You can snowboard somewhere, the whole year round. And soon, when even the after
season sessions will be finished, there are still some glaciers that maintain great parks
in summer or you travel down to the southern hemisphere. The official winter season
in Europe is finished though, the TTR World Snowboard Tour crowned their champions.
Therefore we want to look back on the winter season 08/09 of the Zimtstern Snowboard
Team.
World of Competitions
The absolute contest highlight of the season 08/09 was Colin Frei’s victory at the Swatch
TTR 6Star Billabong Air&Style in Innsbruck! Due to his kamikaze tactics he showed the
ropes to legends such as Terje Haakonsen, Peetu Piiroinen und Antti Autti and can now
call himself an owner of the Ring of Glory. More results of Colin Frei: Riverjump Livigno,
TTR 4Star: 7th Slopestyle, 8th Big Air; 18th at the Oakley Arctic Challenge, TTR 6Star;
O’Neill Evolution Davos, TTR 6Star: 17th Quarterpipe. Colin finished the TTR Worldtour
08/09 as the third Swiss on rank 26.
Lukas Blaser won the TTR 3Star Chill and Destroy Tour Finals in Arosa and hence he is
the current German Slopestyle Champion.
14-year-old Zimtstern Rookie Linus Birkendahl finished the TTR 3 Star Burton European Junior Open 2009 in Laax on the 7th position in Halfpipe and at the Chill and Destroy Tour Finals he styled himself on the 3rd place. Currently he is on rank 411 in the TTR-ranking.
The Ring of Glory:
Colin Frei after his win of the Air & Style
Photo: Air & Style
Lukas Blaser at the Chill and Destroy Finals in Arosa
Photo: facypic
Volcom Peanut Butter and Rail Jam European Champs and the Chill and Destroy Finals in Arosa she finished on the fourth place. In the TTR-Ranking „Heli“ is on rank 79.
Anja Imboden won the Quarterpipe Contest of the TTR 3Star Walliser Tour Belalp.
Alternative Projects
As we all know contests are not everything in the world of Snowboarding. The engagement in diverse movies and other projects is a creative choice of impressing their own way of Snowboarding for the riders. At distinctive locations or just in the middle of nature, far away of any civilisation, shots and sequences arise that will later be presented
as movies or as photos in the different snowboard magazines.
Zimtstern is involved with the international Pirate Movie Production featuring Hans
Åhlund and Björn Hartweger, Reto Kestenholz is starring in the Swiss Dedicated-Project.
Hans Åhlund and Björn Hartweger were on tour all around the world with the Pirates
almost all winter riding in Europe, USA and Canada. They rocked the most different terrains, from the finest powder somewhere in the bumblefuck of Montana to some insane Street Jibs in Sweden. We are so much looking forward to seeing the next creation of the pirates, that they will present personally on their premier tour in autumn.
Reto Kestenholz, one of the worlds most experienced Snowboarders, rarely participates
in competitions nowadays. A journey in the airplane he declines on principle. That
doesn’t mean that he is not active anymore. Far from it! He is self-actualising in projects
such as the Gravity Park in Zermatt which he and his buddies are shaping passionately
for some years or in stories he is initiating with the Dedicated-Crew or with Zimtstern.
A jump over the 45 meter long Gran Masta Gap in Adelboden, running in with an insane
speed of over 100km/h and styling a sick backside seven – match that if you can!
We wish you all a beautiful summer, summer-shredding, skating, surfing…whatever! Stay tuned! See ya next season!
Zimtstern Snowboard Pro Team Zimtstern Snowboard Rookie Team
Colin Frei, Schweiz Helene Nadig, Schweiz
Hans Åhlund, Schweden Julian Fürsinger, Schweiz
Reto Kestenholz, Schweiz Nico Kurz, Schweiz
Björn Hartweger, Österreich Chrigel Bertschi, Schweiz
Lukas Blaser, Schweiz Anja Imboden, Schweiz
Simon Abt, Schweiz Carmen Beccaro, Schweiz
Melanie Camastral, Schweiz
Linus Birkendahl, Deutschland
Well, the seasons over, the snow is melting and the champions have been crowned. Are you having withdrawl symptoms too? Just incase TTR has decided to air its 26 minute Television show wrapping up the entire season exclusively on ttrworldtour.com. From Chas’ knock out down under, amazing double corks in Japan and Canada, as well as the clash of the titans at the European and US Opens.