Place to Be
Leysin
VD
1854
ch

In a break from a traditional contest format, Europe's longest running event, the Leysin Champs Open Winter Freestyle Festival 2014 celebrates the roots of Snowboarding from 13-16 th of March by launching a new, fresh event format. Calling the resort of Leysin home base, and utilising the awe inspiring backdrop of the Vaud region of Switzerland as it's canvas, this years edition will be split into a film & editing component culminating in a freestyle show and three day music festival at the Place to Be.

The Sochi Olympics will be remembered for bringing the competitive aspect of Snowboarding and Freeskiing into billions of households globally. In fact, these two exciting youth oriented freestyle sports singlehandedly changed the feel and viewership of the Olympics like no other sports added in living memory. However, competitive snowboarding is only one small facet of the multitude of ways that participants enjoy and express the love of these sports come lifestyles. 

Almost all top competitors migrate from the commercialized banners and heaving fans of constrictive contest arenas back to where the sports originated, in small filming parties tasked with capturing the essence of the sport in the powder, backcountry, urban and night settings. Almost all of the previous winners of the Leysin Champs Open have used their result as a steppingstone to complete video parts. While most riders would tell you that they are proud of their contest results, almost all riders will tell you they are 'stoked' on the filming and editing of their video part. 

World renowned Film Production crews including KBR Productions, Inspired Productions, PVS Company and Methodmag.tv will infiltrate the Vaud region for a week from their home base in Leysin. Their teams will spend a week capturing the best in backcountry powder locations, urban rail opportunities and setting up night time shoots for inclusion in their present productions while creating a Week Edit that showcases the fraternity and emotion of film making that remains the heart of the sport, exposing the aesthetics and sheer beauty of the region. 


The event's public action final will culminate with a Show Event in the Freestyle Park, Leysin, where budding young riders will be judged by members of the film crews vying for a chance to fulfil a dream of winning one of two filming parts in an upcoming edition of the attending Production companies.

Over three days, the music and art aspect of the Leysin Winter Freestyle Festival will be hosted in the aptly named Place to Be. Each evening thousands of freestyle fans will soak up a packed schedule including screenings of the Week Edits by each of the participating Production Companies, a unique Light and Live Art Shows by the miraculous talent of New York based Billy the Artist and an intense music line up that is guaranteed to blow minds while celebrating this Festival of Freestyle.

 www.champsopen.ch/