SKIING NEWS ITEM

Volvo X OVER Ride 2008 - Final Results

WEDNESDAY, 26 MARCH 2008

Easter 2008 - the classic end to the winter season held nothing back this year. A wide-ranging start-line of 140 riders kept up the tension during the sessions and in the evening, the live acts and DJs drew in the crowds to rock Kaprun Castle. The Volvo X OVER Ride selected the fifth “Ruler of the Hill” and gave out prize money worth around 9,000€.

On Saturday, March 22, the Langwied Open Field lay ready for the Freeride Contest with glorious sunshine and 50cm of fresh snow. The conditions could not have been better and over 80 freeriders took up the challenge of the X OVER Ride 2008. Sebastian “Check the Ripper” Hannemann (GER) set the Best Time in the qualifiers and enjoyed a start-to-finish victory in all the heats and in the man-to-man final. He finished his most successful season with his hardest-won victory to date.

Among the snowboarders, the last 20m of the 1.6km run was a showdown between three Austrians. Until he fell, Martin Liebmann was in the lead but was then overtaken by Roli Hofer and Boardercross double world cup winner Mario Fuchs on the home stretch. Local hero Roli Hofer had his eye on the cup and took the Freeride Cross home.

Highly gifted skier Berber Semmelink (NED) came to the Kitzsteinhorn because of the “awesome mountains and cool people” and was immediately selected as Queen of Langwied in her first ever Freeride Contest.

For Sabine Enzinger (AUT), it was “All you need is Langwied” for the fifth time. The boarder rode to her fourth victory in the Open Field with a gradient of up to 40°.

The Switch in the DC Park followed on Easter Sunday, March 23. It was all about “Spin, Style and Airtime”. Michael Kaltenhauser (AUT) shone in the Slopestyle to be a clear victor among the boarders. Roy Kittler (GER), king among the skiers, dueled with Austria’s number one Patrick Hollaus to win the Slopestyle.

The girls also rocked the DC Snowpark and Eveline van der Ber Jeths (NEL) styled her way to victory over Maria Teifel (GER).

Almdudler “Ride with Style”
At the Almdudler “Ride with Style” event, six free skiers transformed themselves into 1950s style riders. The judges based their scores equally on the retro outfits and the tricks performed. The riders’ funky show was rewarded with 2,000€ prize money.

Prize giving in Kaprun Castle
The parties in Kaprun Castle offered the ideal setting to hand over around 9,000€ worth of prize money and celebrate the winners in style. Tension rose as the winner of the greatly desired title of “Ruler of the Hill” was announced. Roli Hofer (AUT) was named best overall rider and ruler of the Kitz - at least until Easter 2009. His victory in the Freeride Cross and second place in the Slopestyle secured him a week at the Nalu Surf Camp. After a hard winter, he’s looking forward to some sun, sea, and surf in Portugal and is sure to be back to defend his title next year.

SOUPSHOP, JERX, ACTIONTEAM and as the crowning glory GUADALAJARA rocked the ancient walls of Kaprun Castle. With the riders’ BBQ and a few Heinekens, the crowds partied into the early hours with DJs Vale, Shantisan, and Chris Rock.

Extras on the Easter Weekend
Volvo doesn’t only stand for safety on the road but off-road and off-piste as well. A must for all freeriders is knowing how to use an avalanche transceiver properly. At the training search on Easter Sunday, Andrei Grasu found and “rescued” the Nokia 5610 XpressMusic in just 0:33 minutes, winning his “rescue” as a prize. Visit www.ice-camp.at.

During the contests, the audience could also be active themselves testing an extensive range of the newest Freeride and Freestyle skis and snowboards from some of the biggest names presented by freeskiers.net.

See you on the Kitz for the Volvo X OVER Ride Easter 2009!

advertising info

Print News Item