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Once again the winter season closes out with a UK snowboard industry heavy event at the start of May. For years the Snowboard Springbreak aka the UK Snowboard Test has been held in Kaunertal, Austria, but for 2019 things changed. The location was moved over a couple valleys to Mayrhofen with the test centre placed up high on Hintertux Glacier for 4 days of sunny spring shredding!.....oh wait, no the weather is never that predictable on this annual occasion!
The R1 Snow Team always love to meet up at this righteous event, dotted not only in the UK the R1 team hail from the French alps as well with Jake and Joe Simpson, originally from Wales now live full time in Morzine. So TM Will Radula-Scott, Si Belson and R1 Snowboard buyer Nick Ousley headed down to Mayrhofen via a 17hr drive from the UK to meet up with Joe and Jake that had driven over from France.
The plan from the next few days was to lather up in suncream and enjoy the sick Hintertux snowpark under that warm spring sun! In reality, we woke up to pissing rain and the news that it was snowing pretty heavily up on the mountain. The one problem with riding glaciers is that there aren’t any trees which means when the weather comes in visibility is real poor! So day 1 was a bit of a right off…but it was ok as better weather was predicted for the following day and until then it was just gonna keep on snowing. So Day 2, was a powder day! It was the 5th May and when the clouds parted and we could see whether we were going up on down the hill we enjoyed some of the deepest snow we’d ridden that winter.
Day 3 was a similar situation, not enough sun and clear weather to open the park and still freshies to be had so we just lapped the gondolas fully wrapped up and getting pow shot to the face. A couple rail features had been set up next to the test centre which a rail jam was organised and a fun session went off until the end of the day. Day 4 was already predicted a right off with high winds now coming into the fold so this gave us more of an excuse to enjoy the Metal Night put on at the Gastof Zillertal, a place we had been pretty much every night for food, drinks and good times, partly because in May in Mayrhofen it’s about the only place open, plus it’s always fun times there.
So once again another Snowboard Springbreak ended before we even felt like it had begun, crammed packed with good times and lack of sun, but a ton of fresh snow and Zillertal’s finest beer and a 17hr drive home to look forward to. Thanks Hoff, Tux and Snowboard Springbreak for another one to remember.
