Gasser and Beauchemin win O'Neill Pleasure Jam!
“We’ve seen a fantastic final contest day up here at the O’Neill Pleasure Jam”, speaker James Thorne sums up the day of the semis and the superfinals. And there’s probably no better description than that.
Against all weather concerns, the Schladming-Dachstein region blessed us with the most perfect weather you could wish for a contest of this format. Pushed by the atmosphere, it was a highly contested airspace at the Superpark Dachstein, at which in the end Austrian local Anna Gasser (Red Bull) and US ripper Eric Beauchemin (DC) prevailed above all others.
The girls started quite punctually shortly after 9:00h with heat 1 of the semi-finale and you could already at the warm up smell that it’s not going to be a birthday party for kiddies. From the beginning, the riders did not save their tricks for next winter and there were hardly any safety runs, but ruthless attacks on the triple kickerline. When the Hungarian amazon Gyarmati Anna (HUN) stoked the audience with her first run, it even spurred the ambition of the others and it become clear that it will be a battle between her, Anna Gasser and Elena Könz. After heat two, it was the three of them plus Kristiina Nisula (FIN) to push forward to the superfinals.
Not only the females, also the men immediately showed a highly increased level with a constantly raised bar throughout the course of the semi-finals, so the air got thinner and thinner. Especially a superstylish double backflip by Jonas Bösiger (SUI) made the audience get off their banks. What followed, was a first preview of a massive showdown rolling in at the super-finals. Alexey Sobolev (RUS) and Rowan Coultas (GBR) hammered down the best runs, before Eric Beauchemin (USA) threw down a perfectly clean run that just met all judging criteria. Roope Tonteri (FIN) coming next took on the challenge and spinned like mad but unfortunately grabbed a fair amount of snow. Nevertheless, he again showed his absolutely reckless nature when it comes down to party and ride. Heat 2 looked much more promising from an Austrian point of view, when Clemens Millauer (AUT) and Hias Weissenbacher (AUT) made the audience go mad with Double 10s and runs solid as Austrian steel, paving their path to the super-finals. Also, Sebbe De Buck from Belgium threw down a big-steeze-moment for the audience with a Switchback 9 and a super-airy BS rodeo. All of them went straight on to the super-finals.
THE SUPER-FINALS & BEST TRICK AWARD POWERED BY PORTUGAL SURFCAMP
As the air went crisper and crisper, it was time for the grande finale. The mode was again 2 runs – best one counts. The Ladies were first to line up at the top of the the Superpark. The first round clearly went to the Suisse-miss of Snowboarding Elena Könz, surpassing a BS 540 and a massive backflip by Anna Gyarmati (HUN) and a swift Cab 5 by Anna Gasser. At heat two, it was a fight between Anna Gasser and Elena Könz. Anna started off at the rainbow with a solid 50-50, a stylish BS 180 just to charge off an incredible muted Cab 7 at the 2nd booter, which was eventually awarded with the BEST TRICK performance female, earning her a 2-week-surftrip to Portugal Surfcamp. Elena took it as an invitation and sent in a tailslide to fakie, a switchback 5 melon, a FS 7 melon and a 50-50 method to close with a solid jib-game over the end-section. The two runs seemed almost equal in performance and style and so it was unsure who will make the game. In the end, Anna Gasser’s run stood on top with 86 points by the judges.
When the atmosphere was already heated enough by the ladies, the men took over the floor and put in all their skills. Alexey Sobolev again shook the crowd with a FS 270 over the rainbow, going over to a FS 7 tailgrab on the 1st kicker charging all his energy for a huuuge switch BS 10 mute that went for the BEST TRICK performance male award , followed by a cab 5 melon and his favourite monkey handplant to fakie on the wallride closing his lap with a cab1 50-50. This was rightly worth the overall 2nd place! The other finalists obviously had all hands full living up to this run and many bailed at their attempt. Jonas Boesiger (SUI) again threw down an incredible run with two doubles that finally secured him the excellent 4th overall rank out of the qualification. Eric Beauchemin, however, again was the prevailing figure sending in a cab 270 on 270 out on the rail section, charging on the triple kickerline with a powerful BS 9, a Cab 10 indy, a switchtail 270 off the cannon and a cab boardslide to a FS wallride blunt 270 out at the endsection. A style run at the second heat was enough to secure his stand at the top of the 2014th O’Neill Pleasure Jam podium!
After a failed first run, Roope Tonteri showed he’s one of the most laid-back guys on the planet and seamlessly hammered down a hell of a run for the overall 3rd place pulling out a cab 270 to fakie on the rail section, a cab 9 indy just to go into a BS 10 indy at the 2nd booter and a staggering FS 7 melon at the third. The topping was a boardslide up the wallride to fakie and a cab 270 at the end section.
Alltogether, the rather sketchy start on Friday due to insecure weather conditions turned out to be one of the best O’Neill Pleasure Jam spectacles we’ve ever had. Thanks for your anticipation, participation and partyfication and we’ll send out the overall report with the final videos and galleries at the beginning of next week!