BigMountainSkate

Alpenrauschen 2018: Dominic Schenk & Ian Freire | ROCKET Longboards

Alpenrauschen 2018: Dominic Schenk x Ian Freire Raw Run

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If you couldn’t make it to the event, you can check out our coverage from BigMountainSkate’s Alpenrauschen here: Part 1 and Part 2, and get up to speed with everything that happened in those 4 days in Tauplitzalm, Austria.

During the event, the ROCKET Longboards team riders were on point, stacking numerous clips, either filming themselves or filmed by Mirko Paoloni with a follow car. One of that film runs is the one you got to see right now featuring Dominic Schenk (Switzerland) and Ian Freire (Brazil) sending it stand up at around 90 km/h.

Dominic and Ian met each other in 2015 during the RedBull No Paws Down where they competed with each other in the finals. That year Ian took 1st place and Dominic 2nd, but in 2017 Dominic took home the gold. Soon after their first RBNPD race, they became good friends and Ian Freire joined Dominic on the ROCKET Longboards team two years later.

In the video we could see how comparable these two “champions” are with their almost synchronized flow, both targeting the fastest and most technical lines. This really is a match made in skate heaven.

Both Dominic and Ian have their own pro model deck, handmade in Switzerland by Daniel Iseli, the founder of ROCKET Longboards. Dominic’s deck of choice in the video is his pro model the ROCKET Domination, while Ian took his Ian Freire Pro, featuring ROCKET’s LAF technology, for a wild spin down the Alpenrauschen track.

Besides Dominic and Ian there were 4 other ROCKET team riders on the track; Danilo Porto, Till Heiden, Dave Süess and a new team rider who has yet to be announced.

Alpenrauschen 2018 is organized by BigMountainSkate and presented by ROCKET Longboards, with additional support by Sk8bites and TSG.

Alpenrauschen 2018 presented by ROCKET Longboards

Alpenrauschen 2018 is over but the stoke remains

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If you’re keen to check out the first two days of the event, check out our report from Alpenrauschen 2018 – part 1 or continue reading what went down in Tauplitzalm during the last two days of the event.

Day 3 – Full send mode

On the third day of BigMountainSkate’s Alpenrauschen the weather gods were on our side and with only a short rain shower, everybody here had the pleasure to enjoy this alpine track in its full glory.

The runs were flowing without any interruptions, and by the end of the day some skaters even complaining about leg cramps while we were lurking on the corners. The highlight of the day was seeing ROCKET Longboards team rider Dominic Schenk pulling off a standup toeside at 90 km/h, documented on his speedometer.

As we were walking up the track every marshall that we met was extremely stoked and happy to hear the majestic nature break silence with the sound of high speed that literally gives you goosebumps.

In the evening it was time for the 2nd rider’s meeting of the event, where Alex Kloebler started the gathering by thanking everyone attending. His kind words were followed by a projection of raw runs.

Based on the stories from skaters who were here last year, we were expecting a wild party for Alpenrauschen’s Hawaiian Friday but little did we know, the party would follow the night later. The beer started flowing and thanks to a portable speaker, the terrace became the dance floor.

Day 4 – A finish with a bang

As we all know, the last day of the event is the most relaxed. In the morning the sun peeked from behind the clouds for a few moments, but the weather changed to rainy soon after.

Some skaters sent it in the rain, but the majority of people chilled underneath the tents, crossing their fingers for a dry run or two to skate those sweet lines they were taking the day before.

Sometime around afternoon people started saying goodbyes and coordinating what other events they’re gonna see each other at.

Those who stayed were in for a treat because to our surprise the weather cleared up and it was time to shred the Alpenrauschen track as hard as possible. The event was left with enough skaters for one shuttle bus, meaning the runs were fast and numerous.

It was wonderful because we had the best of both worlds. Everybody is enjoying themselves and shredding hard despite the weather, so it was an awesome event.  ~Robbert van Haaften

The freeride ended when the last words spoken on the walkie-talkies were ‘’Thank you’’ and ‘’Now let’s get drunk!’’.

Coming June 13th: Dominic Schenk x Ian Freire Raw Run

Alpenrauschen 2018 is organized by BigMountainSkate and presented by ROCKET Longboards, with additional support by Sk8bites and TSG.

Alpenrauschen 2018 presented by ROCKET Longboards

Alpenrauschen 2018 presented by ROCKET Longboards is buzzing with skaters

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The 4.8 km alpine road leading high up into the Styrian mountains, and opening up to some epic mountain scenery and high altitude lakes, officially became the 4-day playground for international adrenaline seekers; Alpenrauschen Freeride 2018 is on!

A day before the event the weather forecast looked promising and the BigMountainSkate crew took care of the last details before starting the registration when people slowly started arriving in the afternoon. They were welcomed by Felix Rupitsch of BMS with the help of his right-hand man Florian Wagner and quickly got situated in one of the two hotels here in Tauplitzalm.

The overall spirit was high, the logistics on point and the meet and greet soon moved to the Hollhaus where they were still serving beer and late night snacks for the hungry travelers.

During the night the clouds cleared up and despite the nightly rain, the temperatures rose as did the sun. Everybody here woke up to blue skies and a pool of mist deep inside the valley. For some the morning was slow but the pace soon picked up with the help of morning coffee and breakfast.

