A Weekend with Bataleon

DAY #1
The Swiss Bataleon Team Weekend started off as a scenic adventure for some and a quick drive for others. Luckily for myself, I was in a car that only took a few wrong turns. Arriving late in Thyon Switzerland, we were greeted by some of the riders and in the morning, all were present. The weather was not ideal and the hourly forecast didn’t look appealing, but this didn’t stop us from heading up the mountain. The first day was all about checking out the slopes and seeing what the surrounding area had to offer. The weather was cold, the snow was falling, and the conditions were icy, but we managed to throw a few slushy slashes along a winding cat track where Mike Knobel also performed flat-land maneuvers which looked like he was practicing yoga.

After a few hours of riding, the team started a snow skate session at the bottom of Central Park where the course design got creative with a variation of rail setups. After a fun and eventful first day of riding, we all headed to the chalet for some beers while playing SuperPro Snowboarding on Janne’s Ipad, in which there was a circulating cloud of smoke. Janne had a traditional RAD-CLETTE dinner prepared for us. Food was devoured, Schnaps ran empty and our stomachs were full. The evening turned into a night around the fireplace where Raphael Nerz entertained us by burning large pieces of cardboard that illuminated the entire chalet. We were all certain that he was trying to burn the place down. This all happened while he pounded his chest and chanted the same tune as in the movie “The Wolf on Wall Street.” By the end of the night everyone eventually joined in with the chanting and pounding of the chest and the theme for the weekend was set.Gun RackA little snow yoga with Mike Knobel Mike's chakras are now aligned and he's ready to ripRaphael Nerz spatting at the camThe weather wasn't going to shut down the snowskate sesh
DAY #2
With not the best of sleep, which could be partially blamed on a full stomach of cheese, Schnaps, and the surrounding air smelling of wet snowboard boots, we awoke to another day of bad weather. The chalet was cold, since our fire starter Raphael Nerz had already burned all available cartons over the night. The morning started out as extremely lazy that required drinking plenty of instant coffee and eating freshly delivered croissants that Xavier Marty brought over.

With a few kicks in the butt and some wise words from Janne, the riders geared up and headed out into the backyard backcountry. There were two sessions going on that were all in proximity of the chalet. Xavier and Raphael carved out a hip/gap jump from a rocky embankment. The others built a hip jump closer to home. Both jumps lacked snow and the landings had to be precise. One session ended shortly, as Raphael clipped a rock to his knee during the takeoff. All the riders came to his aid and helped escort him off the mountain. This was also Raphael Nerz and Markus Jufer last day, as they had to return back home for prior Easter engagements; not the best way to end the season. (Wishing Raphael a quick recovery.) After a short break, the boys decided to reshape and design their backyard booter, by adding a gap and larger banked turn before the takeoff. This provided some entertaining acrobatics and a very stylish session by Mike Knobel, Deniz Cinek, and Roger Schuler that lasted into the evening. We ended the night by enjoying several beers, eating pizza at La Luge, drinking more Schnaps and cafe kitane. Part of the group decided to head home while others stayed out until they found themselves removed from the establishment by the owners!!! So what exactly happened Mike, Deniz, Xavier and Roger?  Deniz Cinek has mean method, as you can see.Raphael Nerz floating a tail grab in the mistIn the spring there always less snow but there's always more homies. Everyone is your friend on a slush day!Mike Knobel spinning a FS 360 indy grab. Four finger grab on a three finger base.Roger Schuler punching out a roast beef.Getting arsty on another method from  Deniz Cinek.
DAY #3
It was our last day and the sun was shining. The guys who didn’t get home at 4am were eager to hit the slopes, while the ones who partied all night, were awoken with a face full of snow and a wet bed, thanks to Janne. Before heading to the slopes, we packed up our things and loaded the car and left the hungover puppies to clean up the chalet. The sober ones enjoyed some aggressive toe and heel side turns and met up with some of the local legends of Thyon. After a few hours had passed and many fast laps, the remaining riders arrived. The BBQ was started and the tunes turned on, as we chilled by the picnic table soaking in the nice weather while waiting to get some food in our bellies. All in all, it was an epic day of shredding and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a great crew of riders and I’m sure there could be nothing better than shredding with your friends and teammates to end off another Winter season. Xavier Marty and Olivier Dubas tag-teaming a box.Meet Olivier DubasIf you wanna be on the Bataleon team you gotta know to kick out a method. Olivier Dubas passed the test.Roger Schuler and Deniz Cinek trying to im-press the camera man.Smells like the end.Slush orgyA little chillout session in some soggy socks.Xavier Marty says "See ya next season!"
See the full gallery here.
Photos & words by Kevin Cathers
Cover graphic by Maxime Ramoul