Freestyle.ch 2009, it’s here, it’s now. What’s it going to be like? As for what we know right now, the format hasn’t changed much, there are still two titles to be earned: freestyle.champ and crossover.champ. Freestyle.champ is awarded by a panel of judges to the best athlete in each sport. There are four sports competing: freestyle ski, snowboard, FMX and skateboard – whereas crossover.champ is awarded by the crowd to one athlete overall. We also know that the big air is culminating 32 meters above the ground, eight meters lower than last year. We have also heard from Martin Misof that the kicker is smaller and the time in the air is shorter.

The big air structure by night

Let’s have a look at the lineup…

On Friday the 25th at 8pm here’s who was on top of the in-run:

1) Andri Ambühl (SUI, Masein)
2) Elias Ambühl (SUI, Masein)
3) Bobby Brown (USA , Breckenridge)
4) Colby West (USA, Canterbury)
5) Laurent Favre (FRA, La Clusaz)
6) Henrik Harlaut (SWE, Åre)
7) Andreas Håtveit (NOR, Hovet)
8) Russ Henshaw (AUS, Jindabyne)
9) Martin Misof (AUT, Innsbruck)
10) TJ Schiller (CAN, Vernon)

Then on Saturday at about 3pm we will see:

1) Rory Bushfield (CAN, Squamish)
2) Sammy Carlson (USA, Mount Hood)
3) Fridtjof Fredericsson (NOR, Oslo)
4) Thomas Hlawitschka (GER, Eschenlohe)
5) Benedikt Mayr (GER, München)
6) Jon Olsson (SWE, Monaco)
7) Nicolas Vuignier (SUI, Venthône)
8) Tom Wallisch (USA, Salt Lake City)
9) Jossi Wells (NZE, Wanaka)
10) Jacob Wester (SWE, Täby)

Quite a few of the people we saw last year have returned, however the procedure for creating the start lists has been refined this year: the kids from Pontresina Elementary School in Switzerland were assigned this demanding task.

As for qualifying to compete in the final, each rider has a few chances. From the ten starting each day, four are qualified for the finals. The eight riders going to the finals will then compete to get a spot in the superfinals. But there are only four spots available, so we are starting to reach the essential question here… Who will make it? Will the crossover.champ title be won back for freeski from the skateboarders by Dumont with yet another front flip to superman? Before we get into this, we will start with Friday’s qualifying rounds…

The day started off with some warm-up jumps while the FMX competition was going off nearby. At the very least, the guys seemed to be having fun and we saw an early 1080 from TJ, although the landing was a bit hard.

TJ in action during the warm-ups

After a few training runs, the competition was on. Nico Zacek warmed up the crowd and immediately it became clear that they were ready to see some awesome freestyle skiing, as the public had been pretty quiet up to this point. Nico then presented all the riders and explained to the public that there are three runs:

-on the first run, the emphasis will be placed on style;
-for the second run, the four judges will be looking at the technical difficulty of the trick;
-the rider can decide which of the two runs he wants to redo when he has a go for the third time. This run replaces the previous one of the category the rider has chosen.

Before he’s able to end his explanation, Andri Ambühl has reached the kicker for his first run. He’s followed by Martin Misof dropping a smooth switch 720 high mute. Henrik Harlaut is up next, before the next of the two Swiss brothers competing, Elias Ambühl. His rodeo 540 double grab gets the crowd really pumped. Colby West follows with a flatspin 360 japan and we are already past half of the style runs.

Colby’s flatspin 360 japan

Time flies and Andreas Hatveit, winner of the 2008 X Games slopestyle is up. He’s got a score to settle with this event since he was not able to compete last year due to an injury sustained in a fall. At this point it is well worth mentioning that both of the Swiss guys, the Ambühl brothers are in the lead… Can the only French guy competing tonight beat them? Well Laurent Favre answered that by taking second place! Three riders remain, Russ Henshaw, Bobby Brown with a switch cork 5 guitar grab and TJ Schiller with his signature flat 540 bow and arrow. While waiting for the scores, he takes the time to tell Nico Zacek and the crowd that he has learned a new trick for the technical run.

