Open Faces Kappl
Since the date for the competition in Axamer Lizum had to be postponed to February 4, Kappl-Paznaun kicked off the Open Faces this time, with perfect weather and sufficient snow cover on the proven contest slope of the Quellspitze. Snowboarder Mara Neumayr and freeskier Tao Kreibich took two Austrian home victories with spectacular runs on the day of the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel. Malene Madsen (DEN) came out on top in the women's ski category and Koen Goris (BEL) in the men's snowboard category.
The local heroes felt particularly at home in the snow in Kappl: snowboarder Mara Neumayr (AUT) took victory in the women's category with a spectacular run. "For being here for the first time today and inspecting the face for the first time at 7 o'clock in the morning, it went really well. I already had my line in mind, but then I skied a little differently because the snow was great. I also found a few nice cliffs in between," said a beaming Mara Neumayr. Christine Innerhofer (AUT) came second in the women's snowboarding category ahead of Finnish Freeride World Tour rider Mikaela Hollsten.
In the men's skiing category, Tao Kreibich (AUT) from Vorarlberg came out on top ahead of Luca Beran and Martin Krautschneider (AUT): "The day was great, perfect weather, the run was actually flawless too. When Luca arrived, I thought to myself that he might have been better than me. But in the end it worked out just as I had imagined," said Kreibich, who also wants to compete in the upcoming Open Faces competitions.
Behind Malene Madsen (DEN), the two former Austrian freeride champions Sabine Schipflinger and Jacoba Kriechmayr took second and third place respectively in the women's ski category. In the men's snowboarding event, Belgium's Koen Goris came out on top ahead of Italy's Tommaso Gazzini. Marcel Loschin, a local, also finished in the top three in this category.
Juniors also made their mark at the top of the spring
The under-18s also made their big appearance in Kappl and two Austrians were also beaming from the podium here: Valentin Rainer secured first place, Tyrolean Ben Hotter second. German Luca Schwieder completed the podium in the Juniors category. The Open Faces continue next weekend with the 1* competition at Hochkar in Lower Austria.
