24.04.2018

Review - Audi Nines

THERE ARE NO LIMITS ON CREATIVITY The Audi Nines in Sölden - made by Schneestern and PistenBully The Audi Nines 2018 are proof that you can always think bigger in freestyle winter sports. Completely new for this year: slopestyle and snowcross merged into one course. The SlopeX concept combines the best elements of both disciplines: speed and creativity. More than 100,000 m3 of snow has been used at the Sölden resort in Tyrol to create a "structure" that defies categorisation. Built by Schneestern and using PistenBully. Impressive figures
11 different obstacles, a mix of freestyle and ski/boardercross, 200-metre difference in altitude and a kilometre long - facts that may sound a little abstract at first. When put in the right context, however, it becomes clear where the Audi Nines sit compared to other modern snow projects. It took 6 weeks to move 107,000 m3 of snow, which is longer than was spent on the slopestyle course for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Around half that time was spent moving snow to the right places, using two powerful machines continuously, a PistenBully 400 W and a ParkPro. Then it was time for a 20-man team from Schneestern to get this snow into shape. They needed three diggers and countless working hours, but also up to five PistenBully, from the ParkPro to the new PistenBully 600, which also put on an impressive show in the park. Successful event!
The result: extreme steep banked curves, wave runs, a snow tunnel and kickers. The male and female skiers and snowboarders gave their all on the innovative set-up in perfect weather and in front of 3,000 spectators, helping to drive the development of the sport. For many, the highlight of the abundant innovative elements on the SlopeX course was the extremely rare snow loop with a height of 3.5 metres. Built by Schneestern. With the concentrated power of PistenBully. Perfect teamwork on a project that shows the spectacular snow projects that can be achieved when you just think that little bit bigger. For a video about what building The Audi Nines looked like, click here.