Quiksilver Riders Blog

Quiksnow 2010 Concludes With Epic Riding at Afriski

Quiksnow 2010 presented by Resolution has come to the end of the three day snowboarding festival in what has been called by organisers and competitors the best edition in the event’s five year history. “We’re ecstatic with how things have gone this year,” said organiser Oliver Schwankhart. “We’ve done everything we can to outdo ourselves year after year and 2010 has really raised the bar. We’ve had an amazing turnout, the weather was pristine and the slope couldn’t have been better.” Quiksnow crowned Men’s and Women’s champions in the Slopestyle and Giant Slalom divisions. Alex Heath and Vicki Mayes took top honours in Giant Slalom while the Slopestyle title went to Jojo Krivec and Marta Jekot, who is a five time defending champion.

“It’s great that there are more women competing every year,” Marta, a software systems developer, said. “I think there are a lot of girls out there who would be surprised by how easy and fun it is to snowboard if they only gave it a try.”

Visiting Slovenian judge and instructor Istok Sumatic was impressed by the talent he witnessed on his first trip to Afriski, South Africa’s premier snowboard destination. “I love what I’ve seen of South Africa and Lesotho and really impressed with both the dedication and talent of the local riders. With the right support I think things can really take off here, and this event is a great foundation to build off of.”

The new venue and setup has certainly raised the bar, with a number of never before seen tricks being landed in competition. Jojo Krivec landed the first 900 ever completed in an SA contest and the course was nearly double the size of the last event. The presence of the Bag Jump for the first time, a facility to help riders practice their more difficult tricks, has resulted in a huge boost in local rider ability.

A new addition to the event was the DC Rail Jam held on Tuesday night under starry skies and very difficult sub-zero conditions. Prizes went to Errol Krauss for a backside 270 onto the flat bar and Kat Maponyane for a 270 on, 270 off on the rainbow.

Although Quiksnow has traditionally been held at Tiffindell, Quiksilver marketing manager Dane Patterson is pleased with the results this year’s new venue. “There are always hiccups when you move to a new location but this has been a real pleasure. Afriski is closer to Durban and Johannesburg and more accessible, which means the event is easier to grow and easier to support. This is a really positive change for snowboarding in general and Quiksnow in particular.”

The Resolution Biggest Slam award and R1000 went to Luke Dutton, who despite a horrendous crash in practice resulting in him being stretchered off the slopes managed to compete and place second in the Junior division.

The highlight of the local season has come to a close and as the domestic season winds down riders will begin making preparations to train for next year’s event.

Footage from the event will be broadcast on a future episode of Boardriders TV and aired on SuperSport.

Quiksnow 2010 Slopestyle Champion Jojo Krivec starts his winning run in the freeride park at Afriski. Photo by Alexa Cunningham.

Quiksnow presented by Resolution, the premier South African snowboarding event, began today under ideal conditions and perfect sunny skies. At an altitude of over 3220m and hosted for the first time by Afriski in Lesotho, the event is set to be the largest in its six year history. South African snowboarding is a small but growing subculture driven by a tight knit and dedicated community.

Mens Slalom Winner - Alex Heath - SA Olympian Skiier

The two events that make up Quiksnow are Giant Slalom and Slopestyle, which focus on very different skill sets. Giant Slalom is about getting through a demarcated course as fast as possible, while Slopestyle is scored according to a competitor’s ability to perform a variety of tricks over a course made up of kickers (launches and landings made of snow used to perform aerial maneuvers) and rails (an assortment of obstacles loosely based in design on urban landscape features like handrails, benches and tables).

Park shapers have worked day and night to have the slopes groomed and ready for the Slopestyle qualifiers tomorrow. “We’ve built decent sized kickers at SA champs before but these are probably the biggest we’ve ever had,” commented Rueben Storbeck, who is responsible for developing and maintaining the course. Consensus amongst the riders has been overwhelmingly positive, with a much higher standard of riding evident during practice runs earlier today.

The focus today was on speed rather than style, with the Giant Slalom competitors doing their utmost to get from the top of the hill to the bottom as quickly as possible. Winners Alex Heath and Karin Weich were overjoyed with their performances.

Qualifiers for the Slopestyle event happen first thing Tuesday morning. Marta Jekot, a long time competitor and the favourite to win the Roxy ladies division will be looking to successfully defend her title. The mens event will be hotly contested with a number of competitors hungry to claim victory. Kat Maponyane, Marcin Jekot, Matt Amoretti, Robbie Alunni and Rueben Storbeck are all capable of winning. Speculation at the filled to capacity resort is rife as to the outcome, but everyone agrees that the level of intensity is much higher than ever before.

“I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen so far on the course,” said Dane Patterson, marketing manager of headline sponsor Quiksilver. “We’ve been part of snowboarding in SA for a few years and to watch the talent pool grow in both numbers and level of riding has been really rewarding.”

