Vans are onto a winner with their Hi-Standard Series. The concept is simple; invite the European Vans team over, build a kicker and rail set up and encourage other people to ride with them. No spins are allowed over a seven and the contest is held in a jam format, with Van Doren dollars being dished out over the course of the day for impressive tricks.

First up was the kicker jam and it was refreshing to watch riders use their creativity to stand out, rather than go for the spin to win tactics favoured in other contests in current times. Zillertal locals Alex Walch and Benny Wetscher got the hang of the format quickly with their big back 1 japans and sw back 5 nose grabs. Vans riders Kalle Ohlson, Tyler Chorlton, Rowan Coultas and Carlos Gerber weren’t allowed to compete for cash but showed they know the right side of the style stick by throwing out 5’s with multiple shifties, tweaked grabs, cross rockets and plenty more.

After the allocated dollars for the kicker were depleted, our focus headed towards the street set up, which attracted the most amount of both competitors and spectators as well. Mayrhofen shaper Ross Needham had clearly been taking advantage of living in the resort for the season, with his casual half cab, fs’3 out on the donkey. Other standouts included Jamie Trinder’s wallride boardslide to nollie frontflip out and Flo Heim’s blunt 450 out.

It was clear early on that this would end up as a two horse race between Belgium’s Kevin Trammer and Austria’s Clemens Millauer. Kevin was showing skills way beyond his years with 50-50 fs 5’s out, the sweetest bs lip pretzel you have ever seen and heaps more throughout the session. It went down to the wire as Kevin slipped out on his final hit, leaving Clemens to take the top spot with his peach of a bs 3 in, back 3 out.

With the riding finished, it was time to tuck into the immense BBQ provided by Vans and soak in what truely is a unique contest. The event rounded up with then now infamous after party held in The Scotland Yard Pub, with tunes blasted out with Vans contest regulars the Disco Dogs.

BEST OVERALL: Clemens Millauer (Austria)
BEST FEMALE: Anna Gasser (Austria)
BEST ROOKIE: Niclas Bothe (Germany)
BEST SLAM: Anthony Indawood (Netherlands)