2012-02-21 14:31 von Admin
How to win the WT in 4 Steps
As the new designer (Wolle Nyvelt shaped & designed the Cradle from 2002-2010) of the world famous Red Bull End Section, the holder of the most Tängl titles than any other rider, and the Captain of the current defending champions, Team 99, we decided to examine his strategy for wining the Vans Wängl Tängl. Steve, although being a little elusive on the specifics so as not to give away to much of his strategy, gave us these four simple steps to Win the Vans Wängl Tängl by G-Shock:
We’ve always said the Wängl Tängl was by shredders, for shredders, and the Red Bull End Section is the classic example. The CAD design phase involves turning your computer on, popping a couple of cold beers, and starting to mess around with the Newtonian laws of Physics – Snowboarder Version 101 – on a design program. As simple (or hard) as this may sound, Steve looks at it like this:
“Personally, I like to ride everything, and it’s pretty cool when you are given the support, the machines, an epic shaping crew and such a large pile of snow from the Mayrhofen Bergbahnen to play with. It means your imagination can pretty much go wild. Not too wild mind you. I’d look like an idiot if I couldn’t actually ride what we built!. Each year we focus on trying to make something completely new, fun to ride and something everyone is going to be stoked on. In the past we’ve had cradles, hips, rails, transfers and most importantly, as many optional lines as we can think of… At the end of each year you end up thinking, “Damn, what are we going to do next year…!” But there is never a shortage of ideas from the Ästhetiker crew, and actually I enjoy messing around on the computer – at least when it involves designing something like this! Getting the trannies right is not so hard, you sort of do that when you are building a kicker back country to get take off and landing in line anyway. The hardest thing is to make sure it’s challenging, that is has many different optional lines, and that it works for a 3-man team hitting it all at once. I sort of work on the “Make it and they will tear it apart…” school of thought.”
A computer game, while it does a great job in modeling reality, is not in fact reality – all-be-it at times feeling awfully close. Steve, being the professional that he is, takes the time to head out into the great outdoors and re-make the idea he’s pulled out of his head, put into the computer, and test it in the real world – in a mini version to start out with.
“Actually, I don’t know if the modeling stage is really necessary… I think maybe I’m just a bit of a nerd! But once you have been sat in front of the computer, tested like twenty designs, it’s pretty cool to get outside for a bit and try to check out if it looks like it will actually work in real life. You can sort of see some things that you don’t see on the computer when you make the model because you can add or take parts away and you see straight if that makes sense or not .Like with the CAD design, you can take a look at it from every angle to see if it makes sense and looks fun to ride. It also means when we hand the design over to the shapers, the CAD model is definitely enhanced and makes more sense with the Mini Design photos.
The Mayrhofen Bergbahnen committed to making the best snowboard park in Europe over ten years ago, and has stuck to that mission ever since. The Vans Penken Park is world famous for it’s design, access, snowboarders shapers, and constant upkeep. The early years it was overseen by Stefan ‘Platti’ Plattner, and now in it’s second year with Q-Parks it’s overseen by Bernd Mandelberger, Sven Toller and the Vans Penken Park shaping crew.
“Well… I’d like to claim I had a lot to do with the finished product of the real deal, but it’s really the Vans Penken Park shaping crew that do all the real work. I swing by a couple of times a week to check out the progress between backcountry booter sessions to check the line and the trannies. We have meetings almost every night leading up to the event, and there is nothing better than having a snowboarder sitting in the cat – that’s for sure. What’s really cool, is we are all pretty proud and totally stoked to be given the chance to take some crazy idea and bring it to reality…. When you can do that with people like Bernd, Sven and their crew it’s even better. A little secret not many people know – give the shapers a team at the event and it is crazy how good the features turn out because they all know they are going to get to ride it…. All I know is there is something really sexy about seeing the design come together in real life. Makes you want to shred it…!”
Designing it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to win it… you still have to ride it! But Team Captain, Stevo and his Team 99 including Friedl Kolar and Rudi Kröll (formerly Team 96 which drew their name from the combined total of their ages) did just that. Is there an unfair home ground advantage for Team 99 as the Captain designs the Red Bull End Section?
“Nah. Maybe. Probably… actually, I don’t know… ha, ha, ha! I mean, in the design process I send out some of the early designs to the Ästhetiker Crew for feedback and ideas. They also get a look at the Mini Design to make sure everyone thinks it looks fun to ride. So, I suppose we have a couple of months to visualize the lines that we want to do. Maybe, subconsciously, you get it in your mind to pick out little transfers on the mountain as you are riding around that remind you of what we are planing to build. In a way, maybe that is a little form of training. But in reality, the first couple of runs on the finished End Section, I catch myself thinking, “Woooo… that’s way bigger than I was thinking… ha, ha, ha.” But in the end, that’s why we set up the Wängl format to allow training runs between the judged runs and try to give as much time as possible to ride the whole course. I think you could probably ride a whole week in the Vans Wängl Tängl park and in the end you still find some new lines in the park which you haven´t tryed out before. And that’s exactly why we build it this way. Adding to that, you have to get your own line down in coordination with the rest of your team. Anyway, if anyone starts complaining about home ground advantage, they don’t have to deal with the ‘Beasts from the East’ (Team Absolut)..or any of the other hot ,hungry youngun huck teams..so we take what we can get to keep up with them,hahaha!”
Stay tuned to this page, we will be looking at releasing this years Red Bull End Section design in the next couple of weeks – as soon as we can get Steve out of the powder and to finish his Mini Design for this year….
2012-02-21 13:21 von Admin
Vans Looking sideways Vernissage
pic: Tom Greenhill
When you skate, surf, or ride a snowboard, you view the world from a different perspective. Board riders have always been creative. We build things, we break things, we paint our equipment, we make films, we play music, we screen print our clothes and we fill our world with objects that look good. It is the art of riding.