The Alpenrauschen Freeride 2018 started at 11 a.m. sharp with a welcome and some encouraging words from ”start master” Alex Kloebler. The first riders on the track were buttboarders and streetlugers, followed by downhill skateboarders in packs of five.

By the end of the third run, the clouds decided to make the day even more interesting with a quick shower that soaked the road from top to bottom.

After one full-length rain run, the organizers decided to shorten the track down to corner 8, still leaving participants the chance to enjoy the upper sweepers, tunnel and some fast turns. The riders split into two groups, some stayed on the track to take on the wet Alpenstrasse, while some took the day off.

Who was left skating was a streetluger and 20 something dedicated longboarders. The slides were extra long, their shoes a bit soaked, but all of them had a big smile on their face because the run looked like an extremely fun slip and slide competition.

Despite the high altitude, the road transformed from patchy to dry real quick and we could see people charging the track faster in search for the perfect line. In the distance, you could hear screams of stoke and laughter.

The freeride ended with the 7th run of the day, and despite the fussy weather, a group of people formed on the parking lot and warm themselves up the best way possible, blasting music from the car speakers and dancing without a care in the world.

The second day of Alpenrauschen 2018 was marked as the beginning of the notorious Hawaiian Friday and quite a few people dressed up for the occasion. On the starting line, we could see a great selection of longboard gear for sale courtesy of Sk8bites, as well as a ROCKET booth with a special -20 % offer.

If one would describe today’s freeride, the phrases ”full send”, ”money lines” and ”gnarly pack runs” would not be missing. Both skaters and the weather were on point and those who missed out on yesterday’s runs had an opportunity to make up for it. The ROCKET Longboards team knocked it up a notch as one of the fastest riders on the track, and they didn’t stop skating for the whole day.

For more glimpses of Alpenrauschen 2018 check out BigMountainSkate‘s and ROCKET Longboards social media pages or stay tuned for our next update this Sunday, the 10th of June.

King's Gate 2018 Cancelled

King’s Gate cancelled due to the bad condition of the track

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The organiser of King’s Gate race, BigMountainSkate from Austria, had to cancel the event due to the heavy damage the track has suffered this winter.

The surface of road got worst in this so far really cold and snowy winter here in Austria. It wouldn’t be fun or safe to skate this road, its not accurate for a world class race. ~ BigMountainSkate via Facebook

King’s Gate was supposed to be one of the two IDF World Qualifying races in Europe. Now only the Transylvania IDF WQ race remains next to the World Cup races Kozakov in Czech Republic and Verdicchio in Italy.

As the announcement was published, the organiser of Transylvania race, the DEVAstation Longboard Crew decided to extend their event with additional freeride days.

With one event down, BigMountainSkate is now left with two of their most popular events in Austria, Alpenrauschen and Bela Joyride. With more time on their hands, we can expect BigMountainSkate to focus more on the remaining events and deliver even better experience.

To join Alpenrauschen and Bela Joyride visit bigmountainskate.com.

Arico - El Bueno Freeride 2017 Day #2

Arico – El Bueno Freeride 2017 Day #2 Report

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Tom Campbell and Ry Swanton are on the Island keeping us posted with the first freeride on Tenerife, Arico – El Bueno 2017 presented by KebbeK Skateboards and organised by BigMountainSkate.

In case you missed the El Bueno Day #1 report, click here to read and watch it.

Here’s how the second day rolled out on the Island…

The track is a black serpent working its way down a terraced mountain side, irrigation ditches cutting it up and cacti lining the sides. The surface is volcanic island tarmac, it slices through layers of wheels like nothing else.

Alex Dehmel live streamed a run with Islander Marcos Costa and lead organiser Felix Rupistch, check it out here…

[facebook url=https://www.facebook.com/longboardmag/videos/1255874161127359/]

Alex Dehmel is a team rider at Olson&Hekmati, Skoa Trucks, Cult Wheels, Longboardshop.eu and Risch Aerohelmets…Marcos Costa is a team rider at Crash Test Dummies Pucks and Fibretec Skateboards.

In between runs, the riders spend the most time together while waiting for the buses at the bottom. However, this provides a rare opportunity for them to catch up and enjoy being a part of a tight knit international community. The events we go to and the runs we share as riders can create the closest of friendships and it is good to catch up whenever possible, even if it’s just at longboard events.

Here’s some of the stoke found on Instagram…
Photos by @paristruckco, @domi_schenk, @radesigns, @nata_zoja_mi_, @kebbekskateboards and @miguelpalau_vc.

Wheels are being worn down at an exceedingly quick rate with riders having to rely on KebbeK Skateboards core a set, get a set offer.

Pete Connolly has worn down a set of Cult Raptures per day and seems to be running out quickly. For him the event is simple…

“Just freeride and enjoy the vibe”.

Will Edgecombe is there as well, taking photos for Skate[Slate]…

“I am glad to poach some runs on the beautiful track and skate alongside old friends”.

Overall having 5 days of riding gives riders the time to skate different. Juergen Gritzer has been spotted carving down the track on a KebbeK Shortcut while Pete Connolly has been seen throwing a super rare stand up slide.

El Bueno 🙂

Arico - El Bueno Freeride - Day #1

First impressions from Arico – El Bueno Freeride 2017, Day 1

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The Marshalling was controlled by the Sliders Skate House crew while the guys from BigMountainSkate took care of the start and oversaw the operation. With the chilled atmosphere surrounding the event riders carved and slid their way down the mountain, taking their time to find their perfect line through the hill.

