Now, with its new rails, kickers, fun boxes and frames - plus four distinct lines (Public, Fun, Pro and Jib) to let loose on, the Vans Penken Park is ideal for beginners and professionals. The four-seat Sunjet chairlift ascends to lofty heights; perhaps Funjet would be a more apt name as it spans the entire length of the park, so you can get in plenty of runs and delight in breathtaking views. With Vans on board as partner for the snow park, Mayrhofen is perfectly positioned to establish itself as an international mecca in the freestyle scene.
The best place for beginners to try out their skills is on the fun-line; advanced freestylers have plenty of rails to perfect their technique, but the real professionals have huge kickers to work out on, prepared to heavenly perfection. With four lines to choose from - Fun, Public, Pro and Jib - Vans Penken Park in Mayrhofen packs plenty of punch for freestylers at all levels. Beginners don't have the kings of backflip breathing impatiently down their neck, the pros don't have to build snowmen waiting for novices to work out regular from goofy. It's all thanks to full-time park designers Bjarni Thor Valdimarsson (from Iceland) and Austrian Stefan Plattner who lent their creativity and thoroughness in providing the alpine paradise with its new, state-of-the-art facelift. Of course they work together closely with leading pros, make a number of handy modifications each season and adapt frames quickly to the needs of visiting freestylers - if necessary every day.
Free choice for all types of freestylers
The pipe is a good place for boarders and freeskiers to try out and gain some freestyle experience. Alternatively they can take to the rails, ideal for slides. Or hang out in the chill area and marvel at the artistic interpretation of other visiting freestylers. Some of the highlights of the park are the huge rainbow box and the awesome wallride at the end of the park.
Basically the Vans Penken Park in Mayrhofen has it all. If you're into modern freestyle, this is the place to be. And if you count among the elite of international freestyle, the pro line is probably already high on your agenda.
In the Winter 2007/08 season, Sunjet transforms into Funjet
Vans Penken Park is on a south-facing slope so in the spring you're not only guaranteed softer landings, you usually finish the day with a warm glow on your skin. The park also has its own lift, making access much easier for freestylers. With the Vans Penken Park update, the slope previously accessed with the Sunjet has been converted into another park area with freestyle kickers and rails. The four-seat lift runs the whole length of the park so it's right in the thick of the action. As a result, freestylers can tick off as many of the runs as they want to, or relax and watch the pro shredders, and maybe even gather recognition from other freestylers.
Mayhofen to host a five star event
To round off the winter season, Mayrhofen will once again be venue to one of the biggest snowboarding events on the Austrian calendar. The event has been so well organised in partnership with Mayrhofen Cable Cars that it earned 5 stars on the "Ticket to Ride" world tour, an award bestowed as part of the 2007 Ästhetiker Wängl Tängl Contest. It's the second highest ranking in the world - and it's been awarded to this event. Also, Mayrhofen is once again hosting the Austrian Open Freeski, plus a variety of other snowboarding events this winter. Together, the Ästhetiker Jam and Austrian Open mean Mayrhofen Vans Penken Park is hosting two important freestyle events. Which is what this location is all about: freestyle on the highest level, in a park in a class of its own.
INFOBOX: MAYRHOFNER BERGBAHNEN Location:
Mayrhofen, 630m
Skiing areas:
Ahorn 670- 2000m
Penken: 1645-2500m
Key facts:
157km of pistes, 48 lifts (Mayrhofen)
639km of pistes, 167 lifts (for the whole of Zillertal)
Vans Penken Park:
Established 2000
Open 5 Jan- 6 Apr 2008 Obstacles:
Freestyle slopes of varying sizes and lengths, pipe, down rail, kinked rail, kinked box, straight box, curved box, rainbow box, pro-wall ride, public wall ride, mini-wall ride, jib tree, picknick table, A-frame box, up & down box,
- beginner line 13 features
- public line 10 features
- pro line 7 features
- jib line 5 features
Events
18. & 19.Jan 2008 Austrian Open Freeski (pro skiing event)
01. - 08.03 2008 Ästhetiker (5 Star TTR snowboarding event)
31.03 - 06.04 2008 Snowbombing music festival and snowboard event
Getting there
By car:
From Munich approx. 1½ - 2 hours 149km
Tip for day trippers: quickest access to skiing on the Horbergbahn lift
By train:
Express train to Jenbach. From there another 35km with the Zillertal train to Mayrhofen
By plane:
Nearby airports: Innsbruck (65km), Salzburg (170km) and Munich (190km)
www.mayrhofner-bergbahnen.com