Snowsport Scotland Park & Pipe squads are in Austria training through October. Betterpark is open with a great set-up of jumps and rails high on the Hintertux Glacier at 3200m under the shadow of the Olperer Peak. The squad travelled out alongside many alpine skiers from Cairngorm Ski Club and ATC whom are also taking advantage of training up on the Glacier.

The squad of 11 Park & Pipe skiers and snowboarders have spent two days in Betterpark acclimatising to the altitude and locking in the jumps and rails. Having spent the summer on dry slope they have not been on snow since the spring so the first couple of days are spent getting the snowlegs back. Lots of laps of the park with as much turns, jumps and rails as possible concentrating on repping out the simple basics.

Bangerpark is a cutting edge facility a hour and half down the Zillertal valley behind Innsbruck up the Scharnitz pass. The facility currently has two dryslope jumps into airbags replicating the jump you would see on snow.

The squad spent the day there on Tuesday focusing on utilising the high volume of practice reduced risk airbags can afford. With the consequences greatly reduced the skiers and snowboarders can focus in prepping a greater amount of tricks than they would normally be able to on snow.

With 6 hours lapping the jumps under their belts their next step is to head back up to Betterpark and transfer their new tricks to snow. The squad is out for another week and looking forward to getting new tricks landed in the park!

Athletes in Austria – Snowboard Performance Squad – Fraser Jack, Logan King, Leon Drynan, Liam Tynan, Max George – last two english athletes. Freeski Performance squad – Olivia Burke, Luke Burke, , Arran Sangster. Development Squad – Abbie Grieg, Connor Sheeves, Euan Rogers.

Photo of Betterpark Hindertux from their facebook page.