Numerous participants at the spring camp at Terrain Park Zugspitze • Michael Miethig and Ali Kneifel win the Rookie Contest

Nice weather, lots of good-humoured participants and a perfectly groomed snow park: SPRING IN THE PARK 2010 offered two weeks of finest freestyle fun. The highlights at the spring camp at the Terrain Park Zugspitze were the RIDE Bigairbag Session, the Red Bull Best Trick Contest and the Rookie Contest.

During the two-week Easter holidays, 300 to 400 riders daily visited the Terrain Park Zugspitze near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in order to perfect their rail and kicker skills at the coaching sessions with K2, RIDE and Line pro riders Manuel Tapal (GER), Jens Kretschmer (GER), Severin Guggemoos (GER), Sebi Schmitz (GER), Maxine Boehme (GER), Cory Hodges (USA), Lucas Mangold (GER) and Felix Wiemers (GER). They also profited from the newest test material provided by K2 SNOWBOARDING and RIDE SNOWBOARDS as well as K2 SKIS and LINE SKIS. During both weeks, daily photo sessions took place.

High level and sunny days

“The level at the coaching and the contests was really high”, snowboard pro and camp supervisor Sebastian Kuhn said. “We had a lot of highlights like the Red Bull Best Trick, the RIDE Bigairbag and the Rookie Contest, and we had a lot of sunny days!“

Concluding the first week of SPRING IN THE PARK 2010, the RIDE Bigairbag was the first highlight of the camp on Germany’s highest mountain. More than 50 participants (including some 8-year-old rookies!) jumped into the huge air cushion erected in the landing of a kicker and practised new tricks at a lower risk.

On Tuesday, the 6th of April, the Red Bull Best Trick Contest was held. The riders had to show innovative tricks at a big old gas tank. At the snowboarders’, 20-year-old Kevin Kraus from Diessen am Ammersee (GER) won with a Backside 360 to 5-0. With a nice 630 off, German Sebastian Scheck took victory at the freeskiers’.

Rookies

The Rookie Contest on Saturday, the 10th of April 2010, was the final highlight of SPRING IN THE PARK 2010. Any non-sponsored rider was allowed to join in this jam session. Despite unsettled weather conditions, more than 60 riders took part. Due to heavy winds, the kicker session had to be cancelled and only the rail session was judged.

Snowboard and Freeski

At the snowboarders’, 17-year-old Michael Miethig from Geretsried (GER) took first in front of Kevin Kraus and Raphael Weber from Diessen (GER). Ramona Fuchs, 19, from Munich (GER) was the best female snowboarder. Michael Miethig convinced the judges with a Cab 270 Frontboard at the down rail and was stoked: “Everything worked out fine for me and I stuck all my tricks quite safely.”

Thanks to his Lipslide 270 off and a K-Fed, 19-year-old Ali Kneifel from Marktoberdorf (GER) got the highest score of the freeskiers. Second place went to Robin Bertsch, 15, from Mellau (AUT). Lukas Braun, 17, from Herrsching (GER) got third. Kathi Zebura, 15, from Garmisch- Partenkirchen (GER) was victorious at the female freeskiers’ comp.

The winners were rewarded with ski and snowboard sets by K2 and RIDE as well as lift tickets for Zugspitze. After the prize-giving, the K2, RIDE and LINE ski and snowboard coaches pleased all those who hadn’t managed to enter the podium throwing t-shirts, caps, rucksacks and other goodies of their brands into the crowd. And at the K2 party at Garmisch’s Lodge am Hausberg in the evening, the riders danced the winter away!

Photo Credit: Alex Schneider