Austria's a Wrap. On to Nederlands

Austrian Snow Idols

Austria is now another fond memory.  The Pleasure Jam never disappoints, and this was confirmed again in 2013.  In our first contest as a Team, Kirk's Camp kinda crushed.  4 of 7 riders made finals and Eric B stood on the podium again (albeit an extended podium, 4th place) and collected cash.  His redonkulous rail game enhanced a jump line of Cab 5, front 10, back 9 (the 9 being a neglected gem in his bag).
Serena Shaw rode like she wanted to up until her final run, which would have been a top 5 run if landed.  It is great to see this fierce competitor perform on a level approaching her stringent standards, and even better to see her laugh and smile!

Serena Shaw Sending

Jack on the Gondola roof

Jack Herald just missed Semi Finals

Brett Moody made it through qualifications, semi's and finals without botching a single run.  I take that back, he may have screwed up once, but it was lost in the mix of his strong ones.  He has the ability to will himself to land things.  He has other extraordinary abilities which were on display in Ostereich.  He was bold enough to tell me his has Ninja skills early in the trip, and has proved it with amazing feats of agility and persuasion.

Finalist Nik Baden

Nik Baden pushed into finals and would have enjoyed a top 5 spot if he had landed his Double Back 1080's.  I have seen him land this trick many times, but it just wasn't meant for today.  He certainly turned more heads than his own in the attempts.
Our last day at the Dachstein gletsher was foggy and windy, but we managed some powder turns, an exposed hike for some pow turns, and ended with some time on the catwalk and ice cave.  The Europeans relish mountaintop architecture and recreation spots.  The bridges, overlooks, lodges, gondolas and skywalks are feats of engineering uncommon in the States.  This video of Brett Moody walking the catwalk gives some perspective.

What a View

Ice Cave Bear

After packing the bags it was time for the annual ritual of the Pleasure Jam Afterparty.  Eric B, a little miffed to be one spot out of top 3, took his wrath out on the broken glass-covered dance floor.  At around 4am he became the champ we know he is by winning the dance off.  Champagne spraying ensued.

Brett on a catwalk that even cats might fear

3-4 hours of sleep later and it was time to say goodbye to Jack, Codey and Schladming.  With Eric as navigator the van headed north to Salzburg where Nik was dropped for a meeting with Red Bull at their Headquarters and Eric cemented a deal with Glorify eyewear before flying home.

Now the team was down to 3 riders.  With Serena in the navigator seat we headed west to Innsbruck.  Brett delighted in seeing all the fast Euro cars ripping by us on the autobahn and we enjoyed a schnitzel in Germany.  We pulled into Innsbruck around 8pm and checked into a hotel across the street from the legendary Landplatz Plaza.  

Back Lip in Landplatz Plaza by Kirk

This outdoor masterpiece was designed by skaters who slipped a skate-freindly design past city planners.  The result is appealing to all, but clearly meant for 4-wheeled assault.  Assault is just what Moody and I did, disregarding light rain and skating ourselves into a frenzy.  It was only the next morning that I realized I had smashed myself to pieces slipping out on wet marble.  We grouped up for some of the best Thai food I have enjoyed and retired to the hotel for rest and American television stations (finally).

Innsbruck Dragon

Innsbruck Goblin

Too sore to skate, I spent the next morning shopping and sightseeing in historic Innsbruck with Brett and the girls.  Innsbruck is truly a first-class city.  The cars, people, and architecture are beautiful and classy.  

Serena gets her shop on

It was hard to say goodbye to Innsbruck after less than 24hrs.  We all agreed that we could live in this city surrounded by towering, snowy peaks and chock full of skatespots, shopping and beautiful people. A few plane rides later and Innsbruck was just a memory and we were in a shuttle driving through the night to Snow World, a giant indoor ski resort in Holland.  Our good friend and ripper, Jeremy Thompson had joined the crew, infusing new stoke.  Our days of curiosity regarding indoor shredding were over as we entered the Disneyland of Snowboarding and were greeting like celebrities.
As I write this we are relaxing after day one on the "slopes" and I can say the place didn't disappoint.  The park is fun and no one smashed their heads into the ceiling when hitting the jumps.  We met a young local who let us drag fences around and open up closed features.  The trails are open until 11 and the locals all make way for my impressive crew.  Practice for the Europa Cup starts tomorrow but this chapter in our fortunate lives has already begun…..

Jeremy Thompson gets all street in Holland