The Homies from KebbeK Skateboards have put on an exclusive epic deal for riders at the event: The riders can buy a set of slidey KebbeK wheels for 30 Euros and as soon as they core them, they get a new set for free, all week long.

Riders are already handing in their cored sets and redeeming fresh sets to ride…

With such a thane heavy hill we wanted to take away the worry from riders about how many sets of wheels they use ~ Joey Bidner, Kebbek Skateboards

Live run with Emily Pross

We were excited to watch a live stream of a run via Longboard Magazine Facebook page thanks to Emily Pross. She sent it down with a camera rig and streamed a run with Robbert van Haaften.

[facebook url=https://www.facebook.com/longboardmag/videos/1254764051238370/]

Emily Pross is a team rider at G-Form, RAD Wheels, Ronin Trucks, IXO Boards, Daddies Board Shop and Berkeley College.

What are the riders saying

We also spoke to a few of the riders from the community about their first day at the event. Here’s what they shared with us…

German skater Sebastian Gschaider said:

My day begun pretty early at 6:30 at the Sliders Skate House and then onto the track to enjoy skating with my friends. The track is pretty sick with some funny corners and good hamburgers and nice pack runs with my Homies.

Dutch Skater Bart RiemVis said:

Although the hotel was crammed with the Dutch crew we made it out of bed just in time for the uplift buses. The first ride up the hill on the uplift buses was long but definitely worth it for the epic hill we got to skate. I would recommend BigMountainSkate freerides to anyone, they are the best events to attend from beginner to pro.

British Skater Mark Short describes the day as relaxed, fun with a hint of danger on the side. It’s gentle enough that a beginner can jump onto a board and get down with big carves and big smiles.

No crew has ever succeeded in pulling off a freeride in Tenerife and BigMountainSkate really had their work cut out for them. However they have succeeded in pulling off a lovely, efficient event despite the challenges they have faced.

Tune in via Longboard Magazine Facebook page for further coverage and another live raw run on the track.

Photos by Brianne Collective.
Reports from the event are provided by Tom Campbell and Ry Swanton. Thank you!

Raphaël Therrien inside the ruins at Arico - El Bueno 2017. Photo by Brianne Collective.

The island vibes at Arico – El Bueno freeride are setting in

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As planes are landing on Tenerife, the island vibes at Arico – El Bueno freeride presented by KebbeK Skateboards are setting in at the Ecovillaclub with “bellboy” Felix Rupitsch welcoming the guests.

Sleepy riders awoke this morning to a mini ramp overlooking the sea.

Arico - El Bueno 2017 mini ramp overlooking the sea.
Arico – El Bueno 2017 mini ramp overlooking the sea.

Everyone is excited as setups are readied and wheels are packed.

With good forecasts predicted all week the pool is going to come in handy. The Dutch contingent are camped out beside the pool, this is the first sunshine they have seen in a long time.

Close to the hotel is an abandoned Leper colony. Riders today explored, filming lines through the buildings and warming their legs up for the week.

Joey Bidner skateboarding on the ruins at Arico - El Bueno. Photo Brianne Collective.
Joey Bidner skateboarding on the ruins at Arico – El Bueno.

With bars and cafes just ten minutes away from the hotel happy riders can be found scattered across the cafes in search of food and wi-fi.

Arico - El Bueno 2017, relaxing at the beach. Photo by Brianne Collective.
Arico – El Bueno 2017, relaxing at the beach.

BigMountainSkate‘s reputation for creating a pop up paradise has been upkept at El Bueno. Sure the hotel is smaller than expected but the rest is perfect.

Tune into Longboard Magazine this week for daily updates and live stream via Facebook page.

Photos by Brianne Collective.
Reports from the event are provided by Tom Campbell and Ry Swanton. Thank you!

Arico - El Bueno freeride presented by KebbeK Skateboards

KebbeK Skateboards celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Arico – El Bueno Freeride Head Sponsorship

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This year KebbeK Skateboards celebrates its 25th anniversary with becoming the head sponsor of Arico – El Bueno, a five-day freeride on Tenerife, organised by BigMountainSkate and Sliders Skate House.

The official Arico - El Bueno Freeride logo featuring KebbeK Skateboards and Blue Tomato

Selected by local skaters Martin Diaz Yarza and Álvaro García Cuenllas and tested by the BigMountainSkate crew themselves, the track guarantees fun pack runs with a breath-taking view of the North Atlantic Ocean.

If your life plan includes shredding “the downhill skateboarding paradise”, this might be great opportunity to experience the real thing on a road closed for traffic and reserved only for skaters.

See it for yourself…

[facebook url=”https://www.facebook.com/Slidersskatehouse/videos/702716689891002″]

Last year KebbeK was the head sponsor of KnK Longboard Camp, where they premiered “Cuban Linx” documentary, span “The Wheel Of Misfortune” and challenged the riders to core a set of KebbeK wheels in order to win a new set for free.

Better Weather Tour video premiere at Arico – El Bueno 

Better Weather Tour by KebbeK Skateboards

After last year’s rainy Almabtrieb, Emmanuelle Daigle, Juergen Gritzner, Isac Printz, Matt Kienzle and Benjamin Sabol, set off on an adventure to search for the finest hills that the Austrian alps have to offer.

