Do you speak Freestylish?

Do you speak Freestylish?

Follow us into the world of freestyle and fun. And test your freestylish language knowledge.

Whether kickers or boxes, the obstacles are the essence of each freestyle course.

However how do they built such a course? We get the answers directly from Shaper "Goffi".
 

Gottfried Gram alias Goffi has mastered the art of shaping snow into fun. Together with the team of his own company, shape-it, he designs and builds the fun parks of Fiss.

In Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, freestyle means freedom and fun. Which parks and fun areas are available to guests?

We have several fun areas: the Sun Park on the Fiss south side; the Shred Park, Fun Slope, and Snow Park on the Fiss north side; and two additional areas in Serfaus.

Do you have to be a pro to use the parks?

You don’t. Each fun area is created for a specific target group. In Fiss, the focus is on children and families. The fun areas of Serfaus, on the other hand, are geared for advanced skiers and professional athletes.

Which park is suitable for beginners?

The Fun Slope is very playful. Once children have mastered the red Plazörabfahrt (No. 21) on the Fiss north side, they can venture out onto the Fun Slope. There, they can gain their first experiences with wave runs, practise steep turns, improve their balance, and explore tunnels.

What advice do you give beginners about to embark on their first freestyle journey?

Know your limits! If you don’t know your limits (yet), you should be even more careful. Sometimes, obstacles seem easy. However, if you can’t estimate your skills or speed correctly, these obstacles can still be a great risk of injury. Every obstacle is marked with a little blue, red, or black flag, which indicates the difficulty level similar to the piste markings.

How do you build a course?

It’s important to use the terrain and retain the natural flow of a slope when building a park. On the one hand, this allows us to save a lot of snow. On the other hand, it helps us maintain a certain level of control over how the park is used.
How is a fun area created? 

What steps are necessary to turn an idea into a plan and make the first ride happen?

We make our vision a mission. A successful park rests on three pillars: first, careful conceptualisation and planning; second, accurate building; and third, daily grooming and main-tenance. If one of these pillars is neglected, the entire snow park concept fails.

What does daily maintenance of a fun area include?

The shapers who maintain the fun areas get up early for a morning inspection ride. They inspect all obstacles and look for any damage that may have arisen from piste grooming or bad weather. Next, they set up the safety nets, prepare the airbag, mark the giant slalom course on the race run, and so on. During operation, the shape crew’s tasks include constant inspection of the nets and obstacles and keeping the obstacles smooth and slick for easy gliding. In the evening, their primary work begins: shaping the snow masses around the obstacles and the jump areas. Most of the work happens manually before a snowcat takes over. The “invisible” effort by our team of five to eight is actually huge, but it ensures that everything is perfectly groomed and ready for another day of fun.

What’s your passion for freestyle skiing based on?

The sport never gets boring. There are so many tricks, all of which can be combined. It feels like there are endless possibilities and there’s always room for improvement.

Get the gear at the SHF sports shop & ski rental, you are guaranteed to hit the slopes and fun areas equipped with the right gear and clothing. Our team of experts are happy to advise you on our top-quality offers. You are also welcome to reserve your personal equipment online prior to your stay. This way, everything is ready and waiting upon your arrival.