| Snow | Kevin Backström wins Absolut Park Spring Battle |
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KEVIN BACKSTRÖM TAKES HIS FIRST 4STAR TITLE AT ABSOLUT PARK SPRING BATTLE For the eighth time in a row the slightly odd slogan “Cowboys ride it hard …” was carried through the Absolut Park in Flachauwinkl, Austria’s longest terrain park. Being a 4 Star TTR contest, the Spring Battle 2010 once again lived up to its name and impressed the crowd as well as judges with an extremely high riding level on the Easter weekend. Many international pro snowboarders showed up for Absolut Park’s 10th anniversary and entered the battle of skills against the locals. 
While some party animals were still trying to find their beds, the qualified riders met up early at the summit of the shuttle mountain to do their first warm up runs. Blessed with blue bird sky, they went big to impress the judges. The qualification already saw double corks as well as switch 12s, and the challenging trick level was to be carried to the finals. There, Air&Style rider Werni Stock (AUT) put all his eggs in one basket, showing a switch backside 900 as well as a double backflip on the bottom roller. His excellent performance earned him a third place. Chris ‘CK’ Kröll (AUT) impressively proved that he is back after suffering from a major knee injury three years ago – he became second with a strong final run consisting of a stylish frontside 1080 and a clean backside 900. But the undisputable best rider of the day was Sweden’s Kevin Backstrom. Only 17 years old, he became Absolut Park’s new sheriff with a frontside 1080 to backside 1080. Besides some coveted TTR points, the eight best riders also took home a total prize money of 20.000 US dollars.Straight after the super finals, it was time for the traditional TAG-TEAM-AWARD. Individual teams were formed and a relaxed jam session held. From the table of the first kicker, the riders started into the wide end section which consisted of a big roller, the massive Absolut Park wall, a challenging cannon box and an oversized token (a.k.a. Bonk-Mandala / Bonk-Dude). In the end, Team Zillertal was at the top of the game: with a perfect combination of varied tricks, ingenuity and the ability to take the most advantage of the obstacles in the end section. Chris Kröll, Werni Stock, Tom Klocker and Mario Wanger deservedly earned 2,500 Euros extra prize money. Although the finals had to be moved to Saturday, Friday night’s Spring Break Party in Ema’s Pub in Flachau didn’t suffer from any “party fatigue”. MORTAL KOMBAT SOUND made riders and fans shake their hips to the finest reggae and dancehall beats until the early morning.           See you next year … in the wild, wild west! Results:1. Kevin Backstrom / SWE Photos: Markus Rohrbacher.
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