Kitzsteinhorn: Epic Conditions at the Superpipe Training Weeks
The Superpipe Training Weeks at the Kitzsteinhorn near Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria, are in full swing. Since the end of October, numerous international halfpipe top stars have been honing their runs for the season at fine conditions. Many of the world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders from Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America are taking advantage of the exclusive training opportunity until December 4 to prepare for the World Cup season. A few days later, the Kitzsteinhorn Superpipe will open its doors to everyone, adding to the existing slopestyle offer at Glacier Park.
At the Kitzsteinhorn Superpipe, the international halfpipe top stars on snowboards and skis find first-class conditions to put the finishing touches to their tricks for the winter season. The weather has also played along in the first weeks, allowing them to enjoy many hours of sunshine and plenty of training time on the glacier. Teams from 13 nations have come to Kitzsteinhorn to practice their runs in the perfectly shaped superpipe. Alli Zehetner, who also built the halfpipes at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, worked 12 days together with the experienced Kitzsteinhorn snowpark crew to construct a 170-metre-long, 7-metre-high and 22.5-metre-wide facility that allows for jumps that are as safe as they are high.
The Superpipe Training Weeks offer includes not only the first-class halfpipe though, but also a snowmobile shuttle service to enable the athletes to make as many runs as possible during the day, as well as a bag-jump airbag on which they can rehearse new tricks. In addition, there’s a professional photo service for all teams.
Among the snowboarders, the 17-year-old Valentino Guseli (AUS) with his extremely high jumps, the two-time Olympic medallist Scotty James (AUS) with his consistency and the 2022 X-Games bronze medallist Kaishu Hirano (JPN) with his trick variety have impressed most so far. “The camp here at Kitzsteinhorn has been heaps of fun! The weather has been good and the pipe is shaped to perfection,“ Guseli enthused, and Hirano added: “The halfpipe is perfect, and we can ride it a lot with the help of the snowmobile. It’s a great environment and place to improve myself because I can try all my new tricks on the bag jump.”
At the female snowboarders, Olympic silver medallist Queralt Castellet (ESP) demonstrated exceptional height in her jumps, while the runner-up in the 2021 World Championships, Maddie Mastro (USA), nailed some tricks that none of her competitors could stick. Castellet reported, “This camp is an awesome opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season starting next month. We’re grateful to have the chance to get our tricks and runs dialled in before the big show starts.”
Regarding the freeskiers, 2021 World Cup bronze medallist Birk Irving (USA) and 2019 World Cup bronze medallist Noah Bowman (CAN) proved to be in great early form showing stylish and high jumps. “Kitzsteinhorn Snowpark has done such an incredible job year after year with running the sickest and most efficient halfpipe set-up I’ve ever been to,” said an enthusiastic Birk Irving, while Noah Bowman stated: “The Superpipe Training Weeks are absolutely one of the best training facilities I’ve had the pleasure to ride at! Their perfectly shaped Halfpipe combined with the sled laps allows for some of the best training in the world. On top of it, they have photographers and filmers providing content for us. Had a blast and will definitely be coming back!“
Olympic bronze medallist Rachael Karker (CAN) stood out among the freeskiers with strong performances, as did Svea Irving (USA) with her unique style. The 20-year-old said: “The Superpipe Training Weeks have been one of the best pre-competition season camps I have attended so far. They have maintained the pipe extremely well and been very helpful. Kitzsteinhorn snow park has provided us with a stellar pipe, airbags on both walls, and extremely fast laps.”
Glacier Park: the “skate park made of snow” is ready!
The Superpipe will open to the general public a few days after December 4. Already since October and until at least the end of December, freeskiers and snowboarders can enjoy themselves at the creative set-up of the Glacier Park on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier plateau. 24 easy to intermediate obstacles with various kickers, rails, boxes, tubes, and much more are perfect for improving your skills, getting creative or just having fun. Head shaper Wolfgang Hilberger and his experienced team guarantee the world-class quality of the “skate park made of snow”, and they are already planning the next snow park: Easy Park will probably open before the end of December. The Central Park is expected to follow in January, and when the South Central Park is added in February, the Kitzsteinhorn will once again offer an extremely extensive and diverse range of freestyle activities.
For more information, please visit www.kitzsteinhorn.at.
via KITZSTEINHORN