Freeride Fest 2017: A Celebration of Czech Freeriding

On the first weekend of April 2017, the inaugural FreerideFest took place in Hochfügen, Austria. It was three days filled with workshops, ski testing, and fun.

A number of sports personalities came to support the celebration of Czech freeriding, including alpine skier Ondra Bank, mogul skier Nikola Matějcová Sudová, freerider Simona Hrstková, and kayaker Vávra Hradilek.

After a warm-up party on Thursday evening, the festival kicked off in full swing on Friday. Visitors had the opportunity to participate in workshops and unconventional competitions. The freeride workshop was led by top Czech freeriders Robin Kaleta and Simona Hrstková, along with Slovak top rider Katka Lehocká. The ski touring workshop, which included an ascent to Klein Gilfert, was organized by mountain guides Zdeněk Hák (alias Háček) and Lukáš Pálka. Ballet on skis was conducted by Nikola Matějcová Sudová, while instructors Radek Drahoňovský and Zuzka Kitto taught skiing techniques, and Jožin Toufar took care of freestyle snowboarding. Avalanche workshops were led by Ján Blažej. Interested participants had the chance to try splitboarding with Aleš Zeman, and Jakub Frey, Jano Tekel, and Luděk Šmerda introduced the secrets of sports photography.

All workshops were fully booked in advance, but thanks to the relaxed atmosphere, almost no one was turned away on-site. Groups consisted of 6-10 people, and on the first day alone, around a hundred participants took part in various workshops. Others had the chance to test skis from brands like Scott, Line, Black Crows, Forest Skis, and Bear Skis, as well as Plichto’s poles and avalanche equipment from Arva and Ortovox.

The Friday program was enriched by the inaugural ski touring race, "Břéťův memoriál." It featured a sprint with skins applied in reverse. The inspiration for the race came from a participant in the freeride camps who inadvertently completed a half-day ascent this way. The winners were two participants, Lukáš Bilko (alias Bilo) and Vojta Král, who simultaneously crossed the finish line before Robin Kaleta. In the over-50 category, the legendary camper, the formidable Rudi Garmish (alias Pepa Maleček), took the win.

The highlight of the event was the Saturday freeride competition with its own set of rules – ladies in swimsuits and gentlemen with unzipped ski boots and activated walk mode. The jury included Ondra Bank, Vávra Hradilek, Robin Kaleta, and the winner of the guessing competition. In the men’s category, most competitors relied on creativity, showcasing everything from various costumes, pirouettes, flips, and jumps to deliberately triggering avalanche backpacks. The women’s segment surprised many with the enthusiasm and determination with which the contestants in swimsuits threw themselves into off-piste terrain. They were rewarded with applause, whistles, and a flower waiting for them at the finish line. Fortunately, the contact with the sharp spring snow didn’t require the application of the prepared avalanche debris.

The same energy displayed on the slopes was mirrored at the closing party in Kristalbar under the ski slope, where the music was provided by the Red Bull Event car. After grilling, the winners of the competition were announced. In the men’s category, the choice was clear: Lukáš Bilko took the victory, receiving a two-day ski pass for Hochfügen and a bottle of Jägermeister. However, the women completely confounded the jury, leading to all the scantily clad contestants taking home ski passes for their performances. The evening’s entertainment was driven by host Háček, who captured everyone’s attention with an arm wrestling competition. Names like Ondra Bank, Vávra Hradilek, and Czech bobsled representative David Egydy promised thrilling matchups. It was anticipated that Bilo would secure a golden hat trick, but he ended up in the semifinals. In the final battle between Háček and David Egydy, the bobsledder showcased his superhuman strength. Three heads (aka 3heads) came together to create a highlights reel of the entire event. The subsequent dancing around the bar under DJ Víťulka's watch continued until morning, and Ondra Bank fulfilled his promise to dance with all 16 winners of the competition.

If anyone thinks that Sunday was a day for recovery, they should know that the workshops were just as packed as on the first day, and no one wanted to leave the slopes until late afternoon.

The festival generated a lot of love and positive energy, fulfilling the original vision of its creator and director Robin Kaleta. It was a fantastic conclusion to the season. The zero participant fee and the non-commercial nature of the event would not have been possible without the support of sponsors Tipsport, Peter Brett, Hochfügen, Madeja sport, Chimpanzee, Red Bull, and Jägermeister, as well as the tested brands Line, Scott, Black Crows, Forest Skis, Bear Skis, Plichto’s poles, Arva, and Ortovox.

We would like to thank them and strive to make this event an annual highlight of the freeride season.

The Organizing Team of freeridecamps.cz