Bobby Brown in the midst of a switch cork 5 guitar grab

TJ with his signature move, flat 540 bow and arrow

The top four after the style run:

1) Elias Ambühl (SUI)
2) TJ Schiller (CAN)
3) Laurent Favre (FRA)
4) Andri Ambühl (SUI)

After the crowd’s overwhelming reaction to hearing that the only two Swiss guys competing tonight are in the top four, it was time for the technical run, which started off with Andri Ambühl dropping a switch bio 900 mute to japan which got the crowd and Nico Zacek pumped. Martin Misof then dropped in with a switch 1080 high mute grab, a trick which won him the title of freestyle.champ here three years ago. And yes, he took the lead. Henrik Harlaut was up next and dropped a bio 900 mute to japan, which then put him in the lead. But then Elias Ambühl took it away from him with the help of a 1080 high mute.

Elias’ 1080 high mute that won him the lead for a short time

At this point, Henrik Harlaut is second and Martin Misof is third. After Colby West’s run, Andreas Hatveit dropped in with a double cork 1080 high mute and took his turn at the top of the leader board. Laurent Favre’s attempt at his well-known switch 720 screamin seamen ended with a hard fall. After he was back up, Russ Henshaw dropped in with a double cork 1080 high mute to japan which was immediately followed by Bobby Brown’s version of a double cork 1080 high mute. TJ then launched his new trick, and what do you know, it’s a double cork 1080 high mute so well executed that he took the lead. After being reminded by Nico Zacek not to take the lead away from Swiss riders in front of a Swiss crowd, he made his way back to the top of the in-run.

TJ’s new trick: double cork 1080 high mute

There was barely any time to even look at the scored when Andri Ambühl took his second stab at the technical run. His switch 1260 mute, while very impressive and crowd-pleasing, landed him in seventh place, pushing him out of the finals. Martin Misof then went with his second attempt at a style run, but the fall on the landing unfortunately didn’t help him much. Up next is Henrik Harlaut who decided to redo his technical run with a kangaroo flip. Then Elias Ambühl’s switch double cork 1080 high mute as a technical run got him first place on the board, but not by much. The crowd is pleased to see one of the locals still in the run as for now. Colby West then dropped in with a switch misty 900 mute for a technical run, followed by Andreas Hatveit with a cork 720 for a style run, which immediately brought a change at the top of the board. Nico Zacek once again made a point of jokingly reminding Andreas not to throw a Swiss guy off the top of the score board in front of the local crowd. Laurent Favre then attempted his switch 720 screamin seamen, which he stomped with great success this time. He took fourth place, pushing Henrik Harlaut into to fifth and out of the finals. Russ Henshaw was up next with a style run, followed by Bobby Brown with a 720 nose grab for his style run. This however did not convince the judges enough to put either of them into the top four (the first four get to the finals on Sunday, remember). TJ Schiller then dropped in last with a bomb: a double cork 1260 for a technical run, taking first place from Andreas Hatveit.

Laurent Favre looks quite pleased that he qualified

Here are the full results of tonight’s qualifications:

1. TJ Schiller (CAN) - 156.00
2. Andreas Hatveit (NOR) - 150.00
3. Elias Ambühl (SUI) - 148.25
4. Laurent Favre (FRA) - 147.50

-cut off for finals-

5. Henrik Harlaut (SWE) - 142.75
6. Bobby Brown (USA) - 139.75
7. Russell Henshaw (AUS) - 133.75
8. Andri Ambühl (SUI) - 133.50
9. Martin Misof (AUT) - 114.50
10. Colby West (USA) - 114.25

All in all, this was a very good first day of qualifications and I’m sure that tomorrow’s riders are already quite anxious after seeing what these guys have thrown down tonight. To sum it up in the words of one of the judges, three years ago the competition was much easier to judge, since there were about four riders that stood out clearly above the rest, but tonight, we saw so many awesome tricks and such a good level that the judging has gotten almost impossible.

