Two days of pedal to the metal shredding culminated in Austria's Michi Stanschitz taking out the TTR 3(three) Star event, the Asthetiker Shred Down in Westendorf, Austria, Saturday afternoon. Stanschitz forced his way into the finals by placing third in Friday's open qualification and stepped it up to take the title at Shred Down's 8th edition in front of an international field. The result not only earnt him 550 TTR Ranking points but also a direct invitation to the last TTR 4(four) Star event on the 05/06 season, the Ästhetiker Wängle Tangle in two -weeks time. In it's 8th edition, Shred Down is the longest running event on Austria's most significant independent snowboard series, the Ästhetiker Tour. Joining the TTR Tour as a 3(three) Star event for the first time, record snowfalls provided the basis for a King Size set up for the event housed in the now legendary Boarders Playground snow park. A double kicker line consisting of a double tooth 18 meter table dropping to the main feature affectionately known as 'Big Mama', a double tooth 28 meter table with an optional three rail line finishing with a 4 meter wall ride provided riders with a plethora of options. While record snowfalls facilitated initial park construction, weather leading into the event proved challenging for organizers. A meter of fresh snow a day before the event followed by rain to the top of the mountain overnight and a dusting of early morning snow created serious speed issues for almost all of the 35 qualifying riders Friday morning. A mixed bag of low lying fog and intermitted snow flurries force closure of 'Big Mama' due to speed and safety concerns. A riders meeting was called concluding qualification would be held via an hour and a half jam session on the top kicker and rail line, best two runs count.
Conditions still proved challenging on the remaining kicker feature due to flat light and speed. While certain riders were able stomp a range of 5 to 7 rotations, many chose to mix it up on the rail line. The judges were faced with condition issues of their own as the temporary judging stand needed to oversee the kicker and rail line resulting in snow covered judging pads. However, it did not prevent them from cutting the 35 qualifiers down to 15 to advance to the Saturday Semi Finals. The riders qualified for Saturday Semi's:
- Lars Osterle (AUT)
- Marco Hafez (AUT)
- Michi Stanschitz (AUT)
- Armin Staud (AUT)
- Stefan Frankhauser (AUT)
- Werner Stock (AUT)
- Reini Reiser (AUT)
- Herby Thaler (AUT)
- Philip Gruber (AUT)
- Rene Schöller (AUT)
- Robert Waller (AUT)
- Max Weikl (AUT)
- Patrick Gruber (AUT)
- Simon Pircher (AUT)
- Zoran Nudzic (CRO)
As luck would have it, as the majority of the competitors started their journey down for a well earned shower, the sun broke through in a blaze of glory.
As events ran by riders, the riding generally never stops. Only enough time to have a shower, change socks and get a bite to eat before a night jib session on the 'Red Bull Revolver' was in full effect. The 'Red Bull Revolver' is a Ästhetiker invention that attaches a rotating Formula 1 car tyre to a 2 m Red Bull can allowing a variety of regular jibs with a 'twist'. Sick tricks were converted into cold cash, most of which was spent at the warm up party - set adjacent to the night session.
Saturday morning greeted the contest with contest with much of the same. Another 10 cm's of fresh, low lying mist and light snow flurries. Regardless, competitors were on site at 9:30 for the start of the warm up session. Speed and safety issues again dictated a change of event format. The morning session would focus on a two hour Rail session, best two runs count that would be added to a kicker session if conditions allowed in the afternoon.
The rail session produced an assortment of the technical, progressive, creative and sometimes even the bizarre as riders took to the flat down, curved down, wall ride and straight down options. Visiting international, Finland's Heppu Pentti, pulled down the line of the day completely avoiding the rails, but miking the course including an inverted f/s 7 off an improvised quarter to power slide on the wall ride. The riding level started fast and furious and stepped it up run by run as the session unfolded. 270 entries and technical back-to-back combo's defining the higher order. As the rail session wound to a close, it was Ästhetiker protagonist, Andreas 'Mone' Monsberger who took the lead with 270 boardslide to switch nose press to a one footed plant on the wallride who took out the rail session in front of Michi Stanschiz, Werner Stock and impressive Reni Reiser.
Weather finally decided to work with the organizers as the mist lifted and snow flurries abated somewhat. Though changing by the minute, Shred Down organizer, Gogo Gossner, guinea pigged 'Big Mama' at full speed comfortably clearing it with a backside 3 and effectively opening the Kicker session. With speed definitely your friend, the decision was made to focus the contest on 'Big Mama' leaving the top kicker set up out of judging. After thirty minutes of training, the 1 1/2 hour kicker jam session was on! Following the same format as the rail session, as many runs as possible in the allocated, best two count.
The overall title was thrown wide open when the rail leader, Mone Monsberger withdrew from the kicker session due to a niggling back strain, leaving a highly motivated rookie posse to chase the Shred Down title. Fifteen year old, Simon Pircher stoked out the crowd with stomping a bag of stylish b/s 180's, 360's and shifty/shifty b's 180's adding to an impressive rail result. He would later win the rookie award. Max Weikl notched up a huge b/s 3 and stomped f/s rodeo 5 while Werner Stock navigated some speed issues early in the session to land possibly the trick of the day, an almost Nicolas Mueller steez inverted f/s 7 tail grab. About halfway through the session the riding had started to heat up, and so did the weather, the sun poking through for about half an hour before mist and snow flurries closed in again.
As the session came to a close, it was too tight for the judges to call between second and third. Reni Reiser had killed it all day with a bag of tricks including switch b/s 5, b/s 7 and almost dialling a switch b/s 9 but Herby Thaler who had experienced a few issues on his first runs, came storming home with a huge f/s 5 and b/s 180 nosegrab. But there was no doubt in anybody's mind as to the ruler on the kicker this afternoon. TTR World Snowboard Tour No.12, Chris Kroell, killed it from then get go. Starting with a b/s 5 he went on to stomp b/s 7, f/s 5, f/s 7 and a huge b/s 180, biggest jump of the day almost to flat!
With the contest wrapped, and the snow starting to set in, there was little left to do apart from getting ready for prize giving and after party. To a packed auditorium in the centre of Westendorf, a delighted crowd and a completely stoked Michi Stanschitz was declared the winner of Shred Down' 06 walking with a 1000 Euro's, 550 TTR Points and a direct invitation to the TTR 4(four) Star event, the Ästhetiker Wängle Tängle two weeks later.
The Ästhetiker would like to thank all sponsors and mediapartners for supporting another edition of the oldest contest on the tour. Most of all a big THÄNX to all the riders who came to rock despite bad weather conditions. The Austrian rookies scene has made a statemant. Watch out Scandinavia! Final Results: 1. Michi Stanschitz (AUT) 926 pts
2. Herby Thaler (AUT) 924 pts
3. Werner Stock (AUT) 913 pts
4. Chris Kröll (AUT) 873 pts
5. Reini Rieser (AUT) 817 pts
6. Phillip Gruber (AUT) 815 pts
7. Max Weickl (AUT) 812 pts
8. Lars Ã-sterle (GER) 749 pts Special Äwards
Rookie Award: Simon Pircher
Best Line: Heppu Pentti
Best Trick: Mone Monsberger
Flyest Rider: Chris Kröll
Shaper Äward: Boarders Playground (Renilla, Gogo, Albert)