had a cold beer in our hands during the evening hangouts 🙂 Just in case if you wonder, the bear was 2.5 Euros. Strong Austrian schnapps was probably the second most (ab)used beverage at the parties. I’m not much of a drinker myself, so I sticked to the beer, haha!

Just like last year, there’s an option to pre-pay the meals for all days at the hotel upon your arrival. The offered package costs 30 Euros and it includes breakfast and dinner. I think that’s a fair deal and last year, the food was quite good.

During the freeride, you can take a brake and have a lunch in the bar on a parking on top of the track. They serve some really nice dishes like soups, grilled meat, pizza and similar.

How to pack for Alpenrauschen

The highest point of the Alpenrauschen track is at around 1500 meters above the sea level. Weather conditions tend to change quickly up in the mountains, so my advice is to pack some extra warm clothes too. They will come in handy especially in the evenings if you want to hang out outside the hotel.

Chilling by the fire at Alpenrauschen 2015

If you’re going, also bring your own blanket or a sleeping bag because the beds are only done with sheets. The same goes for the towel(s) and other stuff for personal hygiene.

Other than that, you should pack as usual. Make sure to have enough socks, probably at least 2 per day, one pair for skating and the other to change for the evening. You’ll use the evening pair for skating the next day and so on. The same goes for the underwear and t-shirts. I’ll bring an extra pair of shoes as well, just in case if it rains.

There’s a nice lake next to hotel and some people had a swim in it, so you might want to bring your swimming suit as well. I was too lazy to go for a swim, but people who did go said that the water is fresh and the leeches are friendly 🙂

Alpenrauschen lifestyle

What I loved at last year’s Alpenrauschen is how relaxed it was. I already knew most of the people who was there, so it felt a lot like “home” from the moment I arrived. Everyone was happy to be there and for most of us this was the first event in the 2015 season, so we had a lot to talk about. I’m already looking forward to have a chat with everyone.

Alpenrauschen Lifestyle

After the freeride everyone was mostly hanging out on the Blue Tomato mini-ramp or by the outdoor fire and the trampoline. That was fun to watch too 🙂 Also, there was a couple of pool and soccer tables where we had some exciting matches going on.

Last year I went for a nice walk with my buddy Alex Ireton, and let me tell you, it was amazing. Fresh air, green pastures, mountain peaks… Can’t wait for it!

So, hopefully you are going to Alpenrauschen and I’ll see you there.
If not, we’ll meet somewhere else 🙂

Alpenrauschen 2015 aftermovie

Most probably, you already watched the official Alpenrauschen 2015 video recap edited by Bros Before Pros, but anyway… Just watch it again, you know you’ll like it haha! 🙂

Alpenrauschen 2016 Info Summary

I summed up all important information on the list below. If you have any additional questions, get in touch with the BMS crew via their email info@bigmountainskate.com.

  • The event takes place from June 9th – June 12th, 2016 in Tauplitzalm, Austria.
  • Registration started on Sunday, February 14th at 8 pm CET via the BMS website.
  • Registration fee is 175 Euros (includes a bed in a room).
  • Pre-paid meals for all days are 30 Euros (paid in cash upon arrival).
  • Full face helmet and slide gloves are required. Leather suit is highly recommended.
  • Follow Alpenrauschen via Facebook event page

BigMountainSkate’s LoRaLo 2015 official video recap by BrosBeforePros

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The long-awaited official video recap of Bigmountainskate’s smallest but raddest event LoRaLo is finally here! Filmed and edited by BrosBeforePros with the help of Alexander Frischauf, it brings back memories in a coolest way possible. Four days of endless fun, drunken nights and skating with the family was a perfect ending of the season for some of us. We’re already looking forward for the next year’s edition.

 

Racing at LoRaLo is always fun and never stressful. Much respect to everyone who were able to handle all those positive vibes and congratulations to all the winners!

Ladies 1st Gloria Kupsch / 2nd Susan Heine / 3rd Corrina Weigl
Open 1st Quirin Ilmer / 2nd Matthias Mögele / 3rd Georg Mekisch
Juniors 1st Jonas Stein / 2nd Janto Just / 3rd Anton Gerstmayr
Buttboard 1st Gerrit Geiger / 2nd Alex Frischauf / 3rd Matthias Mögele

Matthias Mögele won a slopestyle and Arno Tien a miniramp contest.

If you’re keen to find out more about how this year’s LoRaLo went down, Markus Knoblechner already summed it all up in a great write-up for the Skate[Slate] magazine.

Skateboarding is fun and always should be – The Jürgen Gritzner Interview

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Jürgen Gritzner is a badass and well known downhill skateboarder from Austria. He’s also the first and so far the only Austrian who’s got his pro model deck produced by a non-Austrian company. We’ve met for a chat and talked about how his relationship with Kebbek Skateboards started in the first place, how he ended up on the RAD Wheels and Caliber Trucks flow team as well, about his alter ego “Ill Eagle” and his views on racing. Let’s drop in!

Jürgen Gritzner shredding a bowl. Photo by Markus Knoblechner
Jürgen Gritzner shredding a bowl. Photo by Markus Knoblechner

“Be true to yourself. Skateboarding is fun and always should be.” ~ Jürgen Gritzner

Hey Jürgen! How are you dude?
I’m fine! Thank you for asking. Partying and skating with the homies, you know, the usual business.