They were blessed with great finds and finally, some sunny weather, which resulted in the “Better Weather Tour” video, which is scheduled to be premiered at Arico – El Bueno.

“Core A Set Get A Set” challenge by KebbeK

KebbeK continues to challenge the riders to destroy a set of their wheels in order to get a new set for free. At last year’s KnK no one really managed to core a set, however, the Arico – El Bueno track makes pretty much all wheels dump thane, so the odds are in the riders favour this time.

Core a set to get a set challenge by KebbeK Skateboards

Adding a 78a wheels offered by a discounted price to the formula, the challenge looks even easier to beat. The price for a set will be 30 Euros and the riders will be able to choose the 80a option as well.

Good luck and see you on the island 🙂

Sponsored Content Disclosure
Longboard Magazine is an official media partner of BigMountainSkate.

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.

Arico – El Bueno 2017, the first freeride on Tenerife by BigMountainSkate and Sliders Skate House

Arico – El Bueno 2017, the first freeride on Tenerife by BigMountainSkate and Sliders Skate House

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[vimeo https://vimeo.com/197540296]

Riders featured in the video are Florian Wagner, Martin Diaz, Angel El Niño and Ripo Nano Canarion.

The first event of the BigMountainSkate season 2017 will be the hardly anticipated Arico – El Bueno freeride in the end of March, from 20th – 24th. While most people will still live on winter time, others will have the chance to enjoy the downhill skateboarding paradise known as Tenerife island for the full 5 days.

The track is 3.2 km long and leads up to the village that gave the event its name. 12 hairpins, numerous sweepers, smooth pavement and a breathtaking view over the Atlantic ocean is something you should expect while skating down the track with the top speed of 70 km/h.

Accommodation has already been arranged at Ecovillaclub, a hotel fully booked by BigMountainSkate for the event attendants only. It has all the amenities you might need, including an internet connection, and they will also serve dinner, breakfast and drinks for cheap.

The hotel is near the beach with a perfect spot for swimming or snorkelling, and the hotel has a pool and jacuzzi where you can freshen up in the morning or relax in the evening.

The track is just a short ride away from the hotel and the riders will be able to get to it with the official shuttle busses, so there’s no need for a rental car. To get to the hotel from the nearest airport Tenerife South (Raina Sofia), you can just grab a public buss or get a taxi. It’s a 15 minutes ride.

The asphalt is smooth, but be sure to bring an extra set of wheels and get stoked for thane lines 🙂

Arico – El Bueno might be your perfect no-stress longboard season opener that will give you a chance to stretch your legs after the long and cold winter.

The registration fee without the arranged accommodation is 250 Euros and with the accommodation is 290 Euros (Monday – Friday). In case if you fly in early and fly out a bit later, you can book additional nights at Ecovillaclub, right there on the spot.

You can join this even via bigmountainskate.com website.

Shoutout to Sliders Skate House and the crew over at Tenerife for a great collaboration <3

See you there!

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.

Root Longboards Road Trip – Eseposibele Tour

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Sebastian Schneider, Eseposibele Tour by Root Longboards, 2016
Sebastian Schneider, Eseposibele Tour by Root Longboards, 2016

Tenerife is one of the skating jewels in the norther hemisphere, for a long time not a secret anymore, well know for many Anaconda raw runs and endless roads directly hitting the ocean.

So a great bunch of the Root Longboards gang packed their stuff last spring, manualed through the gates, hopped into a flying carcass and got shot out on the Canarias somewhere in the Atlantic in front of Morocco.

The mission was to get sunburned, drunk on Doradas, filled up with tuna, avocados and olives, roadrashed by brittle asphalt and sore legs from skating roads longer then 10 km.

All in all we got a little more than 7 days to not just get pitted, this time we tried to make a serious road movie clip part what ever thing. Äxel, mad brain of road, still insured because of bowl skating brought his hole camera equipment including a Ronin-M (steady-cam) with him, to secure perfect, not shaking frames.

So boys and girls, get some tapas, open up a beer and put it into the smallest glass you have (author’s addition: It is more than reasonable to have many small glasses as I learned last week in Austria. Small beers don’t contain alcohol, easyguys), maybe u even have a small sunburn or a small road rash and lean back and let the island vibes flow through you.

Watch Root Longboards – Eseposibele Tour / Part I

The first day we spent traveling over the island and getting a feeling for the roads, landscape and people.
Camera: Alex Dietrich and Sebastian Hertler
Edit: Alex Dietrich
Music: Jon Wayne – Gold and Silver
Root Longboards via Vimeo

Watch Root Longboards – Eseposibele Tour / Part II

The second part of the “Eseposibele Tour” is all about mobbing down the hill, staying as close as possible and enjoying skating together with our friends and guys we met during this trip.
Camera and edit: Alex Dietrich
Music: R.L. Burnside – Let my Baby ride
Root Longboards via Vimeo

If you consider going to Tenerife…

Get in touch with Sliders Skate House. Martin Diaz Yarza will provide you with the best shelter you can image on this sacred island. He will grill fish, veggies and meat you never have eaten so far and what can I say, he is one of the most “down-to-earth-dudez” I had the chance to meet. Last but not least, don’t worry about safety, the Sliders House is probably the safest place on the Island.