Freestyle.ch Zurich Day 2
September 26th 2009

Back for another day. But before we dive into the second round of qualification runs, let’s take a look around the venue. The first thing you notice at Freestyle.ch is of course the massive big air structure. Right next to it is the FMX track, with a gap of about 23 meters and its mound of dirt for the landing. On the other side of the structure is the stage, where Swiss rapper Stress pumped up the crowd last night, along with the winners of the freestyle.band contest (organized in partnership with a local radio station), and Phenomden.

Next to the stage you see the massive halfpipe for the skateboarders (4.4 meters high, 16.5 meters across) and a few sponsor booths. Next to the food and beverage corner is where it gets quite interesting though. The Label World is an entire area of the Freestyle.ch dedicated to over 110 brands. And once you step in you immediately notice that the ski brands dominate the area. CoreUPT, Völkl, Nordica, Head, 4FRNT and so many more have made the trip.

Some of the brands have taken the concept further this year, installing their own private lounges on top of their booths. The Swiss Corner of the area seems to be quite animated, though the booths are small. Loads of good vibes on the speakers that scream let’s party…

But there’s no time for that right now, because we’re about to dive right into the second qualification round. Here’s who was on course today:

1) Rory Bushfield (CAN, Squamish)
2) Sammy Carlson (USA, Mount Hood)
3) Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR, Oslo)
4) Thomas Hlawitschka (GER, Eschenlohe)
5) Benedikt Mayr (GER, München)
6) Jon Olsson (SWE, Monaco)
7) Nicolas Vuignier (SUI, Venthône)
8) Tom Wallisch (USA, Salt Lake City)
9) Jossi Wells (NZE, Wanaka)
10) Jacob Wester (SWE, Täby)

First up is Nicolas Vuignier, from Switzerland, starting off with a flat 5 japan to shifty. He’s followed by Rory Bushfield with a switch 5 critical. Fridtjof Fredericsson drops in and lands a cork 720 bow and arrow, taking the lead. Thomas Hlawitschka is up next and falls while landing a flat 540 safety tweak. He’s followed by Sammy Carlson, Benedikt Mayr and Jossi Wells with a flat 5 bow and arrow which he then dedicates to TJ while talking to Nico Zacek. Tom Wallisch is on course next and again we get to see a very smooth flat 5 bow and arrow. After Jon Olsson, Jacob Wester ends this first run of today’s qualifications with a switch cork 720 true tail. After the first run, here’s who was in the top four:

1) Jossi Wells (NZ)
2) Tom Wallisch (USA)
3) Benedikt Mayr (GER)
4) Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR)

We go back to the top again for the second run, the technical run (remember, each riders gets three runs total; the first is judged on style, the second on technicality and the third is rider’s choice), which Nicolas Vuignier kicks off with a solid switch bio 9 japan. Rory Bushfield does a double backflip – the first one we’ve seen so far – but that doesn’t seem to impress the judges as much as the public. Fridtjof Fredricsson launches the doubles series with a double cork 1080 high mute and as you would expect, he takes the lead.

Fridtjof Fredricsson in the midst of his double cork 1080 high mute

Thomas Hlawitschka however does not follow the doubles trend and throws a tweaked switch bio 900 mute and is followed by Sammy Carlson with a double cork 1080 high mute which lands him in second place.

Sammy Carlson’s interpretation of a double cork 1080 high mute

Benedikt Mayr then attempts a double cork 1260 but falls when landing, while Jossi Wells then throws the same trick and has better luck. After Tom Wallisch, Jon Olsson shows the crowd his signature k-flip. Jacob Wester attempts a double cork 1260 mute to take first place from Tom Wallisch, but unfortunately falls when landing. Let’s take a look at the board:

1) Tom Wallisch (USA)
2) Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR)
3) Sammy Carlson (USA)
4) Nicolas Vuignier (SUI)

And then it was time to find out once and for all who’s going to make it to the finals tomorrow and who’s going to be enjoying the rest of Freestyle.ch with a drink in his hand. After Nicolas Vuignier’s style run, Rory Bushfield does a cork 720 tail grab.