Great! To start off, tell us about how you got hooked up with Kebbek Skateboards?
It’s funny how that went down. My buddy, Felix Rupitsch (Bigmountainskate.com) was partying at a local Bastl Boards Bash and met the German distributor for Kebbek. They talked, had fun and in the end he mentioned that Kebbek’s looking for a European skater to represent them. Felix told him some s*** about me, how I love skateboarding, creating music and art, plus all other kinds of things I care about very much. It all ended up with Kebbek being pretty excited to get me on board and the next time I’ve met Felix, he asked if I would like join Kebbek’s team. I said “F*** yeah”, got in touch with them and sealed the deal. Later on, when I was already on their team, I finally got to meet Ian, the founder of Kebbek Skateboards.

That’s great. So, Kebbek was your first sponsor. How did you manage to get involved with your other sponsors? You’re also on a RAD Wheels team, right?
Yes, Kebbek was my first sponsor. Joining their team spiked up my motivation to travel to the USA and get some skate action overseas. I went there by myself and got to know the Skate House Media dudes. We were skating together all days long. A year later, in winter 2012/13, I managed to get back to the States, but this time I went with my homie Flo Wagner (Landyachtz Longboards, Hawgs Wheels) and we stayed there for five weeks. We’ve met Louis Pilloni in San Diego and showed us around the Sector 9 headquarters. That was exciting. He hooked us up with some wheels and a bunch of stickers. Loads of stickers. At some point, he finally turned over to me and asked “You wanna join the RAD crew?”. You can assume what my answer was, haha!

Jürgen Gritzner at Bela Joyride 2015 © CK Photography
Jürgen Gritzner at Bela Joyride 2015 © CK Photography

Of course, your answer was “F*** yeah!”. And you’re repping the Caliber Trucks as well, right?
That’s true, yes. It was not long after we’ve returned back home to Austria when I received a phone call from Dave Tinachi. He told about James Kelly joining the Caliber Trucks, but what really flipped me, was when said how each pro skater on their team gets to choose one “flow team rider” as well and that James chose me! Pretty rad!

What’s expected from you as a team rider for Kebbek and the other sponsors?
Basic stuff, you know. Going out skateboarding, snapping some shots and doing some other media works, like movies and sharing online. Once I mentioned that I would enjoy doing some graphics as well and Ian gave me the chance to do the designs for some flyers, stickers, posters and similar for Kebbek in 2014. Later that year, I also proposed that we could produce a promotion video for my pro model boards. Teammates Katiana Torrebella and Benjamin Dubreuil joined the party and we went on a nice skate trip for filming in a skateboarding heaven, Barcelona. My homies over at Frame Fatale from Vienna did a really good job filming and editing this movie.

That’s a great video. How did you end up with pro model boards?
After ISPO 2013, Ian and I really got to know each other. After we did a promotion tour across Europe he arranged a job for me in a German company where he was working as well. We talked a lot about skateboarding, my visions and other stuff. I guess he enjoyed having me around and wanted to push my skateboarding even further. He kind of mentioned once something about the pro model deck, but it didn’t seem to be so serious at that time. It was as all nice and chilled until at ISPO 2014 he pulled out a catalogue with the new boards. As I had a look at it, I saw my pro model downhill and pool decks in there. A big surprise! F***, Ian just knew that I also love to shred trannies and street. I was very happy about it.

Jürgen Gritzner - Alps by Kebbek Skateboards
Jürgen Gritzner – Alps by Kebbek Skateboards

So, Ian kind of secretly examined your skateboarding mind?
Haha! Well yes, if you want to put it that way. In order to pull that off with the pool deck, he definitely had to sneak into my mind. Regarding the downhill deck, he already knew what I like. I told him that I would love it if the board would feature a kicktail to be able to play around and that a platform has to be wide enough for my big feet. The same goes for a solid concave and a rocker. He did a pretty good job! I got even more stoked about it when he included “Ill Eagle” in the graphics for both boards.

What is “Ill Eagle”?
It’s kind of my alter ego, my artistic name. For example, I build skateboards with old snowboard moulds and create lots of art pieces with my hands. And in the end, it stands a symbol of my rebellious personality and skateboarding style. I’m always flying around! Haha!

Jürgen Gritzner - Ill Eagle
Jürgen Gritzner’s alter ego Ill Eagle
Jürgen Gritzner in his workshop
Jürgen Gritzner in his workshop

Most people know you for your badass freeride style, but probably for some racing as well as you where “flying” at Kozakov back in 2014. Where do you draw a line between racing and freeride?
Phuu, I think those two are hard to separate. Personally, I think in racing there are moments and situations which almost never happen while freeriding. And this is good as it is. Those special moments give me the thrill of racing on a skateboard. Only in racing you push your limits to 110%.
With freeriding it is just all about fun, racing is really serious. I never freeride without my homies. You know, I want to enjoy a good sunny day full of skateboarding without any stress and unhealthy competition.

Jürgen Gritzner at PND 2014 © Dmitri Elson
Jürgen Gritzner leading the pack at PND 2014 © Dmitri Elson

But you are still a competitive skater?
Hm, that’s a hard question. Probably, there are times when I get extra ambitious, especially when racing. But I’m not that eager for winning like some riders out there, who are ready to subordinate everything just to win a heat or a race. I’m definitely not that kind of a skater. I love racing and getting that adrenaline rush, but some people are just going to crazy about winning. You can often see how they f*** each other up. This is not something that I stand for. What we do when racing is still skateboarding. Be true to yourself. Skateboarding is fun and always should be.

Great words and a nice closure for our interview. Any more last words, Jürgen?
Yes, I think so as well. Go out, skate and have fun. And of course big thanks to my sponsors Kebbek Skateboards, RAD Wheels and Caliber Trucks as well as a big shoutout to my homies!

Follow Jürgen Gritzner via Facebook or Instagram.

Also check out The Juergen Gritzner transportation project