At 7:00 a.m. on January 27, 2017, the accreditation of the starters for the FWQ* contest on the Hochkar in Lower Austria began. It was already clear that the sky would be bright blue that day. After the riders meeting at the JoSchi Berghaus at 8:45 a.m., where all the important information about the procedure and rules of the freeride contest was handed out, all participants had a little time to inspect the steep slope below the Scheineck, which would be ridden that day.
From the black slope in the large cirque, you could inspect the slope to choose the route that best suited you. They talked shop about which jump would be realistic to land and in which area the snow might not be as good as in other places. After this face check, all the starters were comfortably whisked up the double chairlift past the contest slope and close to the summit. From the mountain station, the first stop was the safety check. There it was checked whether everyone was wearing a transmitting avalanche transceiver. A back protector is also part of the mandatory equipment and, as of this year, Recco reflectors are also used as an additional aid and therefore checked for their functionality.
After a very short walk to the start gate, all riders were then able to relax and wait in the sun for their run. This time, FM4 presenter Heinz Reich, who had already trained diligently the day before with his coach, freeride pro Matthias "Hauni" Haunholder, did the honors as the forerunner. A total of 60 starters then ventured out on skis or snowboards onto the eastern slope below the Scheineck, which was over 40 degrees in places.
