Extreme abseiling actions, glittering neon outfits, breathtaking steep wall descents, incorruptible skiing technique in combination with sophisticated equipment and a doubling of the official number of participants (you can halve odd numbers! especially with quartered brain power!) - these are the general conditions of the second official Longboardday.
Although the Longboardday was only held for the second time in all its glory, we can already speak of an almost legendary event that will go down in the history books of skiing. First abseils in the most dangerous apres-ski terrain, paired with homage to old ski gods, allow only one logical conclusion: the failure of all reason.
The event starts at dawn in the parking lot of the Nassereinbahn in St. Anton am Arlberg. The location was not chosen at random. The epicenter of modern ski (dis)culture, where DJ Ötzi apres-ski and alpine wellness temples meet, is the perfect playground for a tribute to the legends of days gone by. As usual, material preparation is first on the agenda, and the freehand drilling of an FKS binding deserves a special mention! It even fitted! But the other bindings, some of them older and with highly complex hole patterns, also needed a little encouragement from the screwdrivers. Fooling around can be fatal!
But it's not just the equipment on the feet, but also the overall appearance that is harmoniously selected. Individuality is key, whereby current park kids would hardly stand out in terms of color and state of mind. Often the only thing that would expose the jibber would be to reach into the wrong clothing size box: neon pink shiny leggings, headbands, Olympic-winning skis from 1984 and Garhammer freestyle full-body overalls are just some of the fashionable excesses, pictures speak louder than words. But even the latest trends cannot be ignored in a modern environment. Without a climbing harness, at least ten carabiners in various designs and ropes in colors that match the overall outfit, freeriders are no longer allowed to use the heated chairlifts if they want to be taken seriously by their comrades. But who wants to be taken seriously? After all, this is a homage, which may, must and often cannot be taken seriously. In this respect, more complex items of equipment such as pasta strainers or machine guns could not be missing.
In Bogner's Fire&Ice style, you have to go to the technical extremes. Ski lengths of less than 2 meters are reserved for those with less technical ability. And without Garhammer's turn-bend-stretch (ABS) skiing technique, the fashion-conscious participant must not venture onto the summer ski slopes. In the preferred extreme skiing terrain, the traditional double pole jumping technique should also be used. True to the motto "whoever jumps higher, comes down faster". And they were all fast!
Extreme skiing at the Mooserwirt
The first abseil ascent at the Mooserwirt also deserves a special mention in this event report. Only the most intrepid dare to throw themselves into the lion's den with rope support - one hand on the rope, the other with a firm grip on the irresistible beer bar. Yes, and even here you are already known, are served promptly and can count on a warm welcome in the years to come. After all, not every rope team secures itself at the beer bar.
At the end, all participants arrived at SWITCH TO THE ROAD in the center of St Anton largely unharmed and without any significant loss of equipment (apart from various attempts at ski card fraud, hotel room keys being reported missing at times or the pathetic whimpering of remaining brain power). Here, as every year, the true ski folk parted company and everyone went their separate ways. Just to experience another unforgettable year as God's prototypes and to arrange to meet again next year to remember the good old days or to revive them.