Sliders Skate House Family!! #slidersskatehouse #slidershouse #sector9canarias #sector9 #fanfisurfandskateshop

A photo posted by Sliders Skate House (@sliders_skate_house) on

There is gonna be an BigMountainSkate event happening next year as well, so stay focused people! We already skated the planed track and I’m gonna say: Legs burning, stoke shouting, tight packs, thane lines…

PS: Root has planned to release a minimum of two more parts!

Root Longboards x Purple Haste

Longboard Magazine presents: Bear’s Guts Raw Run Cut featuring Nils Bodenheimer

Longboard Magazine presents: Bear’s Guts Raw Run Cut featuring Nils Bodenheimer

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It is almost a full month since we said goodbyes at KebbeK KnK Longboard Camp, but impressions are still strong. We had good weather and got to skate so much… The word out there is that this was the best edition of KnK so far. To me it felt like balancing on a thin line between heaven and hell, but at the end, knowing that everyone got out of it “in one piece” and happy with it, makes me happy too.

One thing that excites me still is how every year, we see more and more young riders showing up on the Bear’s Guts and blowing us away with their freeriding skills.

This year was no different. Young guns like Patrick Lombardi, Sebastian Schneider, Ryka Mohammadian, Ian Freire, Nico Gallman, Mirko Paoloni and Jan Dederer rocked the mountain really hard. These are just some of the guys. There were so many others as well… and one of them is Nils Bodenheimer.

Nils Bodenheimer tucking down to Corner 8, hitting around 80 kph. Heelside stand-up follows : Photo by Heck Meck
Nils Bodenheimer tucking down to Corner 8, hitting around 80 kph. Heelside stand-up follows : Photo by Team Heckmeck

Nils Bodenheimer is a 16 year old from Germany, near Meinz. He’s skating for 3 years now and his dream is to work within the skateboarding industry some day. Although he’s aware that this one is a tough nut to crack, his skating obviously reveals his strong determination to progress and succeed.

Earlier this year, in February 2016, Nils officially joined the Olson&Hekmati team and is now besides downhill skateboarding sharing another passion with his O&H Vlog‘s frontman, Alex Dehmel – the O&H Bromodel deck. He represents the brand since shredding around mostly with his homies from Team Heckmek.

“I was anxious to skate with so many riders”

Until this summer, Nils was skating only local events. He was attending the KnK for the first time and the Bear’s Guts track left a strong impression on him. Finally, he was going to skate the hill he heard so much about and which so far he only watched via the Internet.

Here’s how Nils recalls meeting with the Bear’s Guts for the first time…

It was my first event ever besides small local events. So I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I really remember when we got up with the buses the first day. I was really scared about how steep everything looked.

Also, I was anxious to skate with so many riders. But I have to say that you improve so much there! It´s crazy! Since the track is so wide you can easily draft someone on the other lane and you don´t have to worry about sliding to late.

Due to the perfect organisation we got so many runs in for every day. That definitely helped to improve too. Just try to go little bit faster every run you take and then you are on the „safe“ side. All in all the Bear’s Guts is a super fun freeride track, where you really can step up your game!

~ Nils Bodenheimer

WATCH THE VIDEO
Bear’s Guts Raw Run Cut feat. Nils Bodenheimer

On a last day of the event, he managed to jump in for a follow car run. Andrea Pedrotti was the guy behind a steering wheel, tailing him not more then a meter away… Crazy driving skills.

The following edit is a result of it, but before you even consider pressing the play button, let me warn you accordingly. Obviously, filming with a follow car is really dangerous and we highly advise you to keep your skateboarding experience safe.

Warning! You are hereby notified that the stunts and tricks displayed in this video are performed by professionals in controlled environments, such as closed circuit road tracks. Do not attempt to duplicate, re-create, or perform the same or similar stunts and tricks at home, as personal injury or property damage may result. The producer of this video is not responsible for any such injury or damage. ~ Mihael Zadravec for Longboard Magazine

Video credits
Special thanks to an awesome band from Brazil, Ancesttral who kindly allowed me to use their song Trust for this edit. Check out Ancesttral via YouTube and follow them via Facebook.
Awesome riding by Nils Bodenheimer was filmed by Andrea Pedrotti and then cut and put together by me, Mihael Zadravec.

Thank you Daniel Zwerghuhn (Team Heckmeck) for providing the photos!

If you watched and liked the video as much as I did making it, please share it on your favourite Social network and help us reach more riders. Thank you!

Stay tuned for the next Bear’s Guts Raw Run Cut clip soon…

Related: Olson&Hekmati Bromodel 2016 longboard deck with Alex Dehmel

KnK Longboard Camp

KebbeK KnK Longboard Camp 2016 Daily Updates

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Welcome to #KNK2016

The first KnK Longboard Camp was organised back in 2009 and has been setting records as one of the most “talked about” freerides in Europe since it was moved to the Bear’s Guts track in 2011. This year’s KnK Longboard Camp presented by Kebbek Skateboards returns with two six days freerides, including the Red Bull No Paws Down race at the first and the Cult Single Set Survivors race at the second week.

KnK Week #1 took place from July 25th to July 30th and KnK Week #2 from August 2nd to August 8th, in the wildest part of Slovenia, Osilnica near Kočevje.

