Stuben

The season finale for many snowboarders took place in the best weather and a great atmosphere! A race where winning comes third, with over 700 participants from very young to "relatively" old - and PowderGuide is right in the middle of it instead of just being there.

At the end of January, I was supposed to take part in the legendary White Ring, the ski and snowboard race through the extensive ski area of Lech. Unfortunately, the event had to be canceled due to the weather. The race weekend took a completely different but exciting direction. I got a little insight into the freeride history of Lech Zürs and was able to pick up a few powder turns.

"The triumph of the snowboard began 30 years ago. It brought back the fun of winter sports and, fortunately, it later spread to skiing. It is precisely this light-heartedness, the meeting of like-minded people and legends who enjoy riding with friends from all over the world, that we have been celebrating at the LBC for 14 years now. The Woodstock of Snowboarding a family reunion of a global community". So says Paul Gruber, LBC organizer and snowsurfer since 1980.

"Summer in the Stub'n": positive vibes and neon en masse! This year's Longboard Classic in Stuben/ Arlberg was the most summery edition yet: temperatures around 25 degrees, summer slush and ground avalanches in the Albona Face led to a new, shortened route through the Rauztobel. What sounds like a bad "backup plan" turned out to be a stylish Longboard Classic of a special kind!

The community of old-school snowboarders celebrates itself. On April 17, 2010, the time had finally come. The biggest old-school snowboard event in the world came to Stuben am Arlberg.

The 80 women start first. The fastest is the Swiss Katrin Kellenberger (CH) ahead of Regina Lind (AT) and Heidi Gunesch (DE). Kati has already stood on the LBC podium several times and is super-happy to finally be on top at the 10th anniversary and take the title home to Zurich. After the ladies, it's the turn of the old-schoolers.

You'd have to be a poet to put the 10th edition of the Longboard Classic into words. How can you describe an event where a good 440 riders simultaneously and harmoniously conquer an altitude difference of 1001m? Where the legends of our sport cruise edge to edge into the valley with lesser-known riders? Where an 8-year-old is honored on stage just as much as a 73-year-old? Where the organizer personally congratulates everyone who crosses the finish line and where every participant goes home not only with a gift, but above all with a big smile?!

Numerous snowboarding legends have announced their attendance at the tenth anniversary of the Longboard Classic in Stuben: Chuck Barfoot, owner of the snow surf and skate company of the same name and one of the four founding fathers of snowboarding. Terry Kidwell, the "Godfather of Freestyle", four-time Freestyle World Champion and legendary Sims team rider, and Shawn Farmer, the freeride legend who showed us what it means to be an Alaskan local in the late 80s.