The LAAX OPEN turns 10

Words Alba Pardo 

 A Decade of progression, performance, and pure freestyle

LAAX is known as the European heaven of freestyle and probably one of the most recognized resorts in the world. It has been the home of world-class riders for several decades, and for the last one, it has also been the proud host of the infamous LAAX OPEN. 

The dedication and commitment the LAAX president and CEO Reto Gurtner has had for pushing the sport and embracing freestyle is now an embedded cell within the LAAX DNA. When the Burton European Open was, unfortunately, no more, LAAX took it upon themselves to not only continue with one of the biggest celebrations of freestyle snowboarding but also to make sure to build a legacy whilst leading the sport to new heights. 

Alright, alright. So you’ve probably heard all of this before. But what does it truly take to make the LAAX OPEN such a special event?

Let me introduce you to yet another cliché, but bear with me because it’s true: what truly makes the LAAX OPEN special, without a doubt, is the PEOPLE.

First of all, I should start by clarifying that I am completely and utterly biased whilst writing this story because I have only missed two years of the Opens since 2010 (the 2021 due to COVID restrictions, and 2018 as I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant) and I have lived some of the most fun, scary and special moments of my life during the Opens, personally and professionally. However biased, I believe this might qualify me further in this attempt to explain why the PEOPLE and the event are so special, as I have the habit of asking everyone around why they like to go there, why they like to be a part of it, and why they keep going back: riders, fans, volunteers, locals, staff, tourists, media. I have asked literally everyone. 

But don’t take my word for it, here is what some of the people have said over the years. First up, event director Donald Nader: “The LAAX OPEN is my personal annual Freestyle highlight, I love the vibe created by the pro riders, resort and event crew, judges and other specialists, plus being around my co-workers and friends, all working and hanging out together!” And pro rider Stale Sandbech follows, “Their whole strategy, their whole philosophy is kind of like freestyle, the youth and what do the youth want. Plus LAAX is my favorite resort in the world; they’ve got the coolest mountain and backcountry opportunities, but at the same time they’ve got the best park and the coolest park crew”.

The investment the resort pours into the course construction and maintenance of the Olympic-sized pro kicker line, the five different snow parks with over 90 obstacles as well as the biggest pipe in the world, makes it the dream destination for the riders to enjoy, train and compete. The fact that it has 214 kilometers of slopes with amazing terrain from the glacier to the town (and that the January snow conditions are normally unreal) doesn’t hurt.  

“LAAX quickly became my favorite place, it’s got powder, it’s got one of the best parks in the world, the best halfpipe in my opinion and yeah, it’s just really my home away from home,” states the Australian all-rounder Valentino Gusseli. A sentiment that Sebastien Toutant already shared in 2018, “I like LAAX so much because, there is powder everywhere, there is a really good park, and probably this mountain has the most beautiful view in the background. So that’s why I love to come here every season.” 

I would argue that the LAAX OPEN is a perfect example of how hard work pays off. Their efforts to curate the best team and provide them with the right tools to excel at their craft has allowed the Snowpark LAAX crew to build creative, boundary-pushing, safe and perfect courses, as well as perhaps the best halfpipe in the world…

“LAAX has helped us a lot. It has given us a place where we can ride and train since we were young. I think Switzerland is well-known for halfpipe riding and we’ve got a lot of good halfpipe riders and the pipe in LAAX has helped to step it up even more,” explained explained Christian Haller, legendary Swiss pipe rider. Four-time LAAX OPEN halfpipe winner and two-time Olympic Gold medalist Chloe Kim says, “LAAX is a very special place in my heart. I won my first competition here when I was nine years old. This is where my love for snowboarding and my love for halfpipe snowboarding started. The pipe is always so incredible. Jeremy does an amazing job building it.”

We could fill pages with all the five-star reviews the best riders give LAAX and its snowpark year after year (okay, just a couple more: “So creative, it’s always a really good course”, says Anna Gasser and Marcus Kleveland confirms: “LAAX is the best. Every single year it’s just perfect.”) However, if we focus our attention on the one week in January when the mountain literally lights up, the question to me is how do you make a “similar” event shine bright in its own right year after year, build upon the one before and be a stepping stone to the next one?

The white O and the red X have become a symbol of progression, experience, community and commitment. Every year the organizers perfect their program with varied side events and experiences, bringing headliners for both outdoor and indoor concerts and continue to create new cultural experiences without losing their focus on providing the best stage possible for the riders to push themselves and put on a pure show of progression, creativity and, as Mark McMorris said after winning the first ever LAAX OPEN in 2016, “athleticism and just amazing snowboarding.”

Having already had the biggest superpipe in the world since 2015, they decided to mix it up in 2019 and include a night final and fill the slope down to the village with light balloons so people could ride down after the contest. The creative elements in the slopestyle course are now expected year-after-year by riders and fans alike, and the course has seen a wide variety of them: from the roller to the shark fins, the watch feature, or the quarter… it’s all part of the game. 

Not even a global pandemic stopped them, and now nine years later, the event crew is working hard for the 10th anniversary. It’s going to be huge. Looking at the direction the event is taking, back to event director Donald Nader, “My conclusion from the LAAX Open 2024 is that we are on the right track in terms of where we want to go with freestyle sports. On the Saturday [finals day in 2024], we had over 15,000 spectators at over 2200 meters for the first time. For me, that’s a sign that the acceptance and enjoyment of the sport is very high. The atmosphere was simply overwhelming throughout the week, with the night final being the absolute highlight.”

Whilst it might only be another World Cup in the contest calendar, it is undoubtedly the most important competition of the year and a meeting point for the best riders, the industry, the media, the fans and just a hell of a good time. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the 10-year celebration of the LAAX OPEN, 14-18 January 2025. Hope to see you there…