{"id":19731,"date":"2026-04-09T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/?p=19731"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:39:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:39:01","slug":"sonnenschein-und-top-leistungen-beim-open-faces-freeride-contest-im-alpbachtal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/sonnenschein-und-top-leistungen-beim-open-faces-freeride-contest-im-alpbachtal\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunshine and top performances at the Open Faces Freeride Contest in the Alpbachtal valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a postponement, the Open Faces Freeride Contest in the Alpbachtal was finally rewarded with perfect conditions on Easter Sunday, and the riders showed impressive performances on the Wiedersbergerhorn under bright sunshine and the best snow conditions. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Winners' podium from Open Faces Alpbachtal 2026 | \u00a9 Open Faces \/ miamariaknoll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Open Faces Freeride Contest kicked off with the junior categories. The 2-star junior U16 Ski Men's field was heavily dominated by up-and-coming Austrian talents \u2013 16 of the 17 riders were practically competing on home soil. Daniel Weiss (AUT) secured the victory with a fast and fluid run. Particularly noteworthy were a cleanly landed 360 over the kicker and two further kickers, which he mastered with stylish straight airs, including a grab. Second place went to Leo Schultes (AUT) of the Skicrew Arlberg, who impressed with a strong first cliff landing using the maximum take-off and delivered a run very similar to the winner's overall performance. Anton Herovitsch (AUT) took third place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U18 Ski Men category featured a balanced and exciting field of competitors. The junior program was complemented by Snowboard Men and Ski Women events, which, despite smaller fields, also showcased impressive runs. In the Ski Men category, Jonas Gritze (AUT) made a real statement: immediately after the starting gate, he landed a double over the upper cliff section \u2013 before many other riders had even had a chance to score points. His run was further enhanced by another air over the windlip, securing him a well-deserved victory. Toma Trandafir (RUM), a seasoned competitor, finished just 1.5 points behind \u2013 an extremely close race at a very high level. Third place went to Jakob Roedenbeck (GER).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Ski Women U18 category, Paula P\u00f6sch (GER) emerged victorious. Despite increasingly challenging snow conditions due to the sun's rays, she navigated the face with confident straight airs over the kickers. Leni Winterholler (GER) finished second. The active ski racer initially delivered a solid run, including a small jump over the first cliff, but then caught her foot in the snow and crashed spectacularly. Uninjured, she continued her run with only one pole and still managed to complete a timed run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Snowboard Men U18 category, Edward Tillett (GBR) took the victory. He spent the winter in the Zillertal valley and trained with, among others, Tim Schr\u00f6der, who recently qualified for the Freeride World Tour. Tillett has already celebrated several victories this season and impressed again with a strong run, including a 360 over the kicker. Second place went to Manuele Ballatore (ITA), who started his run well but crashed on the first kicker while attempting a 360.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spectacular runs & jumps at Open Faces Alpbachtal 2026 | \u00a9 Open Faces \/ miamariaknoll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most popular beginner contest with a large international field of riders<\/strong>
The qualifiers then began. The 1* contest in Alpbachtal<\/a>\u00a0It has long since established itself as one of the most popular entry-level competitions, attracting numerous ambitious freeriders year after year, even beyond the national borders. A particular highlight this year was once again the professional livestream, hosted live by former World Tour rider Flo Orley and Mona Falkner. The public area was once again inviting, offering spectators excellent views of the competition \u2013 all within a relaxed atmosphere that made the event feel like a small freeride party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the men's snowboard competition, Yones Nasaj (BEL) clearly dominated with a score of over 90 points. The Belgian, who lives and works in Ischgl, impressed with a fluid run characterized by a large frontside 360 over the top kicker and a cleanly landed backflip over the second kicker. Second place went to Filippo De Martin (ITA), who once again delivered a strong performance after his podium finish in Kappl. He chose a line in the "looker's left" section of the face and also scored with a backflip over the kicker. Adrian Adelsberger (AUT) completed the podium in third place, having already impressed with plenty of airtime in the upper part of the face and carrying the momentum from his recent victory at the 1* contest in Obertauern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Snowboard Women's category, Margherita Cenni (ITA) dominated the field, winning by a margin of approximately 25 points. The 37-year-old drew on her extensive experience and impressed with her outstanding speed control despite the increasingly choppy conditions on the face. Second place went to Stina Frauenstein (GER), who comes from a true freeride family and already boasts numerous starts in junior competitions. Third place was awarded to Larissa Danzer (AUT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Ski Women's competition, Eva Perwitzschky (GER) secured the victory with a technically flawless run. She impressed with clean landings, a good feel for the right speed, and creative line choices in the middle section of the face. A highlight of her run was a backflip over the Alpbachtal kicker. Tabea Tropp (GER) took second place, demonstrating considerable competition experience despite her young age of 19. Third place went to local favorite Vicky Candlin (AUT), who \u2013 as in the previous year \u2013 once again reached the podium at her home event. She used a bonus cliff in the upper section and showcased clean straight airs with a shifty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the highly competitive Ski Men category, Ruven Overberg (GER) took the victory, clearly distancing himself from the field with over 90 points. He showcased a big air jump shortly after the starting gate and continued to impress with confidently executed cliffs and two flat spins over the kickers. Second place went to Lukas Pik (AUT), coach of the Freeride Academy Innsbruck, who scored points with a smoothly executed first cliff and stylish shifty jumps over the kickers. Matteo Merella (ITA) completed the podium in third place, finishing just behind Pik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ski Dudes at Open Faces Alpbachtal | \u00a9 Open Faces \/ miamariaknoll\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, it's worth noting that sometimes waiting really does pay off. The postponement was rewarded with a thoroughly successful contest. The newly introduced Ride Out on Friday, a special event held at select destinations this year, also generated considerable excitement beforehand. Under excellent conditions, Andi Jenewein and Michael Strauss, along with the competition winners, enjoyed a fantastic day of freeriding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a postponement, the Open Faces Freeride Contest in the Alpbachtal was finally rewarded with perfect conditions on Easter Sunday, and the riders showed impressive performances on the Wiedersbergerhorn under bright sunshine and the best snow conditions. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"date_start":"0000-00-00","skiresorts":false,"date_end":"0000-00-00","businesses":false,"advertorial":"0","events":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19731"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19736,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19731\/revisions\/19736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derskiguide.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}