The 16th Hotzone.tv Park Opening at Hintertuxer Gletscher has been and gone. We were all curious to see how things would run due to Covid restrictions, and we weren’t disappointed. The weather was up to its usual October tricks and the schedule was accordingly thrown out of the window which resulted in a couple of down days, but these weren’t too hard to manage as we had been upgraded to the five star Hotel Bergfried with its insane sauna area and rooftop pools! Tough life, I know. The sessions that we did manage to pull off were magic, and everyone was just stoked to be on the hill and snowboarding again.
Thursday was a heater of a day with blue skies, a perfect jump, and a heavy lineup of riders ready to tear it to pieces for the Werni Stock Invitational. Alongside the usual faces were a posse of Scandinavian riders who had made it down and proceeded to go to business and put on a serious show. Ethan Morgan was in attendance and actually landing tricks, resulting in him taking the Best Rider award, Best Trick went to Clemens Millauer with his usual smooth flippery, Best Style went to Torgeir Bergrem for his with back 5 late methods, and Best Rookie went to the powerhouse and lovely young man that is Moritz Amsüss. Werni was of course a standout in his new red suit and in my eyes won the Best Dressed award, which didn’t exist. Maybe they’ll include that next year.
Friday and Saturday were unfortunately a write-off due to the weather but the wellness area was enjoyed to the max, we also had a small video screening and Torstein Horgmo gave a yoga class. I unfortunately missed this as I was in the pool listening to Ethan Morgan’s rooftop set, but I was told it was excellent.
The Sane Metal Battle was pushed to Sunday, when it looked like we’d have a morning weather window. The weather of course had other plans, and we were greeted by winds strong enough to actually blow you sideways. I wasn’t sure if the jam would even happen, but the spirit of snowboarding prevailed and the atmosphere of the resulting session was absolutely amazing. I don’t know why the energy of a rail jam is so infectious, but it just is. Most of the spectators were watching from the safety and warmth of the restaurant, but they were definitely watching. Michi Schatz had a pocket full of cash and Max Glatzl aka Big Belly Boi was running the mic and the tunes, and I even strapped in and won myself some money! Zoltán Strcul’a took Best Trick, Best Line was a joint award to Moritz Amsüss and Markus Olimstad, Best Girl went to Jenise Spiteri and Overall Winner went to Stu Innes. Shout out to everyone who even strapped in and rode, you’re all winners in our book.
Big up to Betterpark Hintertux, Hintertuxer Gletscher, TVB Tux Finkenberg and The Bergfried Hotel for looking after us so nicely and putting this event together. The park is now officially open for business, so get yourselves up there and rip it!