LIVE STREAM

DAILY UPDATES

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Make sure to bookmark this page and visit it often as it will be updated daily, straight from the Bear’s Guts track. Stay tuned!

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 Day #4 – Race day & Results

Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016 Daily Updates & Live Videos

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Welcome to Sector 9 Almabtrieb 2016

The Master Championship from Outer Space returns this year bigger and more challenging then ever. Organised by the BIGMOUNTAINSKATE crew,  Sector 9 Almabtrieb IDF WCQ race will be held on one of the fastest tracks in the circuit, high up in the Austrian alps, from July 13th till 16th, 2016. Around 180 downhill skateboarders (stand-up only) will battle down the 3.8 km long track hitting the speeds over 100kph and the fastest will take home the unmatchable title of the “Almabtrieb Champion 2016”.

Keep this tab open and check back daily for video and photo recaps, published straight from the event by Mihael Zadravec, Nadia Hozić and Alex Ireton.

LIVE STREAM

For live streams, be sure to follow and subscribe to Longboard Magazine Facebook page.

DAILY UPDATES

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Make sure to bookmark this page and visit it often as it will be updated daily, straight from the event.

KnK Longboard Camp 2016 presented by Kebbek Skateboards

KnK Longboard Camp 2016 presented by Kebbek Skateboards

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The first KnK Longboard Camp was organised back in 2009 and has been setting records as one of the most “talked about” freerides in Europe since it was moved to the Bear’s Guts track in 2011. This year’s KnK Longboard Camp presented by Kebbek Skateboards returns with two six days freerides, including the Red Bull No Paws Down race at the first and the Cult Single Set Survivors race at the second week.

KnK Longboard Camp 2016 presented by Kebbek Skateboards

Introductory

Before I get started with all the event details, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who had fun with us at Bear’s Guts so far and everyone who is joining us for the first time this year.

When we organised the KnK for the first time in 2009, I never thought that it will become a worldwide recognised freeride with such a big impact on the European downhill skateboarding community. This would have never been possible without the awesome people like yourself. So, thank you very much and I’m looking forward to see you all very soon 🙂

This year’s KnK Longboard Camp 2016 presented by Kebbek Skateboards will once again be a BigMountainSkate partner event and if you’re joining us for the first time, here’s all of the event details. Just in case if you have any questions left unanswered, write them in a comment section below and I will reply as soon as posible.

Ok, let’s get down with it 🙂

About the Bear’s Guts track

There’s a good reason why Bear’s Guts is one of the best freeride tracks in our part of the World.

Gallery: Aerial shots by Felix Rupitsch and Florian Wagner.

KnK Longboard Camp features a 4 kilometers long road carved into a beautiful mountain in the wildest part of Slovenia, near a small town called Osilnica. It’s packed with 18 hairpins which are up to 10 meters wide, so there’s a lot of room to play around with your slides.

The Bear’s Guts has one of the smoothest pavements you’ll find around and there’s no pavement changes from start till finish, which makes it great for learning and improving your freeride skills. The top speed you might hit on the Bear’s Guts is around 80+ km/h and the steepest grade is 14 percent.

The Bear’s Guts is a very demanding track, but beginners are also welcome to join us. You’ll need to know how to perform at least one slide to get down the Bear’s Guts “safely” and you’ll have 6 days to learn the rest. The main idea behind this event is to be able to skate that amazing road for a week and progress as much as you would in a couple of months of shredding your local spots.

Required and recommended protection gear

At KnK Longboard Camp, a leather suit is not required, but it’s highly recommended for beginners. The only required protection gear is a full-face helmet and slide gloves. Although the knee and elbow pads are optional, you might want to consider wearing them, as well as a back protector.

Gallery: Action shots by Villing Chong.

Riders limit and registration

There are two editions of KnK Longboard Camp each year. The huge track, experienced crew and flawless organisation allows KnK to take in 250 riders per event (week).

Camping is included in the price and you’ll need to take care of the food and drinks yourself. Registration has already started, so make sure to join while you still can.

Accommodation

As I mentioned, camping is included in the price, as well as the warm showers and toilette facilities in the hotel. If you want to rent a room, you have to book it early via the Hotel Kovač website.

Gallery: Aerial shots by Felix Rupitsch and Florian Wagner.

You can rent a single or a double room for around 30 to 35 Euros per night or a bed in a dorm for 18 Euros per night. If you’re traveling with a camper, you can hook up to electricity but you’ll need your own cable.

Food and drinks at KnK Longboard Camp

You’ll need to walk only 5 minutes to get to the nearest and only store in the village where you can get some food for breakfast. That’s a great alternative to a bit more costly offer at Hotel Kovač, which is usually 5 Euros for all you can eat (sausages, fried eggs, yogurt, pancakes, toast sandwich with ham and cheese, fresh fruit, croissants, coffee or tea, etc).

At KnK the track runs from 11am till 6pm without stopping, but you can take a break from skating and get your lunch right there on the spot.

At KnK the track runs from 11am till 6pm without stopping, but you can take a break from skating and get your lunch at the start (on the track). You can choose from grilled meat, kebab, falafel and similar and the prices stretch from 3 to 4 Euros.

After a full day of skating, you can have a dinner at the Hotel Kovač for a discounted price of 6.5 Euros. You’ll be served with a three course meal (soup, salad, main meal and possibly a desert). Vegans and vegetarians are covered as well. While you’re at it, you can also grab a cool beer for 2.20 Euros.