Some of that recent growth can be attributed to the Bag Jump, a huge inflatable landing that allows riders to safely perfect high risk maneuvers before attempting them on the unforgiving rock hard landings made of snow and ice. “The Bag Jump is great for progression, which is usually a slow and painful process,” said Kat Maponyane. “You can figure out and correct your technique before it leads to a major injury and that means more time to ride and less on the sidelines.”

Other events will include a Bag Jump demonstration, Foosball tournament and tomorrow evening a floodlit DC Rail Jam set up at the foot of the slopes, where onlookers can watch from the warmth and comfort of the Gondola Bar. Presenting sponsors Resolution will also be awarding a cash prize to the competitor who takes the most intense crash during the event. The Finals and prize giving take place on Wednesday 4 August. Quiksnow will be broadcast on an upcoming episode of Boardriders TV on SuperSport.

Winter is at its zenith and that means only one thing: Quiksnow. Africa’s premier snowboarding contest is gearing up to throw down at a new location that will have more rails, bigger kickers and easier access than previous events. Presented by Resolution, the contest will run from August 1 – 4 and is hosted for the first time by Afriski in the heart of the Maluti Mountains, a mere five hour drive from Johannesburg and six hours from Durban (on tarred roads all the way). Another first will be the presence of Bag Jump, a device to safely attempt new moves without the risk of serious injury. Similar in concept to the foampits used by FMX and skateboard pros, riders will have the opportunity to perfect their most dangerous tricks before taking them onto the snow.

DC Shoes will be getting involved for the first time with a Rail Jam happening on one of the evenings. A free ride format rewarding creativity as opposed to a formal scoring format which penalises falling, riders will be rewarded with prizes ranging from snow gear and footwear to boards for the best showing of the evening.

After a one year hiatus Quiksnow is returning with a vengeance. A park with more rails than you can imagine and kickers ranging from the 3 – 20 m range are prepped and ready for South Africa’s best to show what they are capable of. This will also be the first year that the Snowboarding championships have been run independently of the ski championships, which is a big vote of confidence for the fledgling sport. “We feel that the momentum Quiksnow has built up over the last few years has reached the point where the event can run on its own steam, not only in terms of media and sponsors but in terms of riders and riding level,” said Quiksilver marketing manager Dane Patterson. “The fact that the resort is fully booked is a testament to just how much Quiksnow has grown.”

Quiksilver team rider Kat Maponyane midway through a frontside tailslide at the last Quiknow event.

A dedicated team has spent weeks prepping the course, ensuring a run as outstanding as humanly possible. “We want riders of all levels to have a good time,” commented Ollie Schwankhart, the event organiser and SA Snowsports Association representative, “But we also want to push the level of riding and build on the development and growth we’ve experienced every year. Our top guys need to have the facilities to prepare them for an international level of competition. A big part of that is creating top quality rails and kickers that will push the riders to the edge of what they can do.”

That edge may be significantly beyond passed events, with a number of the top riders showing significant progression garnered from travelling to Europe and the US over the domestic off season. The recently held Kings Cup was marked by an intense clash between Marcin Jekot and Rueben Storbeck in the mens division. Marcin is probably the most competitively successful snowboarder in South Africa, but consecutive years riding and working in the resorts of North America have helped Rueben close the gap. Storbeck took top honors at King’s Cup with a number of spins including a text book Backside 5 (a 540º rotation where the rider is unable to see his landing and must do so “blind”). Marcin’s younger sister and fellow champion Marta Jekot is likely to continue her stranglehold on the Woman’s Division and spectators will be looking to see if any challengers can end her domination of the Roxy Slopestyle and Slalom events.
Dark horses in the Mens Division include Kat Maponyane and Matt Amoretti, two of the younger, hungrier riders eager to earn the accolade of best in the country. Quiksilver team rider Maponyane, son of former football star Marks Maponyane, has said, “I’ve been to Quiksnow three times and was checking out the park earlier this week. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it looking this good. There’s a lot of chatter amongst the riders about how stoked they are.” Either competitor has the skill to top the podium in Slopestyle.
Quiksnow 2010 is about speed and style, with two divisions: Giant Slalom and Slopestyle. Giant slalom involves getting down the mountain along a predetermined course as fast as possible and is a thrilling race against the clock. Slopestyle is more interpretive. Each contestant must navigate a series of kickers, rails and obstacles, utilizing the course to showcase their skill, style, and control. Both divisions guarantee thrills and spills, with presenting sponsor Resolution putting R1000 in cash in the hands of the rider deemed to have taken the worst slam of the event.

It’s going to be glory, fun and chaos in the mountains in August, and all of it will broadcast on an upcoming episode of Boardriders TV on SuperSport.