The 2019 Kaunertal Glacier Opening - Recap

Recap and photos by Theo Acworth

I can summarise my 2019 Kaunertal Opening very easily. It was three great days of snowboarding and sunshine. I don’t really need to say more than that, but if I want to be invited back again, I probably should.

2. Cownertal. Very funny.jpg
Cownertal. Very funny.

 

So here’s what else happened: There were hundreds of snowboarders there. Maybe thousands. I didn’t count, but it seemed like a lot. There was also a very long park run that was covered in snow and features. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. 

3. Samy Kautner FS3 Melon.jpg
Samy Kautner FS3 Melon.

 

4. Peter Walchhofer millerflips the Don of IBK. Photo by Felix Pirker.jpg
Peter Walchhofer millerflips the Don of IBK. Photo by Felix Pirker.

 

5. SANE! Cash for tricks session. Max Glatzl, Michi Schatz, Fabi Fraidl, and Timon Matena slaying non stop. Keep an eye on this kid..jpg
SANE! Cash for tricks session. Max Glatzl, Michi Schatz, Fabi Fraidl, and Timon Matena slaying non stop. Keep an eye on this kid.

 

Nothing about this event felt disconnected, and as a result the atmosphere was constantly like a festival, which I liked. A small rail setup was built next to the brand area and hosted multiple sessions from Shred Unit, Desperados/Nitro Snowboards, and SANE! A setup that size should probably have been switched up a bit for each session to keep things fresh, but the sessions were still good and riders kept managing to find ways to get loose with it. A metal band played on the dropin for one jam and the singer had a human spine attached to his mic stand, which I thought was excellent. Obviously it wasn’t a real spine, but it was still pretty metal. There was also a park contest that I totally missed because I was too busy bombing the Kaunertal slopes. 

6. Metal dudes and Flo Achenrainer.jpg
Metal dudes and Flo Achenrainer

 

7. Rüf & Son.jpg
Rüf & son
8. Alexis Felten & Max Glatzl.jpg
Alexis Felten & Max Glatzl
9. Stephane Grenet & Mees Oostdijk .jpg
Stephane Grenet & Mees Oostdijk 
10. Jonas Insam & Mees Oostdijk.jpg
Jonas Insam & Mees Oostdijk
10.5 Benno Bauer. Photo by Felix Pirker.jpeg
Benno Bauer. Photo by Felix Pirker

 

Once darkness descended the closed street of Feichten once again played host to a rail jam. Someone had the psycho idea to make the rail out of a tree, and unsurprising a lot of people caught their edges and ate shit. It was still a heavy session though, and the crowd was definitely hyped. There were also some parties in various venues and a bunch of movies were screened: From Scraps, Up To No Good, Soul Shred and The Escape Video 2. Everyone cheered for their friends, and some free CBD joints were given away and immediately smoked inside the bar.

11. Davide Boggio.jpg
Davide Boggio

 

12. Christian Kirsch - definitely not drunk. Photo by Felix Pirker.jpg
Christian Kirsch - definitely not drunk. Photo by Felix Pirker
12. Dennis Ranalter aka D-Ray-Ray & Jacco Bos.jpg
Dennis Ranalter aka D-Ray-Ray & Jacco Bos

 

13. Kaspar de Zoet .jpg
Kasper de Zoete

 

14. Rail Jam spectators + Microphone men Steve Grumser and Martin Misof.jpg
Rail Jam spectators + Microphone men Steve Grumser and Martin Misof

 

15. KTO Heads.jpg
KTO Heads

 

There are couple of other things I feel obligated to inform our snowboard audience of: There were once again plain-clothes police sneaking around and busting people for smoking. I’m not sure if they’ve ever considered that this approach might drive people away from the event? My advice - smoke your weed somewhere private. Also new for this year was a €300 fine if you got caught sleeping in your van outside the designated camping area. This struck me as a bit of a blow to the spirit of snowboarding, and I just wanted to give a heads up to any wild campers planning on attending this event in future.

16. DJ Anal Juice.jpg
DJ Anal Juice

To end on a lighter/dirtier note, DJ Anal Juice aka Ethan Morgan graced us with his musical presence and played a sick set to a packed bar. The boy can definitely get a room moving. We had a rad time up the mountain as well as off it, and we’re pretty sure everyone else did too. Winter isn’t totally here yet, but it’s definitely on the way. See you out there folks.

17. Korua Crew.jpg
Korua Crew

Lastly, the results from the weekend's events!

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