EventReport | Futuresymposium Winter Sports

The Futures Symposium was originally scheduled to take place in Mayrhofen in Zillertal, but due to the coronavirus, a digital format had to be used. It is a prestigious Tyrolean project subsidized by the provincial government, which aims to shed light on the different types of winter sports and the winter sports industry and promote international exchange. Prominent cable car lobbyist and member of the National Council Franz Hörl supported the project and sums up the first edition positively. Difficult times also offer opportunities and it is important to create space for discussions right now in order to emerge stronger from the crisis together, Hörl told ORF. The event was originally planned as an event for invited guests from the ski touring sector in the broader sense, but was made accessible to a wider public (and thus also PowderGuide!) in the course of the switch to the online version.

All lectures and product presentations were assigned to one of the overarching topics of "competitive sports", "skiing as a popular sport" and "trend sports and future trends". Ski touring, freeriding and PowderGuide's other areas of interest were in the latter thematic block and we focused primarily on these. As with ISPO and other similar events, the topics of sustainability and digitalization ran through the programme, with repeated references to the coronavirus crisis. The Austrian influence in this international event was relatively dominant and the speakers from Austria were somewhat overrepresented, although some of them were very high-caliber. All in all, the Futuresymposium provided interesting insights into the world of "organized skiing".

Unfortunately no participants on site, but still an exciting program of lectures at the 1st Futuresymposium Winter Sports. — Unfortunately no participants on site, but still an exciting lecture program at the 1st Futuresymposium Winter Sports
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Futuresymposium

Gear News: Safety equipment

The product innovations were rather underwhelming compared to the presentation program and there was generally little here that seemed relevant to the freeride/touring sector. Only Ortovox and Pieps showed exclusive previews of software updates planned for the 2022/23 season. Both are taking the path they have already taken a step further and are planning new functions for the DIRACT VOICE avalanche transceiver (Ortovox) and the i-Probe (Pieps). It will be possible to activate optional features on the DIRACT VOICE via an app, through which the avalanche transceiver not only gives commands in an emergency, but also guides the user to important waypoints. Ski huts with live music, whose program could be downloaded automatically, were mentioned as an example. According to Ortovox, these technical possibilities are available, so it makes sense to use them. Pieps, on the other hand, is focusing on the principle of gamification and is preparing an update with which the i-Probe emits different sounds depending on the quality of the probe hit, which are reminiscent of the sounds of video games. The aim is to motivate searchers as much as possible. Leading video game experts and the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck worked together on the development. Finally, there was an interesting concept presentation from a Swiss start-up that wants to change new airbag cartridges from all manufacturers directly at the valley station in Verbier and in the St Anton ski resort and is still looking for investors. Bene Mayr and Sven Küenle, both professional freestyle skiers and passionate real estate businessmen, are considering getting involved in the project with their recently founded real estate company.

ContestHappening

Representatives from the Freeride World Tour and several qualifier event series (Open Faces) also paid their respects at the Futuresymposium. From next season, there will be a small change to the regulations: riders in all categories will be required to ride at least 3 (consecutive) switch turns. This is intended to strengthen the freestyle segment. According to the organizers of the Open Faces, who suggested this change, this mandatory requirement has proven itself in Austrian snowboard instructor training. It is up to the riders to decide where to ride switch on the slope. It was emphasized that they are looking forward to creativity.

In addition to Nicolas Hale-Woods (FWT), Marcel Hirscher and the outgoing ÖSV President Peter Schröcksnadel also took part in an interesting panel discussion on the topic of "Competition as a trend sport". Hirscher and Hale-Woods announced that Hirscher will receive a wild card for the entire tour next season as part of an advertising campaign for the FWT. It is hoped that this will increase interest in the Freeride World Championships. Hirscher is taking part in the men's snowboard category, as he sees no challenge in the men's ski category. The racing pope Schröcksnadel welcomed this crossover. He suggested introducing a time classification for freeride competitions, which Hale-Woods rejected. Schröcksnadel advised Hale-Woods to do more to promote women and to have as many women as men at the start. Above all, women should be made more visible, for example through more eye-catching ski/SB clothing, in which they would "not appear so masculine".

The German freeride market is naturally large compared to that of the smaller Alpine countries, so interest in spectator loyalty at the FWT is also high. There is displeasure in the rider community regarding leaked information about a wildcard allocation for the FWT stop in Fieberbrunn: Christian Linder has identified German freeriders as a relevant political target group and wants to strengthen the profile of the FDP in this sector by participating in Fieberbrunn. Some riders, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed their suspicion to PG that Lindner would only get the wildcard because he is German. From the riders' point of view, this distorts fair competition. In the future, the Freeride World Championships will continue to be held primarily between the nations of the DACH region, the USA, the Canadian state of British Columbia and the Scandinavian nations without Finland.

Between tradition and trend sport: the Zillertal as a suitable virtual venue for the Futuresymposium. (Photo: Zillertal around 1898) — Between tradition and trend sports: Zillertal as a suitable virtual venue for the Futuresymposium. (Photo: Zillertal around 1898)

Anton Gratl

Interface skiing & politics

What was already hinted at in the discussion at the FWT was then central in the presentation "Raising the currently untapped potential of freeride tourists in underfunded family ski resorts in Carinthia, East Tyrol and Lower Austria" by Elisabeth Köstinger, Austrian Minister for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism: skiing is political. Structurally weak ski regions are to be strengthened through targeted support programs. A cross-border project with Bavaria was under discussion, but was ultimately rejected by the Bavarian side due to the lack of structurally weak regions in Bavaria. Köstinger, who is known for the successful summer campaign "You Like it? Bike It!" summer campaign, is now leading a task force on the topic together with Franz Hörl. Sustainable expansion of the necessary infrastructure is essential in order to maximize the promotion of gentle ski tourism in the regions mentioned, said the minister, who announced further press conferences.

The topic of politics and sustainability was rounded off with a motivating keynote speech by Matthias Haunholder, who gave a multivision presentation on how he made the impossible possible on his way to Antarctica, what conclusions he drew from his borderline experiences and how he went from vision to dream in his personal career. Referring to the challenging path to success in the economic sectors of sustainability and tourism, which Köstinger and Hörl are courageously pursuing, Haunholder concluded with a fitting reminder: "There is always a way."

On our own behalf

As part of the Futuresymposium, we were able to secure an exclusive partnership for the 2021/22 snow tip game: For the coming season, we can proudly present online-casino.com as a partner for the snow tip game. The winning amounts of the respective tips are calculated by the formula "win= new snow in cm x10 - deviation from actual value". At the end of the season, according to the CEO of online-casino.com, there will also be a large special payout for the worst tip of the current season.

The second edition of the Futuresymposium is scheduled to take place exactly one year from today, on April 1, 2022. Then hopefully on site in Mayrhofen. We're already looking forward to it!