Rock A Rail celebrated its successful debut in Innsbruck on Saturday, November 26th, during the very first SnowFest winter sports festival. In the heart of the Tyrolean capital snowboarders from all over the world put on an insane show on the street setup directly in front of the theater. The crowd went crazy, the atmosphere was amazing, and the vibe was real. Anna Gasser and Benny Milam took home the prestigious overall titles.
ROCK A RAIL – The picturesque setting between the theater and the venerable Hofburg was an absolute novelty for the 70 riders. The 37 m long, 12,5 m wide and two-storey high ramp offered a unique urban and progressive setup with various rails and features. The riding level was insanely high, riders were pushing each other, going crazier trick by trick and wowed the many spectators. Anna Gasser is known for hitting big jumps in the park and you won’t often see her at street events. But last Saturday she showed her street credibility and took home the women’s title with her sovereign riding: “I am so happy to have an event in Innsbruck again. I am not really a rail-rider, but it was a lot of fun with all the girls. Everyone was riding really good. Hopefully more in the future!” Benny Milam (USA) was defending his title from the last 2019 edition in The Hague and adds the Innsbruck trophy to his collection. He deserved the win in all aspects. His technical skills on the rails were unmatched and at the same time he also had some rad trick in the Blue Tomato (stairset) and Burton (A-frame) section. Max de Vries was the gnarliest shredder out there. His personal battle with the waterfall rail was brutal. Max frontside boardslide was out of the box and earned him the Best Trick Award.
Results Rock A Rail Innsbruck 2022:
- Best Overall Women: Anna Gasser (AUT)
- Best Overall Men: Benny Milam (USA)
- Best Trick Red Bull section Women: Selin Lakatha (AUT) – 50-50 on downrail (creaper)
- Best Trick Burton/Blue Tomato section Women: Masie Hill (GB) – frontlipslide @ Burton feature
- Best Trick Red Bull section Men: Max de Vries (NL) – frontside boardslide Waterfall
- Best Trick Burton/Blue Tomato section Men: Nick Puenter (SUI) – 50-50 to boardslide transfer on downpart
Rock A Rail is part of the very first SnowFest Innsbruck edition which took place from November 25 -27, 2022. On Friday the freestylers on two boards kicked off the weekend with the Freeski Friday Jam Session. On Sunday the future shredders closed it during the kid’s session on a modified setup. The Winter Sports Village completed the diverse program and was visited by many visitors of all ages who enjoyed all the various sports activations onsite.
SnowFest Innsbruck premiere in collaboration with Rock A Rail was a great success, thanks to the support of: Red Bull, Blue Tomato, Burton, AInnsbruck Tourism, Stadt Innsbruck, Land Tirol, Faction, Stiegl, World Snowboard Federation, Kahlbacher, MTNpool.com and Tiroler Versicherung. The snow came from nearby, Axamer Lizum and Kühtai. It was fresh snow cleared from the parking lots and streets. Truly “from street to street”!
