2011 Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam – full report
On this last weekend the 9th edition of the infamous Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam went down at Dachstein Resort in Austria, has been probably the best in its history and came up with rad people, great weather and a brand new judging system to premiere, including technical AND STYLE TRICKS!
The Horsefeathers Super Park at Dachstein shone up with a perfectly shaped park, ready to get destroyed for this TTR 4 Star contest of the new 2011/2012 season and to party all out of the Austrian location later on for sure!
\\ Qualis
The riders were more than stoked about the whole setup and you could see that on their riding. The consistently high riding level made it tough for the judges to make their decision but ultimately, only the top 21 boys and the top 7 girls could secure themselves a starting position in the finals. In addition to proceeding to the finals, the winners of the qualification also got a nice amount of price money.
Among the boys, the young Jamie Nicholls (GBR) saved the victory with two terrific runs, Emil André Ulsletten (NOR) secured the second rank and Ville Paumola (FIN) turned out third.
The extremely high riding level especially manifested among the ladies where last year’s Best Trick winner, Klaudia medlova (SVK) emerged victorious in the qualification. The Austrian Christina Gruber gained the second rank and Cilka Sadar (SLO) finished third.
that looks like a damn nice park to shred! | photo by: PACOimages
\\ Finals
The park once again shone in all its splendor under Austrian blue bird weather. After Friday’s incredibly exciting qualis, the people were on fire even prior to the finals’ first heat. Now the climbers from the qualification were to face the ‘invited riders’. For the first time, each rider only had three runs exactly to prove his technical skills as well as his style. This system guaranteed an once again gripping and varied contest for riders as well as audience.
In the MEN category, for quite some time it seemed as if the strong Scandis, young gun Niklas Mattson (SWE) in particular, were about to win. Niklas performed like crazy and enthralled judges alike with his high trick level and stylish airs. At the end of the day, he was overtrumped only by the Belgian prodigy Seppe Smits, who convinced the Jury with incredibly precise jumps and runs: “Really good! It was a good day, I was killing it , the setup was good and I had a fun time – lovely!” In winning the Pleasure Jam, Seppe also scored important points for the Swatch TTR Tour.
The sensation of the day was the Austrian Matthias Weißenbacher, who managed to battle all the way through the qualification up to the 3rd rank, and thus left superstars such as Torstein Horgmo or Marko Grilc behind: „I’m feeling great – the third place. I really did not expect this!“
Matthias Weissenbacher sending it | photo by: Roland Haschka
In the LADIES semifinals, an exciting battle already loomed between Aimee Fuller (GBR), Cheryl Maas (NED), Cilka Sadar (SLO) and Sarka Pancochova (CZE). The super finals turned into a hot battle. Despite consistently sick performances of all of the four girls, ultimately it was Aimee Fuller who was able to convince audience and judges the most. Cilka Sadar gained the second rank and Sarka Pancochova turned out third. Thus, the likable English girl secured her first victory in a TTR Contest:
“I’m speechless and incredibly happy! This is my first victory ever! I had such an amazing time here, with the sunshine every day – what else could you possibly want?”
Amee Fuller goes huuuuuge | photo by: Roland Haschka
\\ Best Trick – trip to Bali
In this year two riders had the chance to win a free surfing trip to Bali, by throwing down the best trick. For the men it was Thorgren Sven from Sweden, who stomped a massive BS 1080, while among the girls, it was Cheryl Maas from the Netherlands, who locked that Bali trip down, with a bold BS 7 tail grab. Happy surfing and chilling out you two!
Winners | photo by: Roland Haschka
If you’re sick of regarding only pics and reading this bullshit here, you might rather want to watch the official video recap of this outstanding event:
| Pleasure Jam |
