For the grand QParks Tour finale, the shaperesses from the Diamond Girls Crew – led by Park Designer Lana Behla - properly polished their Diamond of the Alps. Riders from different parts of Europe made their way to Obergurgl to score some sweet points at the Game of Diamonds, and win the QParks Tour 2019. The girls from the Shape Academy delivered a perfect contest setup with five different hits: A Down Rail and a Wallride in the first section, a 9m jump followed by a Straight Rail on the left and a Hover Tube on the right side in the second section, another jump (12m) and a Corner Hip with a Tank jib in the end section. When looking at this fine contest line, the overall prize money of €7,000 and the goodies from Planet Sports, Pinetime Clothing, Boardriding, Amplifi and QParks, the riders surely felt some gold digger vibes.
The first place in the category Groms was once again secured by the Icelandic talent Benedikt Fridbjornsson. Charlie Lane (GBR) and Jascha Nunez (AUT) were slightly behind him and were happy about their 2nd and 3rd position. Austrian Emma Lantos was first among the Ladies. Luca Mai Lane Hopkins (GBR) finished second and Sam van Lieshout (NLD) completed the podium. Gabe Adams (GBR) won his second QParks Tour Stop this season in the category Snowboard Men: “I had a really good day today”, says the young Brit after his victory. “Everything was run very professional and organized, we had fantastic weather and all in all, it was a great final.” Felix Widnig (AUT) came second and Ethan Smith (GBR) third. Angelo Gastl (AUT) demonstrated a perfect Backside Rodeo 5 and won this Tour Stop’s Best Trick Award.
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In freeskiing, the Austrians dominated the contest. Daniel Bacher even secured two first places. He showed the best performance among the Groms and the judges also ranked him first in the Freeski Men category. All good things go by threes, so the incredibly talented Austrian also won the Best Trick Award. Because adding a Safety Grab to a Cork 7 is not enough, the freeskier completed his nice trick with a steezy one-foot Safety landing. Noah Ressel (AUT) followed his compatriot and came second in both categories. Florian Pale (AUT) walked off with a third place in the Grom ranking. In Freeski Men, Noel Walser (AUT) was happy about a third place. Young shredqueen Muriel Mohr (DEU) won the ladies category in front of Sarah Schönach (AUT) and Victoria Ressel (AUT).
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Ladies & gentlemen, here are the best snowboarders of the 2019 season. We present you well-known names as well as boarders you should keep an eye on. Benedikt Fridbjornsson did not only win the Game of Diamonds, he also made it to the top of the overall Groms ranking. The champion in the Snowboard Men category is Felix Widnig. The rider from Carinthia won the QParks Tour for the third time in a row – outstanding performance. Emma Lantos took part in four Tour Stops this season and scored the most points among all Snowboard Ladies. “My first Tour Stop was the Plan P in Schladming, then I took part in Saalbach and Mayrhofen. It went really well this year and I’m really happy that I won the overall tour.”
Those freestylers who demonstrate their skills at a constantly high level over the entire season, deserve the overall win the most. Muriel Mohr always excelled when she participated and consequently won the Freeski Ladies ranking. She won three QParks Tour Stops and thus conquered the top position on the podium. The judges were most impressed by the performances of youngster Florian Pale during the last months. He secured a well-deserved place in the Freeski Groms list. Thanks to a massive final run, Noel Walser from the TSV team won the Freeski Men ranking. “The whole QParks Tour 2019 was great fun, but all in all, I liked the Game of Diamonds most”, says the Austrian after his triumph.
All freestylers who won the Best Trick Award at one of the QParks Tour Stops, now have the chance to win a surf holiday in Ecuador as part of the Free Spirit Best Trick Award. This way, the summer goes by quicker and meanwhile, you can practice some surfing!
This was definitely a great season ender of this year’s QParks Tour at Snowpark Obergurgl. If you wanna receive more information, pics and videos about the Game of Diamonds, feel free to make your way over to Facebook and Instagram. The QParks Tour is dropping the mic and leaving for a summer break. The contest series will surely be back next winter. All details about the QParks Tour 2020 will be available in time on Instagram and Facebook too.