SNOWBOARD, TTR. After qualifications that were nothing short of thrilling, today the aspiring riders matched themselves with the invited superstars! Just like the days before, the weather was as nice as it gets and thus the crowd witnessed one massive trick after another in the Superfinals. In the end, the contest proved to have a few surprises in store, making the grand finish of the 9th Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam above all very emotional.

Seppe Smitts at Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 12-11-2011 Photo by Roland Haschka-QParks

Once again, the Horsefeathers Superpark Dachstein shone in all its splendour, The Horsefeathers Superpark Dachstein presented itself in all its splendour, the crowd had been heated up over the last few days and the riders had demonstrated their skills already in the qualifications, yanking up the suspense on the last day of the Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 2011 to no end. Higher, further, faster: the setup proved, once again, finely prepared, an ideal arena for the finalists to battle each other in front of the breath-taking scenery of the Dachstein.

Huge Show-down at the Finals

In the men’s finals, especially the battle between the strong Scandinavians, in particular the strong the aspiring shooting star Niklas Mattson and his countryman Sven Thorgen and the secret favourite from Belgium, Seppe Smits, enthralled the masses. Niklas conjured up a massive combination of technically sophisticated tricks and stylish airs, but in the end was outmatched in the Superfinals by the Belgian prodigy Seppe Smits, who charmed both the audience and the judges with incredibly precise jumps and fluid runs.

Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 12-11-2011, Photo by PACO-QParks

He can now not only call himself champion of the 9th Horsefeathers Plesure Jam, but also gets valuable points for the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, which starts in Europe with the Jam. Seppe on his victory: “It was a good day, I was killing it, the setup was good and I had a fun time – lovely!!” Today’s sensation comes from Austria and is called Mathias “Hias” Weißenbacher, who managed to rise through the qualifications all the way to the Semifinals up to the third place.

The freestyle ladies were running wild today, too. Aimee Fuller, Cheryl Maas, Cilka Sadar and Sarka Pancochova were caught in a tight head-to-head after the qualifications, infusing the ladie’s finals with a healthy dose of suspense. Cilka Sadar from Slovenia proved to be really sensitive with her mighty Cab 5s and stylish Method Airs right from the beginning.

Also Sarka Pancochova from the Czech Republic managed to answer that, especially with her second run, where she stomped a massive Cab 5 Underflip, a BS 3 and a FS Rodeo into the snow. In the end, however, Aimee Fuller prevailed, leaving her competitors in the dust or, rather, the snow. With an incredible amount of style and perfect landings, she convinced the judges. It was the first ever win at a TTR contest for the sympathetic girl from England, so it’s not surprising that she was just enthralled by her victory: “I am stoked! I’m so happy, it’s my first win. I’ve had an amazing time here. It was so cool, the sunny weather – you couldn’t really ask for much more!”

Best Trick – Ticket to the Balicamp

This year, as many as two riders had the chance to win a trip to the legendary Balicamp, including accommodation, surf coaching, a Blue Tomato surfboard and surfbag, as well as a financial subsidy on the flight, sponsored by Sudden Rush. Among the guys, Sven Thorgren from Sweden, who was fourth after the Superfinals, making both the crowd and the judges cheer with his Backside 1080 and Backside Rodeo Nosegrab. From the girls, Cheryl Maas from the Netherlands managed to grab the prize for her absolutely massive BS 7 Tailgrab. Have fun surfing and chilling!

Let’s Get the Party Started!

After the finals, one thing’s for sure: the Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam once again lives up to its reputation as the snowboarding event at the beginning of the season.

Podium of Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 12-11-2011, Photo by Roland Haschka-QParks

Also this year, freestyle fans got much more than just their money’s worth. This is also true for the party animals: after the prize giving, Schladming will be conquered and turned into one huge party floor. The riders are sure to clink glasses in honour of the great contest. The party goes on!

Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 2011
pleasurejam.com
12.11.2011

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