The start of the contest season is just around the corner: the premiere of the newly launched Open Faces Freeride Series will take place next weekend in the Axamer Lizum. A total of 76 riders from Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Finland, France, Italy, Switzerland and even the USA, selected from 180 entries, will be competing in the ski and snowboard categories, male and female, at the OPEN FACES** Axamer Lizum.
For many riders, this will be their first participation in a freeride contest, which is in line with the organizers' goal: they want to attract young riders and newcomers with the newly created contest series, who want to secure access to further FWQ events - or simply get a taste of contest air.
The organizers recently presented the "Face" where the contest will take place. As some may have already guessed, the contest will be held on the edge of ski route 15, directly below the Hoadl 2 two-seater chairlift.
The face is divided into two parts: the rather open slope at the start is followed by a flat section, which could present a small obstacle, at least for the snowboarding participants. After that, there are opportunities for smaller and medium-sized cliffs on both sides. Knowledge of the terrain is crucial for line selection, as unfortunately you cannot see the entire face from above or below. From the judges' standpoint at the Pleisen, however, you have a good overview, although you are already relatively far away from the action.
If the slope is not skiable on Saturday due to poor visibility, there is an alternative face that can be skied in all weather conditions. The contest will therefore take place in any case!
We wish the participants and the organizers a good start to the contest season and look forward to an exciting and spectacular event! PowderGuide will report directly from the contest.
Open Faces Freeride Series 2013:
January 12, 2013 OPEN FACES** Axamer Lizum (**FWQ)
January 19, 2013 OPEN FACES** Fieberbrunn (**FWQ)
January 26, 2013 OPEN FACES* Hochkönig (*FWQ)
02. February 2013 OPEN FACES** Kappl (**FWQ)
February 23, 2013 OPEN FACES*** Big Mountain Stubai Glacier (***FWQ)
March 22, 2013 X OVER RIDE* Kitzsteinhorn (*FWQ)
March 23, 2013 X OVER RIDE*** Big Mountain Kitzsteinhorn (***FWQ)
