Words by Nico Zacek
Photos by Klaus Polzer
Long Live The Queen! The Suzuki Nine Queens is an action sport athlete and media event unrivaled in the action sports arena and sets the benchmark for female freeskiing as the world's only all women’s big air event. The 2012 edition will be held from March 18th to 24th, in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, one of Austria’s premier ski resorts.
This is the second year of this unique event, which brings together the best freeski women in the world alongside the most creative visual media professionals in the business and provides them with the perfect setting in which to promote, excel and create in the sport of freeskiing. The inaugural edition was highlighted by some groundbreaking skiing by the ladies and 2012 promises to be bigger and better.
The host of Nine Queens, Virginie Faivre, with event organizer Nico Zacek.
Her Royal Flyness Virginie Faivre, the 28 year old, Swiss-born, halfpipe world champion of 2010 returns as the host of the Suzuki Nine Queens. Together with the best ladies in international freeskiing, they will display their array of trickery on one of the largest, most challenging and breathtaking features in world sport: ‘The Chateau’.
The Chateau
‘The Chateau’ is an exceptional feature with both a massive jump and multiple jibs integrated into it. Built by the renowned Schneestern Crew, one of the global innovators in terrain park construction, ‘The Chateau’ is designed to both test the ladies to their limit and to facilitate the progression of the athletes to the maximum. Last year it allowed Kaya Turski and Maria Bagge to land the first ever switch 1080's by female freeskiers, and both will be back again, joining Virginie for the 2012 edition of the Suzuki Nine Queens. Here's a look at the list of invited athletes along with the schedule for the event...
Invited Athletes
Virginie Faivre
Keri Herman
Maria Bagge
Kaya Turski
Anna Segal
Eva Patscheider
Emma Dahlström
Kim Lamarre
Ashley Battersby
Maude Raymond
Lena Stoffel
Caja Schöpf
Emilia Wint
Event Schedule
Saturday, March 24th – 10am - 3pm – Big Air Competition (tell all of your friends to come!)
Saturday, March 24th – Hexenalm, Fiss – Awards and afterparty (at 10pm) by Sweet Protection & Downdays.eu
Kim Lamarre
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria is a beautiful collection of historical villages located on a high plateau above the Tyrolean Inn Valley, and is framed by the mighty Samnaun Mountains and the Ötztal Alps. This year the competition will be held in Fiss, the ideal place to build the notorious Chateau as it has the perfect pitch, providing a spectacular backdrop for the event. With the best filmers and photographers attending and a special helicopter follow-cam session also in the mix, expect huge airtime, great style, spectacular images, and most of all, new tricks!
Ashley Battersby
This year there are two competitions open to the public. The first is the amazingly successful Wanna Be A Queen? online video contest, which gives an opportunity to a freeski lady out there to join in the fun and throw down on the Chateau alongside the world’s best by submitting a video edit of her skills to be judged by a panel including Virginie herself. Details of Wanna Be A Queen? can be found at http://www.ninequeens.com.
Virginie Faivre
The second competition has Gore-Tex and Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis join together to offer the VIP experience of a lifetime. Featuring accommodation and ski passes for the winner and a friend as well as great Gore-Tex prizes and VIP all area access to the event and the athletes, including the official after party, this is as good as it gets for fans of freeskiing. To enter, go to Nine Queen's Facebook fan page, write the most liked comment on the photos provided, and voilà, you could be the VIP rubbing shoulders with the Suzuki Nine Queens, the hottest female freeskiers on the planet. But hurry! You only have until 10th March to enter.
For more details on the event and an update on the Wanna Be A Queen? online video contest, check out http://www.ninequeens.com.
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