The Audi Nines – a freeride event for freeskiers, snowboarders and mountain bikers – offers riders the chance to go big. This year, it’s one of very few events still taking place, and we look forward to seeing the full video production that comes out of it (here’s last year’s if you need a cinematic injection to your day). For now, we get a sneak peek at what’s to come with the course preview.
Audi Nines Riders List 2020
We’re not sure this rider list included in the press pack is 100% accurate – but maybe that’s not surprising with all the travel shenanigans right now. We’ve already spotted that Brendan Fairclough is out there – will Redhill Extreme prove a good practice ground for the Audi Nines?
Bienvenido Aguado (ESP) | Lukas Knopf (GER) |
Antoine Bizet (FRA) | Sam Pilgrim (GBR) |
Erik Fedko (GER) | Sam Reynolds (GBR) |
Max Fredriksson (SWE) | Jaxson Riddle (USA) |
David Godziek (POL) | Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) |
Szymon Godziek (POL) | Daniel Ruso (AUT) |
Jackson Goldstone (CAN) | Lukas Schäfer (GER) |
Geoff Gulevich (CAN) | Nico Scholze (GER) |
Tom Isted (GBR) | Patrick Schweika (GER) |
Emil Johansson (SWE) | Adolf Silva (ESP) |
Peter Kaiser (AUT) | Tobias Wrobel (GER) |
Clemens Kaudela (AUT) | Cam Zink (USA) |
The Audi Nines event takes place in a repurposed stone quarry, and this year there are no spectators allowed. The absence of public has meant the course builders have been able to expand into the east side of the quarry, where they’ve built a slopestyle line.
There are signature features designed by riders Erik Fedko and Lukas Knopf, with help from the ideas generated by a design contest held earlier this year. Fedko’s feature blends a step-up quarter-pipe, a shark fin and a whale-tail into a challenging combination obstacle, while Knopf’s feature stars an 8-meter jump over a large C-shaped wallride.
“I’m super excited to get this feature built and to ride it,” says Erik Fedko. “Usually we never see features like this on a Slopestyle course. And those three features (quarter-pipe, shark fin and whale-tail) combined should be the funnest, coolest combination ever.”
Elsewhere in the quarry there is an expanded Freeride Line and Big Air venue, including a massive quarter-pipe.
“This year some of the features will be a real testing ground to push limits and send it into some serious airtime,” says Clemens Kaudela. “The quarter-pipe in particular will be a lot of fun, since Sam and I battled it out for the highest jump back in 2017 at Nine Knights in Reschenpass. Expect some heavy sessions.”
As well as Audi, the event is sponsored by GoPro, and we’ve looked very closely but can only spot the GoPro Max in evidence – none of those Hero 9s that we spotted the other day.