How to pack for KnK Longboard Camp

Since KnK Longboard Camp is a six days long event, you’ll have to pack a bit more stuff. Usually it gets hot up on the track and you’ll sweat a lot, so make sure you have enough t-shirts, socks and underwear – at least two pieces per day.

Pack a sweater for the evening hangouts at the party place too. Nights are not cold, but there’s a lot of humidity in the air. Weather got a bit sketchy in the past couple of years, so you might want to pack for the rain as well. Just like for Alpenrauschen, I’ll grab an extra pair of shoes.

Don’t forget your swimming suit, because there’s a nice river flowing next to the campsite where you can refresh yourself in the morning and show off your water jumping skills in the late afternoon. I would also recommend to have a gazebo tent if you want to enjoy some shade in the campsite since it’s placed on an open field.

Other than that, if you’re camping, you’ll obviously need your own tent and other camping gear, like a flash light, sleeping bag etc.

Red Bull No Paws Down @ #KNK2016 Week #1

This summer at KNK we’re proud to announce that Rob & Maga McWhinnie are coming back to Bear’s Guts with their bad-ass Red Bull No Paws Down race.

Racers have to make their way down the steep twisting track using stand up slides for braking. With hairpins & speeds up to 80 Km/h (50 mph) it’s truly a show of skill & nerve from riders from all levels. If you put your hands down, you’re out!

The race will be held on July 30th (the last day of Week #1) and during the race freeride will run as usual, so even if you’re not racing, you’ll still get a full day of skating.

The last year’s champion Ian Freire is coming back to defend his title, as well as Dominic Schenk who placed second is already registered for both weeks and ready to take home 1k Euros prize money.

Cult Single Set Survivors @ #KNK2016 Week #2

Doesn’t it suck when you race and don’t have enough wheels to change them every run, but others do? For sure it does. That’s why Nadim and I decided to organise a fun race where riders are allowed to skate the whole race with only one set of wheels of their choice.

A big thank you goes to Cult Wheels for supporting the idea and sponsoring with wheels. Racers will have an option to get a set of Cult wheels for a small fee of 20 Euros which will contribute towards money prize fund. Whether they’re going to use the Cult or some other wheels for the race, it’s totally up to rider’s choice.

Last year Matt Elver swept the first place with the longest board on the track, the Hackbrett Wasser. Here’s a video of the final run shot by Alexander “Alextiki” Frischauf.

#KNK2016 Partners

A big THANK YOU goes to our partners as well.

KnK Longboard Camp 2016 Sponsors

How to join Kebbek KnK Longboard Camp

To register, visit the KnK registration page and submit the registration form.

Who & Where to follow

We will share more cool stuff about Kebbek KnK via our Instagram profile @longboardmagazine.eu. Stay on track with us on Facebook page Longboard Magazine, and of course, the KnK Longboard Camp event page.

That’s it, folks! I’m looking forward to see you all soon on the Bear’s Guts!

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:

Alpenrauschen 2016 Live Updates

Alpenrauschen 2016 Daily Updates

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Welcome to #alpenrauschen

The first BigMountainSkate freeride of the year, Alpenrauschen, took place in a beautiful Austrian alps from June 9th – 12th, 2016 and we covered the event via live stream.

LIVE STREAM

For all archived live streams, check out the Longboard Magazine’s video gallery on Facebook.

DAILY UPDATES

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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
Banana Longboarding – The best of 2015

Banana Longboarding – The best of 2015

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The year is almost over and as winter slowly starts to take over, it is time to take a look back to this amazing season, which of course does not mean we stopped skating, because fortunately the roads over here are still dry and snow free. Probably even snow would not keep us away from doing it, but deep down we all wish the summer back, especially with all this great memories and the certainty, that 2016 is going to top it again.

The BananaCrew, located in Vienna enjoyed the season on their favourite homespots, explored tons of new roads and had an amazing time during all the events skating the sickest mountain passes that Europe has to offer.

First we joined the High-Black-Corner-Jam in Berchtesgaden organised by Rollbrett Salzburg, where the riders basically had a downhill skatepark with some sweet hairpins for sliding.

Jakob Grasmann at Graveyard Slide Jam © Banana Longboarding
Jakob Grasmann at Cementary Slide Jam © Banana Longboarding

After that, it was time for the BigMountainSkate event series, which started with the by now infamous Alpenrauschen, a really fast and dangerous track.

Next stop was the KNK Longboard Camp, a six-day-long event in Slovenia, where we had countless runs on the Bear. The fact that it was our third time at KNK, shows how much fun this road is.

Philip Tankarian rocking at KnK 2015 © Laroulette Bruxelles
Philip Tankarian rocking at KnK 2015 © Laroulette Bruxelles

Then, in August, there was Bela Joyride, again well organised by the BMS Crew, providing the stoked skaters a 6km long rollercoaster with 16, mostly banked hairpins. The name speaks for itself!

Leon Kutzner at Bela Joyride © CK Photography
Leon Kutzner at Bela Joyride © CK Photography

Finally there was the well known LoRaLo, a freeride and race at the same time, with a night slide jam and mini ramp contest, which fulfils all a downhill skater could ever wish for. About two month ago we organised a little slide jam on one of our favourite slide spots in Vienna, which was a lot of fun too.

