Among the international guests were also members of World Snowboard Federation, coming all the way from Japan and Northern Europe, and a very special crew coming from Oceania, all to enjoy various activities in a tight program. The festival was favored by a rich snowfall that raised smiles on many faces. After all, the stunning view of whitened Livigno and its virgin slopes waiting to be shred is not seen every day. Those who went outdoor with Livigno Mountain Guides for freeride excursions and lessons weren't disappointed.
Aline Bock's Völkl Split & Freeride Camp
With the claim in mind, safety workshops were organized on daily basis by Mystic Freeride and Artva Camps in order to learn how to use technical equipment such as artva, probes or a shovel. Outdoor lessons, as well as Splitboard and Telemark experiences, took place in the area surrounding the Freeride Test Village, a big outdoor village where everyone could try and test freeride and mountaineering equipment of over 40 brands.
the Freeride Test Village
The European powder festival also hosted an eminent personality of worldwide mountaineering: Maurizio Zanolla, also known as Manolo, renowned to be the father of free climbing. He started an interested conversation aimed to recognize and understand the right approach to sporting "free" disciplines which, unlike opposites, go towards or against gravity in a path from base to the top, and vice versa. And there were other multicultural discussions with high-level speakers such as Benjamin Reuter, the renowned White Risk co-founder.
the legend Maurizio Zanolla (on the left)
The first powder film exhibition produced a lot of emotions. Speed rider Aaron Durogati, pro snowboarder Wang Lei, pro freeriders Nat Segal or Evelina Nilsson were at Cinelux during their movie premieres, sitting among the audience, sharing their experiences during the breathtaking video recording.
Aaron Durogati
Plenty of adrenaline was also spread during Livigno Freeride World Qualifier, a 4 star event with international athletes competing on vertiginous rock cliffs in Val Cantone. The comp is the highest level freeride contest in Italy consisting of 78 riders filed, divided into four categories: Ski, Snowboard, Men, Women. Creative lines and big jumps over rock cliffs and digs into almost impossible canals were scored the highest and it was Norwegian skier Dennis Risvoll, who overtook everyone with an incredible result of 89,33 points in the end.
The European Freeride Festival second edition is in the air already with a lot of new surprises dedicated once again to 'Freeriding For All' - Stay tuned!
Photo Credits:
Lorenzo Fizza Verdinelli
Eze Urrets
Melissa Iannace
Jill Meyer
Pia Schroeter
Source: http://www.europeanfreeridefestival.com