Switzerland’s Nicolas Vuignier with a massive tail grab

Fridtjof Fredricsson, also went for a style run, and is followed by Thomas Hlawitschka with a tweaked flatspin 540 safety grab which lands him in fourth place, eliminating the only Swiss guy in this qualification round. Sammy Carlson also does a style run and impresses the judges with his switch 5 safety that lands him in first place. Benedikt Mayr is the first to choose to do a technical run and drops in for a smooth double cork 1260, which was rather impressive considering he tried this trick for the first time three days ago. After Jossi Wells’ fall on his technical run, Tom Wallisch swoops in and took first place with a flat 540 judged on style, while Jon Olsson took third and Jacob Wester unfortunately fell on his last run.

Jossi Wells shows us how it’s done in the land down under

Here’s the final results:

1) Tom Wallisch (USA) - 164.50
2. Sammy Carlson (USA) - 159.75
3. Jon Olsson (SWE) - 148.25
4. Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR) - 145.00
5. Thomas Hlawitschka (GER) - 125.25
6. Benedikt Mayr (GER) - 124.50
7. Nicolas Vuignier (SUI) - 121.00
8. Rory Bushfield (CAN) - 107.25
9. Jossi Wells (NZL) - 106.25
10. Jacob Wester (SWE) - 75.75

Jon Olsson’s k-flip

But it’s not over yet. After a little break, it’s time for the crossover session which will crown the crossover.champ. This is not a competition between freeskiers, but all the sports represented at Freestyle.ch compete against each other. The public is the sole judge of this and whoever gets the crowd most excited ends up on stage with the title of crossover.champ.

The crowd is anxious to see some action

Representing freeski, we have:

1. Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR)
2. Tom Wallisch (USA)
3. Elias Ambühl (SUI)
4. Andreas Hatveit (NOR)
5. Sammy Carlson (USA)
6. Jon Olsson (SWE)
7. Jacob Wester (SWE)
8. TJ Schiller (CAN)

As you may notice, these are the guys who qualified for the freeski finals on Sunday, with the exception of Jacob Wester who stepped in for Laurent Favre. Now for the format: there are three runs. Each rider gets one shot at a trick that will get the crowd loud enough for him to advance to the next stage. This first run is done one sport at a time. The second run is divided in four. In each of the four parts, one rider from each sport tries to impress the public enough to get further. Only one rider per segment can go into the crossover superfinals. Once the superfinals are reached, one or two of the sports may already be eliminated and it’s every man for himself.

In the first run, we saw Tom Wallisch throw a double back flip, Elias Ambühl do a switch double cork 1080 nose grab, followed by Andreas Hatveit with the same trick. Sammy Carlson granted the public another good look at a double cork 1080, while Jon Olsson dropped in for a massive flatspin 360. Jacob Wester also pleased the crowd with a backflip while TJ Schiller threw a double cork 1080 that ended in a fall.

Jon’s flatspin 360

As since this was a showdown for the public, the riders felt there needed to be some more show. So the riders of each sport in turn took it one step further with a flurry of tricks that would make any fan of freestyle go nuts. The skiers impressed the crowd with a run in pairs, throwing cork 720’s and flatspin 360’s at the public as if there was fireworks going on. And now that the crowd was really getting warmed up, it was time for the second run.

From left to right: Elias Ambühl, Sammy Carlson and Jon Olsson…

…followed by TJ Schiller and Tom Wallisch…

…and Fridtjof Fredricsson

Sammy Carlson started off with a double cork 1080 double grab. Unfortunately, the snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov is in the public’s heart, and being Swiss may have helped here. Jacob Wester is up for the second run and grants the public a huge half-naked backflip with a newly grown moustache on his lip. However, FMX-star Dany Torres’ one-handed landing had a much bigger impact on the public.

Jacob Wester’s half-naked backflip

Up next is Elias Ambühl who attempts a huge double cork 1260 but falls when landing. This however did not prevent him to advance to the crossover superfinals.