And to top it of, between all these events we skated the wonderful BananaLand!

Jan Winkler, Jakob Grasmann and Philip Tankarian © Banana Longboarding
Jan Winkler, Jakob Grasmann and Philip Tankarian © Banana Longboarding

So you can imagine how stoked we are about the past season! Some of this great skate moments are captured in our 2015 Compilation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Big thanks goes the the awesome downhill community in general, and especially to the BigMountainSkate Crew, Rollbrett Salzburg and Longboard Magazine!

Follow Banana Longboarding via Facebook and YouTube.

A Cup Of Stoke - Issue 3

Longboard Tour Morocco, Markus Knoblechner joins Root, T-shirt announcement

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[live-post]

A Cup Of Stoke - Issue 3

Welcome to another #ACOS live post – Issue 3! Check out some of the best stuff we curated for you in the past 24 hours and stay tuned for more as we add new cool media and info during the day. Use #ACOS or #LBMAGEU hashtags when posting on social media to help us track down your posts faster. Everyone is welcome to join the party and anything goes as long as it’s rad and interesting.

Let’s do this!

RAJU CAMP BroRuns, Team Andalucia at the Po-Po

Checkout the latest edit coming from Andalucia by RAJU Camp squad and Team Andalucia at one of their favourite local runs, Po-Po. If you are down for some adventure around Malaga, another RAJU Camp is announced for the February 2016. We’ll keep you posted!

Let’s do more of what matters

If you’re going to share something on social media today, let this be it. A message delivered by Yassine Boundouq from Safi in Morocco, holds a great value which almost seemed to be forgotten – we should step out from our self-centred minds and reach out to others.

He traveled 3000 kilometers throughout Morocco on a longboard meeting people, with a noble goal on his mind; To spread the culture of longboarding and inspire people to create communities and space for it. His message to the world is:

I am living for the longboard and no matter how bad it is or how bad it’s gonna get , I am still going to spread the longboarding culture out here ~ Yassine Boundouq

As he describes in a post on Facebook, he’s thankful and proud of what he achieved. He feels like he made a difference as people are getting more and more interested into the Longboard Sessions he organises, as well as starting sessions and communities in their cities across Morocco.

Well, Yassine, you have a big fat respect from us, that’s for sure!

BMS announces dates for Alpenrauschen 2016

Alpenrauschen track © BigMountainSkate
Alpenrauschen track © BigMountainSkate

Last year’s Alpenrauschen organised by BigMountainSkate.com crew was so much fun despite the bad weather which resulted in downsized number of runs. Those who went can tell you only the best about it and the same goes for other BMS events. Decision hasn’t been done yet if it’s going to be a four or three days event. For now, the announced dates or June 9th – June 12th, 2016. Can’t wait!

Root welcomes Markus Knoblechner to their team

Markus Knoblechner is excited as he got welcomed to the Root Longboards team. The guys are a great bunch of skaters doing great stuff and Markus will definitely enjoy their company as well as contribute a lot with his skateboarding, filming and writing skills.

I am super happy to shred those beauties. I love the boards and the badass graphics from Boogie! Also, Root has such a great team of skaters and I am really proud to be a part of it! Damn, it just started to snow here and I’ll have to wait awhile till I can take the Bughuul out for a skate in 2016. ~ Markus Knoblechner

LBMAGEU T-shirts announcement

UPDATE: Check out the Longboard Magazine T-shirt here. It’s awesome 🙂

We are out of our minds for this one! While Markus was “spamming” longboarding related Facebook groups with our website link, Andrea Berton, a great Italian artista, got in touch with him. We immediately fell in love with his works and agreed that he will design a graphic for the first Longboard Magazine Europe t-shirt. Hopefully, it should be available for purchase sometimes in December 2015. We’ll let you know more soon!

Corefilio designs © Andrea Berton
Corefilio t-shirt designs © Andrea Berton

Andrea has also done some art for Earthwing skateboards. Check it out on Corefolio FB page or it’s official website. Rock on, Andrea!

Team Andalucia

The guys from Andalucia are tearing local runs apart with no mercy. While since yesterday most of Europe is covered with snow, they enjoy beautiful weather conditions throughout all the winter. Bastards! Nah, we’re just playin with them, they’re alright 🙂 Watch the video and be amazed.

Z&G Skatehouse is down there to feed your unrestful skate demons during these cold times. They have plenty to offer including some of the best roads in the area, if not the whole Spain. For only about 55 eur per day, you’ll get the whole experience, from food and transfer to skating incredible runs with some great people. Check out Z&G Skatehouse’s website for more info.

Featured photo by Sergio Herrada

Justo Mullor going toesideways © Sergio Herrada
Justo Mullor going toesideways © Sergio Herrada

For your viewing pleasure we’re featuring this awesome photo of Justo Mullor  repping 992 Custom Longboards sideways, shot by Sergio Herrada, a freelance photographer and SpinoS Custom Longboards & Diversur team rider. Follow Z4 Longboard Almeria for more.

You’ve reached the end of today’s #ACOS live post. Use #ACOS or #LBMAGEU hashtags when posting on social media to help us track down your posts faster. Everyone is welcome to join the party and anything goes as long as it’s rad and interesting. Please, don’t abuse it 🙂

[live-post]

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.