THE AUDI NINES RECAP

Mission accomplished: the 2019 edition of The Audi Nines has delivered a full payload of stellar snowsports action for another year. The legendary freestyle progression session wrapped up a week’s worth of next-level action on Saturday in Sölden and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Austria, as the invited skiers and snowboarders provided a final spectacle during the Contest Day that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Otherworldly Contest Day Action
After a week of riding the Audi Nines’ one-of-a-kind features for film and photo shoots, the invited riders were more than ready to throw down in Saturday’s Big Air contest. The result was easily the most impressive display of skiing and snowboarding seen yet at the Audi Nines, with an extremely high level and multiple tricks never seen before in competition. In front of a crowd of several thousand at Sölden’s Tiefenbach Glacier, Johanne Killi and Elias Syrjä took the win in the ski category, while Yuka Fujimori and Mons Røisland took top honors in the snowboard category.

Finland’s Syrjä originally won his ticket to Audi Nines through the “Become A Nine” contest. He triumphed in the Big Air with the help of highly technical tricks like a triple cork 1260 safety, a switch triple 1260 screamin’ seaman and a show-stopping switch double cork 900 nose grab, during which he held onto the grab while landing—a feat few in the world are capable of performing. Norway’s Killi prevailed in the women’s ski contest with the help of a cork 900 tail grab and a switch 540 nose grab.

On the snowboard side, Japan’s Fujimori clinched victory with a frontside double 900 and a backside 900 Indy, taking the top spot of a women’s podium dominated by Japanese riders. Norwegian rider Mons Røisland captured the win among the men with a switch backside 1620, frontside triple cork 1440, and a switch backside 540 for his style trick.

Other exciting moments from the contest included Sven Thorgren’s triple backside rodeo, Andri Ragettli’s world-first switch triple misty 1620 and Sebbe de Buck’s heart-stopping double front flip off the Launch Pad feature, all bringing roars of approval from the appreciative crowd. Rounding out the list of contest victors were Nico Porteous and Jan Scherrer, who won the “Best Trick” category on the quarterpipe to banked landing—Porteous with an alley-oop double flatspin 1080 japan and Scherrer with a switch McTwist method.

The Week’s Highlights: Epic Airs on Space Age Features
Where the world’s top freestyle skiers and snowboarders meet safe, spectacular snowpark design: at this intersection, you’ll find the Audi Nines. For the first time, this year’s event featured two locations running concurrently: a men’s setup in Sölden, and a second venue in Obergurgl designed specifically for the women. This new constellation provided even more room for progressive freestyle features like the “UFO” jib at Obergurgl and the instantly iconic “Launch Pad” at Sölden.

The week’s action included world’s-first tricks like Fabian Bösch’s triple misty 1620, massive rotations like Andri Ragettli’s quad cork 1980, and record-breaking achievements like David Wise’s new Highest Air record of 11.7 meters (38 feet, 4 inches) on a quarterpipe to banked landing. All of this was made possible by the Audi Nines’ continuing dedication to creating spectacularly sculpted snow features optimized for safety to bring the impossible within grasping distance.

Rider Awards
In addition to the Contest Day victories, rider-judged awards were given to the best performers throughout the week. On the snowboard side, Sebbe de Buck and Laurie Blouin were voted by their peers as the “Rulers of the Week”. de Buck also won the vote for “Best Style” alongside his female counterpart Yuka Fujimori. Among the skiers, Lukas Müllauer and Tess Ledeux were crowned Rulers of the Week, while Johanne Killi and Ferdinand Dahl took home “Best Style” honors.