Our world is filled with artists: skaters, snowboarders and surfers who not only express themselves on their boards, but have also dedicated their lives to making great art. Looking Sideway’s mission is to showcase this creativity. Through our events and website, we want riders of all ages and abilities to meet the people who make our world so colourful. Their art could be a painting, board graphic, a sculpture, or a photograph. All of it connects, somehow, to those who ride. Want to know more? Visit us at: www.wearelookingsideways.com
Looking Sideways at Wängl Tängl
At Wängl Tängl we are going to host an exhibition featuring the work of some of the best board sports artists working today, from legendary skaters and snowboarders, to people whose art alone does the talking.
We are stoked that the Wängl Tängl crew have asked us to work with them at their amazing event. For ten years, Wängl Tängl has been one of the most creative and interesting happenings in Europe. Off the hill they’ve showcased the other creative elements of our culture – the skating, music and art – that we feel passionate about. We’re honoured and privileged to be a part of their tenth anniversary event in 2012.
Get Involved
Board sports have always been inclusive, and for this reason at Wängl Tängl our artists will be creating something you, the audience, can get involved in, either by visiting the gallery in Mayrhofen, or online through our website and Facebook pages, before and during the week. We can’t tell you what it’s going to be yet (we don’t want to spoil the surprise), but some of you visiting the event and following it online will be able to participate in making and keeping some amazing new art.
2012-02-21 12:50 von Admin
Funk Lounge Twintowas present 60 Minits Of Funk
60 Minits Of Funk is a collective of creative, laid-back musicians based around the Vienniese music scene. The passion for live performances and improvized edgy live jams created a new version of the typical funk session. The fusion of future boogie, turntablism, hiphop and house makes every concert a unique ride and sometimes a ruff party experience.
This special team consists of players from some of the Ästhetiker´s favourite bands – sort of a morphed supermonster created for one purpose only: to rock the p-a-r-t-y!
The rhythmical backbone are the ‘Twintowas’, two excellent musicians, beatmakers and part of the ‘Waxolutionists live band’.
With ’Stoney the Flute’ ’60minits’ present their charming pro-soloist numero uno, playing in various bands and projects since years, travelling around the world and spreading jazzflute vibes all over.
The keysection is well staffed with ’Davoodi’, one of vienna’s best musicians and producers, when it comes to the funk in any way.
‘Chrisfader’ is the turntablist of 60minits, part of the tyrolean Dj Team ‘Ghostbusters’, ITF austrian champion and a rare, musically engaged solo turntablist.
With the incredible ’Lylit’, Austrias best soul, hiphop and jazz vocalist who is also part of Sk Invitational, ’60 minits of funk’ now step up to the next level in 2012.
An Adventure indeed.
>> Vienna meets Detroit, Philly and London!
2012-02-19 13:42 von Admin
SNOW - Confirmed team #3 Absolut
Dubbed the ‘Beasts from the East’, Team Absolut has been one of the most consistent, powerful and dangerous line up’s ever to compete at the Vans Wängl Tängl. Seen and understood internally as the ‘El Classico’ derby match – Salzberger Land meets Tirol – in a no holds barred, pedal to the metal match up. As it stands, the historical match up is tied for the time being, with Team Absolut taking the Wängl Tängl Title in 2010, before being edged out into 3rd place in 2011 by locals, Team 96 and The Djudes. There is no doubt they will arrive in Mayrhofen fully fit and fired up looking to take the Vans Wängl Tängl 2012 title and Derby honors back east with them again.
The Absolut Park in Flachauwinkl, one of the best home training grounds in Austria, if not the world, where team riders of Captain Herbi Thaler, Phips Gruber and Michi Stanschitz spend the entire season honing their team skills before mounting their annual Tirol marauding party. Team Absolut, part of the Wängl Tängl since 2008, they took only one year to work out their team strategy, they won or podiumed in the competition almost ever since.
Heading into last years event as odds on favorites, when disaster struck. “Everything was fine we allready had our run and we all felt pretty good with the park and the set up…” said team Caprain Herbi Thaler, “Right up until the last very last warm up run. I really can’t work it out, I clammed bad on the run out of the last jump on the run in to the Red Bull end section. Just caught and edge and fell on my shoulder. In a second – I was out.” he concluded. While this was obviously a shock, once it was worked out that the injury was mainly a bruising putting Herbi out for a week or so, Team Absolut immediately pulled Thomas Minichberger off the bench making their third placing even that much more impressive.
Looking at the next edition of the of the Vans Wängl Tängl and the continuation of the ‘El Classico’derby hositities, Herbi replied, “This year’s Wängl Tängl is going to be even harder, especially with the Qualification element, but we’re definitely coming in hot! Not only do we want the title back, but it would definitely mean something special to take home 10-Year Anniversary Vans Wängl Tängl Title.
There is no doubt that Team Absolut will be looking hard at the podium again for 2012.
2012-02-18 16:54 von Admin
Basti Stein Groove Project
Since this a brandnew project – about which it is even impossible to find any info in the web that we can just copy and paste, like we do with all the other profiles – we asked the honored artists themself for a few words of introduction and this is exactly what we got, very few words:
„ Basti Stein (Trumpet), Philipp Nykrin (Keys), Stephan Kondert (Bass) Andreas Lettner (Drums); 4 highgrade musicians that have played together in many different projects get down to let their musical repertoire and skills melt. Untamed improvisation clashes with hard frenetic grooves and sound experiments which generates a new energetic sound.“
Basti Stein
…it was the last time we asked a Jazz musician for spoken words – these boys like to talk with their instruments. The B.S. Groove Project will spice up the art show put on by our fellas from Vans Looking Sideways. Take it easy with the highgrade!