Banked Slalom LAAX: The Zeitgeist Snowboard Contest

The 9th Banked Slalom LAAX is history. This snowboard contest is a testament to the spirit of the times: sustainably designed, with fun on the board for everyone, no matter where they come from, no matter how good, no matter how young. Almost 300 riders from 6 to 60 years of age mastered the steep turn course, which was shoveled entirely by hand. The fastest were 18-year-old local Siria Poltera and US pro rider Harry Kearney.

Reto Poltera from the management in Laax and himself a participant in the race succeeds:
"I am absolutely happy! I feel the happiness and satisfaction of riders here. The family feeling of snow surfers is something you only get with snowboarders. It's really cool."

The course

While Darius Heristchian praised the new course as "super surfy", Ariane Staib-Glaus found it "mega-technical, challenging and in certain passages you had to react very quickly, which I found cool," and achieved second place.
Peter Bauer, also an expert on the scene, multiple winner in Laax and third this time, sums up the uniqueness of the courses: "You come to Laax and don't know where the Banked will take place this year. It's somewhere different every year. Surprise surprise. The terrain is always different and the shapers really adapt the course to the terrain. The natural topography has a huge influence on the course, which makes it super interesting. The course this year is mega intelligently built. Because it's rather steep, there are little tricks built in that naturally regulate the speed. So you can always go on the attack and don't have to check your speed. That's great. And a big shout out to the shapers, because the course is organic."
Naturally and in the spirit of Greenstyle LAAX, the snowpark LAAX team built the 19 steep turns with up to 12 shapers. Poltera is delighted with his team: "The entire course is hand-sculpted. That's fantastic. Not a single machine hour was invested in the construction." Not a drop of diesel was used to transport the materials either; rescue sledges were used. A generator charged with renewable energy was used for the power supply during timekeeping.

© Ruggli

The fastest

The Banked Slalom LAAX titles went to Thomas Scherrer as the new Grand Master in the adults' category, Ueli Kestenholz also won his debut victory in the Masters' category (40-49 years), which went to Fabienne Dirksen-Reuteler in the women's category. The two come from different snowboarding backgrounds - Kestenholz was an alpine and BX specialist, Reuteler was successful in the halfpipe - but both bring their board feeling to the banked, the most original snowboard discipline. Thomas Wolf, Snowpark LAAX shaper and winner of the Open Men category 2024, can do the same. One day after her 18th birthday, Siria Poltera - a multiple winner in the kids' category - raced to the top of the Open Women's podium: "I didn't expect this at all. But of course I'm absolutely delighted!" She also set the fastest time of all participants, which put her in the beaming event picture with the winner of the Pro Men category, Harry Kearney. Although this is his first time in the Alps, he has already won the world's most famous banked slalom in Mount Baker.
"This one is great too! I love the course. It was perfect because it was challenging and fun at the same time. It reminds me of Mount Baker. I also met Reto there in Washington."
Valentino Guseli won the fakie race. He was only 2 seconds slower backwards than forwards, which underlines his class as an all-round snowboarder. The current overall Park'n'Pipe World Cup winner was delighted to finally be at the Banked in Laax, as he calls Laax his "happy place". Together with the 2nd placed LAAX rider Dave Hablützel, he presented the hand-carved medals to the kids at the award ceremony.

The Juniors

The 80 starting places for the kids and juniors were booked up in no time at all. With a mixture of ease, ambition, excitement and coolness, they set off on the course below the monkey rock. Divided into three age groups for boys and girls, they achieved some amazing times! Snowboarding has a future. Teenagers Leni, Theresa and Paula also show this. "Podium is always cool. But we mainly come to have fun." The Bavarian trio will certainly be back in 2025 for the 10th Banked Slalom LAAX. The kids from the LAAX Freestyle Academy will also be back. Bright yellow like a little sunshine, "Young Girl" Olivia slows down after the finish line, laughingly frees herself from a load of snow in her race number and throws herself happily into the snow: "Ah! I've done it all!"

@LAAX @snowparkLAAX #BankedSlalomLAAX

Event website with all results: https://www.flimslaax.com/events/banked-slalom
Highlight Edit to watch and share: https://youtu.be/iyQ5I4FcIoE