The Open Faces Freeride Contest in Alpbachtal, after being postponed, was ultimately rewarded with perfect conditions on Easter Sunday. Under bright sunshine and with perfect snow conditions, the riders delivered impressive performances at Wiedersberger Horn. A last-minute adjustment to the schedule paid off: while fog had still covered the contest face on Saturday, moving the event to Sunday ensured optimal visibility and ideal conditions—resulting in an all-round successful event.

The junior categories kicked things off. In the 2* junior ranking of the U16 Ski Men, the field was strongly dominated by Austrian young talents—16 of the 17 riders were essentially competing on home turf. Daniel Weiss (AUT) secured victory with a fast and fluid run. Particularly noteworthy were a cleanly landed 360 over the kicker as well as two additional kickers he mastered with stylish straight airs including grabs. Second place went to Leo Schultes (AUT) of Skicrew Arlberg, who impressed with a strong first cliff using the largest possible take-off and delivered a run very similar to the winner. Anton Herovitsch (AUT) finished in third place.

In the U18 Ski Men category, the field appeared balanced and highly competitive. The junior program was complemented by Snowboard Men and Ski Women competitions, which, despite smaller fields, also featured strong runs.

In the Ski Men category, Jonas Gritze (AUT) made a bold statement: right after the start gate, he threw down a double over the upper cliff section—before many other riders had even begun to score points. His run was complemented by another air over the wind lip, earning him a well-deserved win. Toma Trandafir (ROU), already a familiar name on the contest scene, followed in second place with only about 1.5 points behind—an extremely tight race at a very high level. Jakob Roedenbeck (GER) finished third.

In the Ski Women U18 category, Paula Pösch (GER) took the win. Despite increasingly challenging snow conditions due to the sun, she navigated the face confidently with solid straight airs over the kickers. Leni Winterholler (GER) placed second. The active ski racer initially showed a solid run with a small jump over the first cliff but then got caught in the snow and crashed spectacularly. Uninjured, she continued her run with only one pole and still managed to finish with a scored run.

In the Snowboard Men U18 category, Edward Tillett (GBR) claimed victory. Having spent the winter in Zillertal and trained among others with Tim Schröder, who recently qualified for the Freeride World Tour, Tillett had already celebrated several wins this season and impressed again here with a strong run including a 360 over the kicker. Second place went to Manuele Ballatore (ITA), who started his run well but fell while attempting a 360 on the first kicker.

Most popular entry-level contest with a large international rider field
The qualifiers followed. The 1* contest in Alpbachtal has long established itself as one of the most popular entry-level events beyond national borders and attracts numerous ambitious freeriders year after year.

A special highlight once again was the professional livestream, hosted live by former World Tour rider Flo Orley and Mona Falkner. The public area once again invited spectators to linger and offered excellent views of the contest action—accompanied by a relaxed atmosphere that made the event feel like a small freeride party.

In the Snowboard Men category, Yones Nasaj (BEL) clearly took the win with a score of over 90 points. The Belgian, who lives and works in Ischgl, impressed with a fluid run featuring a big frontside 360 over the upper kicker as well as a cleanly landed backflip over the second kicker. Second place went to Filippo De Martin (ITA), who once again delivered a strong performance after his podium finish in Kappl. He chose a line in the “looker’s left” section of the face and also scored with a backflip over the kicker. Adrian Adelsberger (AUT) completed the podium in third place after already impressing with plenty of airtime in the upper part of the face and starting with momentum from his recent win at the 1* contest in Obertauern.

In the Snowboard Women category, Margherita Cenni (ITA) clearly dominated the field, winning by a margin of around 25 points. The 37-year-old showcased her extensive experience and impressed particularly with excellent speed control despite increasingly tracked-out conditions on the face. Second place went to Stina Frauenstein (GER), who comes from a true freeride family and already has numerous starts in junior competitions. Larissa Danzer (AUT) finished third.

In the Ski Women category, Eva Perwitzschky (GER) claimed victory with a technically clean run. She impressed with clean landings, a good sense of speed, and a creative line choice in the middle section of the face. A highlight of her run was a backflip over the Alpbachtal kicker. Tabea Tropp (GER) finished second and, despite her young age of 19, already demonstrated considerable contest experience. Local rider Vicky Candlin (AUT) secured third place and, as in the previous year, once again reached the podium at her home event. She included a bonus cliff in the upper section and delivered clean straight airs with a shifty.

In the highly competitive Ski Men category, Ruven Overberg (GER) took the win with over 90 points, clearly setting himself apart from the field. Shortly after the start gate, he performed a big air and continued with very confidently ridden cliffs as well as two flat spins over the kickers. Second place went to Lukas Pik (AUT), coach of the Freeride Academy Innsbruck, who scored with a cleanly executed first cliff and stylish shifty jumps over the kickers. Matteo Merella (ITA) completed the podium in third place, finishing just behind Pik.

In conclusion: sometimes, waiting truly pays off. The rescheduling was rewarded with a thoroughly successful contest day. The Ride Out offered for the first time on Friday, which took place this year as a special at selected destinations, had already generated excitement in advance. Under excellent conditions, Andi Jenewein and Michael Strauss explored the terrain together with the winners of the giveaway, experiencing a successful freeride day.

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau thus remains a fixed fixture in the calendar and once again a reliable guarantee for an all-round successful freeride weekend. Thanks to the abundant snowfall of recent days, the ski resort is currently in perfect condition and will keep the lifts at Wiedersberger Horn open until April 12.