Freeride - Big Mountain Pro 08

Last week I participated in the Big Mountain Pro. A mobile freeride contest. We travelled with a bus through the Alps and rode step faces. The snow conditions were not great but on the first day we found some great snow near Chamonix in France. The mountain we rode down is called Le Buet. We flew up near the face wth the heli to inspect the mountain and to choose our lines. Then we hiked up to the peak. The hike was already adventurous. Pretty step but it paid of. The run down was good. Long. About 600 meters of vertical drop.

Le Buet. The first face we rode.

on the way down from the run we ended up in a canyon. We had to jump from one rock to the other using our board as a pole to make more distance. Somehow we made it out dry. 

All the freeriders were stoked. They said it was the best face they ever rode in a competition. Some of them had mind-blowing runs down that mountain. I was impressed how fast some of them can ride in these faces and conditions. (especially Jeremy Jones and Xavier de la Rue). They won the comp in the end as well in front of my fellow Austrian Mitch Tölderer. 
The rest of the trip was not very good snowboarding wise. But we had good times travelling an a lot!! of fun. It has such a good crew. 
I hope to do it again next year and improve once more my freeriding skills. I already learned quite a bit. But there is still a long way to go...

the gnarly hike up didn't promise a much easier ride downhill