AUDI NINES

Want to “Become a Nine”? This year’s contest for a wildcard invitation to The Audi Nines is underway! See below for more details on how YOU can become the next featured rider at this exclusive event.

Riders Announced

The first wave of invited athletes have confirmed their place at this year’s Audi Nines. The list features heavyweights from the top rankings of their sports, as well as a healthy dose of young guns and up-and-comers to keep things fresh. The level of riding will be sky-high, with a total of 8 Olympic gold medals, 21 world championship titles and 123 X Games medals already represented in the riders’ list thus far.

Snowboard

On the women’s snowboard side, Anna Gasser (AUT) — the first female snowboarder to land a cab triple underflip — will be joined by the likes of snowboard legend Jamie Anderson (USA), 2019 Laax Open winner Silje Norendal (NOR), and 17-year-old rising star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZE). A strong Japanese contingent will also be present, including Yuka Fujimori, Miyubi Onitsuka and Reira Iwabuchi.

On the men’s side, snowboard heavyweight  Ståle Sandbech (NOR) makes his Audi Nines debut, joining other top Scandinavian riders like Sven Thorgren (SWE), Roope Tonteri (FIN) and the legend himself, Terje Håkonsen (NOR). Other confirmed riders include Sage Kotsenburg (USA) and Audi Nines veteran Sebbe de Buck (BEL), with more still to come.

Freeski

On the skiing side, the Swiss power duo of Sarah Hoefflin and Mathilde Gremaud will join the party alongside other Audi Nines stalwarts like Coline Ballet-Baz (FRA), Johanne Killi (NOR) and Emma Dahlström (SWE). 17-year-old star Tess Ledeux (FRA) will also be present.

For the men, two-time Olympic halfpipe champion David Wise (USA) fronts a list of amazing talent including Swiss phenom Andri Ragettli — the first skier to land a quad cork, at this very event — and other Audi Nines regulars like Jesper Tjäder (SWE), Bene Mayr (GER) and Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (CAN). Meanwhile, fresh faces like last year’s “Become A Nine” winner Alex Hall (USA) and Nines newcomer Ferdinand Dahl (NOR) will bring their unique styles to the table.

Two unique event setups

For the first time in its history, the 2019 Audi Nines features two separate event setups — one for men and one for women — running concurrently. The all-women’s setup at Obergurgl-Hochgurgl provides the ladies with their own dedicated microcosmos. The women’s setup features two angled kickers, a massive Big Air jump and a unique “Space Age” jib designed together with riders like Spencer O’Brien. On Wednesday April 24th, the women will welcome the Audi Nines men to their setup for a spectacular night shoot, open to the public to watch.

“It’s so special to be involved in the planning of one of my favourite sessions,” said O’Brien. “It’s a dream come true to work together with the other girls and the organisers to bring the perfect setup to life.”

Meanwhile up on the glacier at Sölden, the men’s venue will send riders into the stratosphere on a colossal quarterpipe, where snowboard legend Håkonsen and friends will see what they can achieve on this perfect platform for progression. They’ll be joined by skiers like Wise and Alex Ferreira (USA), who will be looking to push quarterpipe skiing to new heights. “If we have a perfect quarter setup and the possibility is there, I think with the right build a record jump is totally doable,” said Wise.

The men’s setup at Sölden also features two Big Air jumps flanking one the Audi Nines’ most visually spectacular features yet: a 10-meter high, 2.5-meter wide ramp dubbed “The Launch Pad,” which will propel those daring enough to try it over a 32-meter gap. The lower section of the venue features a unique transition playground with a plethora of transfer options, a massive curved wallride, and some sneakily designed “wormhole” tunnels providing riders with unexpected shortcuts across the space-time continuum.

This level of innovation in the course design wouldn’t be possible without the help of athletes like longtime Nines collaborator Jesper Tjäder, whose input has been crucial. “The transitions of the features, such as the open loops and transfer sections, will create rhythm and speed like no other course,” Tjäder remarked.

The public contest day, when the entire event reaches its climax, takes place on the Tiefenbach Glacier in Sölden on the 27^th of April. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind spectacle, open to the public! This is followed by an Après-Ski party outside Tiefenbachferner restaurant and the official Audi Nines after-party at the Cross Point welcoming spectators, crew and riders alike. 

Building on the success of last year’s Audi Nines debut in Sölden, the freestyle event series is expanding with an additional location at nearby Obergurgl-Hochgurgl. For the very first time the event will take place simultaneously in not one, but two different resort locations. The new dedicated women’s location promises twice the fun and twice the progression at The Audi Nines in Tyrol, Austria, from the 22nd to the 27th of April 2019.

2019 will mark the 11^th year of this event series, which continues to manifest its philosophy of seeking evolution and collaboration with the world’s top athletes, course designers and media production to create a truly unique event. 

Each year has brought a wave of change to what was originally a freeski event; it is this passion for progression that led to the first all-female event, Nine Queens, in 2011, followed by the inclusion of snowboarders in 2013 and culminating with Nine Royals in 2017. In 2018, the event series undertook its most ambitious reinvention yet: The Audi Nines, which for the first time included ski- and snowboardcross athletes to expand the scope of the event even further.

The Audi Nines continues to celebrate sports and the athletes who write history through their dedication and passion. It is of the highest priority to bring together brilliantly talented people to create the best possible event and environment for these athletes, and this year is no exception.

In 2019 The Audi Nines returns to the core and focuses its attention on a new expansion: a separate all-women’s set up. After reviewing athlete feedback from last year’s event, there was a resounding call to once again create a unique micro-cosmos for women during the week-long film and photo sessions, providing the right setting to maximise their own progression. This collaborative philosophy is why The Audi Nines is elated to announce dual locations for this event, specifically tailored to the needs and feedback of the athletes. It’s a ladies takeover in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, where female riders, female photographers and, for the first time in event history, a team of female shapers will gather for an exclusive week-long progression session.

‘Become a Nine’ & Public Contest Day

In the name in progression and true to The Audi Nines philosophy, each year young guns are given the chance to ride the innovative course by sending in their ‘Become a Nine’ application video by midnight CET on the 1^st of April 2019. The online qualification is for every male and female freeskier and snowboarder, pros and amateurs alike, from all over the world. 

The event consists of two public days; a night shoot on the 24^th in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, culminating with all athletes descending on the Sölden setup for the final showdown at contest day on the 27^th of April 2019. 

Stay tuned for more information on the course design, and start stacking your clips for this year’s edition of the “Become a Nine” contest which launches today!