On Saturday, 14.03.15, the Axamer Lizum presented itself in its second attempt at the FWQ 3* event with sunshine, a great atmosphere in the Hoadl and good conditions on the contest slope: the Hochtennboden. For PowderGuide, participants Julian Zenzmaier and Jochen Mesle were on site to report on the competition.
The initial situation
After the event had to be postponed at the beginning of January due to a tense avalanche situation throughout Tyrol and poor snow conditions on the contest slope, we were all the more looking forward to a smooth competition weekend in the Axamer Lizum, directly above Innsbruck.
We were already able to enjoy the picture-book weather on Friday, gather our first impressions of the good conditions on the contest slope, discuss possible lines together and then ride a few nice gullies in the area. Compared to last year, there was significantly more snow in the face, which made some new options possible, but also made other lines that scored well last year easier due to the technical passages. This meant that we had to spend some time planning on the screen. After the face check, there was the obligatory riders' meeting, which was informal and amusing as usual, followed by the race number allocation in the Liz restaurant.
Saturday - Contest
On Saturday morning, it was off to the first course at half past eight. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which promised a pleasant contest day. With early starting numbers once again, we hurried, but still did a warm-up run and took another look at our lines from various perspectives. The contest started punctually at 10:00 a.m. with the Austrian Dorian Konrad, who opened the contest with an impressive line. The enthusiastic spectators were entertained by presenters Kai and Max and were able to enjoy the live broadcast on the LED screen in the deckchairs on the Hoadl.
The contest was exciting and ran smoothly - the winners were then duly cheered in the afternoon - what an atmosphere.
The results
Men's ski 1. Max Kroneck (GER)
2. Leo Rauch (AUT)
3. Michael Strauss (AUT) Women's ski 1. Jacoba Kriechmayr (AUT)
2. Stefanie Noppinger (AUT)
3. Astrid Geiger (AUT) Snowboard men 1. Victor Heim (AUT)
2. Clemens Bergmann (AUT)
3. Daniel Eisendle (ITA) Snowboard women 1. Bettina Pickl (AUT)
2. Laura Perfler (AUT)
3. Tamara Fritz (AUT)
Men's skiing
It was extremely difficult for the judges in the men's skiing this year, as many of the skiers showed very impressive runs. However, one of the favorites came out on top in the end. Max Kroneck impressed with a creative line in the left area of the face and finished his run with a huge 360 into a challenging, flat landing. Local Leo Rauch finished in second place: he also scored points with his creative line choice in the upper section, which only he had chosen, a confident cliff and a 360 on the lower windlip. Michael Strauss completed the podium with a high-speed run through a tight, distinctive chute on the far left and a good jump at the end.
Snowboard men
Victor Heim from Austria celebrated his first victory at an FWQ event in Lizum. He impressed the judges the most with a very clean run and a 360 in the middle section. Clemens Bergmann also showed a very smooth run with his usual good jumps and narrowly missed out on victory for the second time in a row. The podium was completed by Italian Daniel Eisendle.
Women's skiing
Jacoba Kriechmayr from Obertauern celebrated her second victory of the season on Saturday. The very steep line choice in the upper section and some good cliffs secured her first place. Stefanie Noppinger, also from Austria, came second, impressing with a very technical start and her aggressive skiing style. In third place was Astrid Geiger - she also showed a very fast and fluid run.
Snowboard women
The Austrians dominated the women's snowboard podium. Bettina Pickl showed impressively how to ride this face and secured victory with her high-speed line and a technically flawless run. Laura Perfler came second and Tamara Fritz third.
Resume
But once again a big compliment to the organization of the Open Faces and to the operators of the Axamer Lizum - this is how you can only wish for a local contest. We're already looking forward to next year!
