It’s that time of the year. The winter season in Australia and New Zealand is nearing its end. Well…for the resorts anyway. Our attention and eyeballs gravitate over to the other side of the globe. Which currently seems so far out of reach to go and enjoy. However, the worlds best snowboarders are more onto it than you and I…they’ve been planning their upcoming season whilst managing the global COVID restrictions very carefully.
First stop? Switzerland…
It’s become the annual staple in every pro snowboarders diet to embark on the pilgrimage to Saas Fee, Switzerland in October for ‘The Stomping Grounds Project’. What’s the Stomping Grounds? It’s the brainchild of Australian and world renowned park builder Charles Beckinsale. Charles builds the ultimate mecca for ‘pre-season’ snowboarding high up on the glacier at Sass Fee resort that runs for 3 weeks, kicking off 2 October. A combination of slopestyle and pipe features, it aims to provide riders with the training ground needed to not only ‘get their feet back’ but to also push boundaries beyond most snowboarders wildest dreams. With the Winter 2022 Olympics coming around quickly, ‘The Stomping Grounds’ has become the quintessential training ground for those looking to qualify and podium.
Who attends? It’s an eclectic mix of the worlds best plus all of the up and comers looking to take the worlds best down. The vibe is incomparable, each day is a constant battle of who’s better than who, who is going to show up and blow up this season. Rivalry’s are deep rooted, and the level of riding is as good as it gets.
The likes of McMorris, Scotty James, Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, Darcy Sharpe, Mikey Ciccarelli, Hailey Langland, Danny Davis will all be in attendance. There’s whispers of some other heavy hitters getting involved, but are keeping it under wraps to surprise their enemy – being everyone with a board attached to their feet. Strike first, no mercy.
We’re going to be on the ground, delivering live action daily for all of you to feast on. No post season blues. We’ll be doing behind the scenes athlete interviews, capturing the ground breaking shit going down daily plus a whole lot more. Stay tuned…
