New date for the Open Faces stop in the Axamer Lizum

The low snow depths in the Northern Alps have forced the organizers of the OPEN FACES series to postpone the opening event. Although the piste conditions in the Axamer Lizum are currently good, the snow conditions away from the pistes in the partly rocky contest area make it impossible to hold a freeride contest at the level of a 3* FWQ contest. The OPEN FACES AXAMER LIZUM *** planned for January 11 will therefore be postponed. The new date will be decided on January 8th +++ UPDATE: Press release:

During yesterday's Open Faces Kick Off Party in Innsbruck, the Open Faces organizers also announced the new date for the postponed three-star contest in the Axamer Lizum. This is now to be held on the second weekend in February, i.e. from February 14th to 16th. The date for the Open, however, remains open due to the unchanged snow conditions; the Open Faces crew will also provide an update on this next Saturday, January 11.

"Rider safety is the top priority at the OPEN FACES contests. A fair, safe contest is unfortunately not possible due to the current conditions in the terrain," explains OPEN FACES safety officer Markus Kogler: "However, the registrations for the OPEN FACES Axamer Lizum will remain valid for the next possible date," says Kogler. The rush for the limited starting places in the Axamer Lizum was enormous: within a few days, more than 200 riders tried to secure one of the coveted places. The OPEN FACES organizers will decide in the middle of next week whether to hold the planned OPEN, which will also be used as a qualification for the 3-star competition. One option is to hold the OPEN contest on January 18 and 19. The new date for the three-star contest will also be decided on January 8

The dates of the Austrian Freeride Series 2014:

01.02.2014 - 1* OPEN FACES HOCHKÖNIG / Maria Alm
08.02.2014 - 4* BIG MOUNTAIN HOCHFÜGEN
14.02.2014 - 3* OPEN FACES AXAMER LIZUM (new date)
21.-23.02.2014 - 2* BIG MOUNTAIN GOLDECK
22.02.2014 - 2* OPEN FACES KAPPL (new date)
09.03.2014 - 1* OPEN FACES UTTENDORF/Weißsee
27.02.-02.03.2014 2* Pitztal Wild Face (Austrian Freeride Series)
15.03.2014 - 3* OPEN FACES SILVRETTA MONTAFON
22.03.2014 - 3* X Over Ride Kitzsteinhorn (Austrian Freeride Series)
29.03 2014 - 4* OPEN FACES OBERGURGL n