Elias’ double cork 1260 that got him to the superfinals

Fourth and final run of these crossover finals saw Andreas Hatveit throw a massive double cork with a double mute grab. Skateboarder Sandro Dias however is a hard man to beat and he won the public’s hearts. In the end, Iouri Podladtchikov takes the grand prize thanks to huge amplitude. He can now decorate his room with a special crossover.champ belt.

Iouri Podlatchikov being carried to the stage after being announced as the winner

That’s it for today, it’s 11pm and time to move on to one of the many after-parties, chief amongst which the Raiders.ch party showing the Swiss premiere of Everyday is a Saturday by Poor Boyz Productions. But tomorrow’s another day. It’s time for the finals and the superfinals. Fridtjof Fredricsson, Laurent Favre, Elias Ambühl, Jon Olsson, Andreas Hatveit, TJ Schiller, Sammy Carlson and Tom Wallisch will be back on top of the in-run and show us what they can do.

Freestyle.ch Zurich Finals
September 27th 2009

Today was the day. After two days of qualifications and an awesome crossover session last night, it was time to get down to business. The weather was beautiful here on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland, ideal for the crowd (and photos), but not so ideal for the snow, which got a bit wet and heavy. Still, that didn’t bother the eight finalists too much, as they were still up for some fun on the slope.

The crowd

The final was structured as a jam session, with each rider having four runs to impress the judges. At least one jump had to be judged on style and another on technicality. There was no starting order and the riders were free to choose which category they wanted to be judged in before each jump, with the best jump from each category making the final score.

For those who may not have caught the first two articles, here is today’s starting list:

1) Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR)
2) Laurent Favre (FRA)
3) Elias Ambühl (SUI)
4) Jon Olsson (SWE)
5) Andreas Hatveit (NOR)
6) TJ Schiller (CAN)
7) Sammy Carlson (USA)
8) Tom Wallisch (USA)

Fridtjof Fredricsson opened the session with a cork 720 bow and arrow, judged in the style category. Laurent Favre then dropped in with a switch 540 shifty to double grab, which followed up by a double cork safety to japan from Jon Olsson. Andreas Hatveit followed Jon’s lead and threw down a double cork 1080, after which we saw the same trick with a mute grab from Sammy Carlson. But before Sammy’s run, TJ Schiller opened his runs in the finals with a stylish flat 540 bow and arrow. Now that all the riders had done their first run, we took a peak at the big screen showing us that Andreas Hatveit was in the lead.

Jon Olsson

Flatspin 540 from Wallisch

Sammy’s double cork 10 mute…so nice!

Here’s the leaderboard after the first jump:

1) Andreas Hatveit (NOR)
2) Sammy Carlson (USA)
3) Tom Wallisch (USA)
4) Elias Ambühl (SUI)

Already the second run was up with Fridtjof Fredricsson dropping in for a 1080 high mute, followed by Laurent Favre’s well-known switch 720 screamin seamen. Elias was most definitely on top of his game today, as he proved with a very smooth switch double cork 1080 high mute, which got him to the top of the board, but not for long, as Andreas Hatveit followed it up with a cork 720 double nose grab and took the lead in his turn. TJ was really motivated by now and launched the first double cork 1260 of the day, which he didn’t land too smoothly. But as he told Nico Zacek, it wasn’t going to be the last time he’d try it. Sammy Carlson followed with a flat 540 japan to shifty, which allowed him to take the lead. Tom Wallisch thendropped in for a bio 900 mute to shifty, which brought us to the point where all the riders had done two runs each.

Fridtjof Fredricsson in a 1080 High Mute

Laurent Favre and his own special grab of the weekend, the Screamin Seamen

Andreas Hatveit, cork 720 double grab

A quick glance over to the screen shows us:

