Well, many of us were unsure if The 2020 Hotzone.tv Hintertux Opening would take place with the Covid situation it did and yet again, snowboarders from everywhere turned up en masse to get stoked on the official start to winter.
Thursday brought the best conditions, so the decision was made to move forward The Werni Stock invitational to an early date to allow the pros to show what they do best. With heavy hitters such as Torstein Horgmo, Anna Gasser, Torgeir Bergrem, Markus Olimstad, Clemens Millauer Mons Roisland, Ethan Morgan and of course Werni Stock taking part, we were treated to a real showdown.
The riding levels were insane, even more so when you consider most riders haven’t been able to ride that much during this summer due to Covid. Ethan Morgan put his Bangerpark time to good use and was sending doubles all throughout the day, which brought him the best rider award. Clemens Millauer’s fs 14, was enough to earn him best trick, Mons Roisland best trick and Torgeir Bergrem ozzed style and walked away with best style. Shout outs to Moritz Amsuess, who received best rookie on the Big air and also shown brightly during the Sane Metal battle on sunday.
Friday and saturday turned out to be bad weather/ rest days due to the prevailing winds, so we had some time to chill at the Werni Stock Family run hotel, The Bergfried Alm. This hotel really is the bees knees, with an incredible wellness, comfortable rooms and premium quality meals to boot. The owners and staff really make the extra effort to make to give you a great experience, this is somewhere where you have to stay at one point in your life.
Sunday looked like it would be cancelled with heavy winds and overcast but the decision was made to run the Sane Metal Battle rail jam that was postponed from Friday. But the riders were committed and ready to ride, so everyone ignored the storm and threw down during a heavy storm. The conditions were tricky, with a solid icy landing and strong 70km winds but despite this, the riding levels were high. Best rookie from the Werni Stock invitational; Moritz Amsuess put his jib boots on and shone brightly. Zoltan Strcula took some heavy bails but landed the sickest back lip through the kinks and donkey to win best trick. The Canary Cartel boys Oskar Fritzsche and Christian Kirsch collected enough cash from their riding to pay for their bar tab. Markus Olimstad won the best line and the overall winner was Jenise Spiteri winning best Female and overall winner went to Stu Innes, who was consistent throughout. You can see our recap edit below.
All in all, this is exactly how an Opening should be, with a mixture of solid riding, some bad weather and some hangovers. The rest of the World will be looking at Hintertux to see how they can open their resorts too. With a bit of common sense and a bit of social distancing, we will all be fine and be able to snowboard this winter.
Thanks to all the organisers, riders and everyone else that attended Hintertux.
Werni Stock Invitational Results
Best Rider – Ethan Morgan/GER
Best Trick – Clemens Millauer/AUT with a Frontside 14 Tail Best Style – Torgeir Bergrem/NOR
Best Rookie – Moritz Amsuess/AUT