1. Sammy Carlson (USA)
2. Andreas Hatveit (NOR)
3. Elias Ambühl (SUI)
4. Tom Wallisch (USA)

From this point on, the riders really took to the concept of no starting order. TJ attempted his double cork 1260 twice more but unfortunately fell on both of them. Laurent Favre had another go at a switch 540 shifty to double grab as well as the switch 720 screamin seamen, but it didn’t go over as well as the first one. Fridtjof Fredricsson was also into the 1260 rotations, although with a mute grab, but his attempts also ended with falls. Elias Ambühl took a stab at TJ’s signature trick – the flat 540 bow and arrow – and Andreas Hatveit showed us a cork 720 true tail. Sammy Carlson varied his 540 a bit with a japan to mute, and after TJ’s last run, Nico Zacek announced the end of the finals. This of course upset Tom Wallisch, who was on top of the in run, ready for is fourth and final run. Once this was done, we got the final results:

Elias Ambühl and his flatspin 5 bow’n’arrow

Sammy Carlson throws down a stylish 540 japan to mute

TJ Schiller gave it his all but didn’t land his double cork 1260 mute

Finals Results:

1) Sammy Carlson (USA) - 186.25
2) Elias Ambühl (SUI) - 173.75
3) Andreas Hatveit (NOR) - 170.75
4) Jon Olsson (SWE) - 168.75
5) Tom Wallisch (USA) - 168.00
6) Fridtjof Fredricsson (NOR) - 160.50
7) Laurent Favre (FRA) - 153.00
8) TJ Schiller (CAN) - 100.75

After some time chilling in the riders lounge, it was time for the four superfinalists to head up to the top of the in run for the last time this weekend. The superfinals were broadcasted live on Swiss national television and all across the world in over 180 countries, so the pressure was on. But then again, it didn’t take long to make out a winner with a two run format where only the best run counts. The superfinals were only judged in the technical category, so there was no more worrying about combining two categories, just simple, straightforward skiing.

Jon Olsson went first with a double cork 1080 cannonball, followed by Andreas Hatveit’s double cork 1080 double high mute. Elias Ambühl dropped in switch for his double cork 1080 double grab and Sammy Carlson took the lead immediately after his double cork 1080 mute.

Jon Olsson and his weird double cork 1080 cannonball

Andreas Hatveit, double cork 10, double high mute

Here’s the ranking after the first run of Superfinals:

1) Sammy Carlson (USA)
2) Andreas Hatveit (NOR)
3) Jon Olsson (SWE)
4) Elias Ambühl (SUI)

The second run didn’t go very well for Jon and Andreas, with Jon falling on the landing and Andreas barely avoiding the same fate. However Elias landed an amazing switch double cork 1080 and stomped the other two down as he took second place. At this point it was clear: Sammy Carlson was the winner of the 2009 freestyle.champ title in freeski. He therefore took it easy on his final jump before joining the others at the bottom of the slope.

Elias took second place with this incredible switch double cork 1080 double grab…

…and first place went to our new freestyle.champ, Sammy Carlson, here in his winning trick; double cork 10 mute

Superfinals results:

1) Sammy Carlson (USA) - 95.50
2) Elias Ambühl (SUI) - 94.50
3) Andreas Hatveit (NOR) - 91.50
40 Jon Olsson (SWE) - 85.25

Sammy starts the interviews

The boys didn’t win, but were still very happy to ride in the superfinals

Before we conclude our time at the 2009 edition of Freestyle.ch here in Zurich, let’s take a look at what went down in the superfinals of the other sports.

Snowboard:

1) Eero Ettala (FIN)
2) Sebastien Toutant (CAN)
3) Christian Haller (SUI)
4) Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI)

Skateboard:

1) Paul-Luc Ronchetti (GBR)
2) Daniel Mayer (USA)
3) Jürgen Horrwarth (GER)
4) Sandro Dias (BRA)

FMX:

1) Dany Torres (ESP)
2) Charles Pagès (FRA)
3) Mathieu Rebeaud (SUI)
4) Daisuke Suzuki (JPN)

That’s all from Freestyle.ch Zurich, but stay tuned for a bit more coverage. Freestyle.ch Berlin is just around the corner and will basically be a rematch, since the starting list looks exactly the same except for Richard Permin replacing Laurent Favre. So stay tuned…

Words by Cedric Doerig
(www.newschoolers.com)
Photos by Oliver Maccabez
(www.washawgroup.com)