In true TikTok fashion, I’m going to present to you the seven things I learnt at the Laax Open. Maybe I didn’t even learn that much but here comes my opinion. And remember, if you feel offended by it, you might reconsider your standpoint or simply hate on me, that’s ok too. Thanks, and don’t forget to have fun.
By Stefan Geissmann

The Pipe Finals
You can watch the qualifications, try to spot the riders on the slope course or leave the mountain on Saturday before dark. But then you will not understand. Maybe you get a glimpse of the pipe finals, when listening to Gian Simmens explanations on Swiss TV, but not really. Go watch the pipe finals standing two meters away from the coping and get your mind blown. This is the best experience of contest snowboarding you will ever get.

Snowballs
This contradicts the point above but hear me out. Approximately 300 people chose a spot a bit further away, but with a good overview of the pipe. People will not fly over your head there, but you can see the entirety of the runs. The spot it’s right underneath the chairlift. Every time people would come up on the lift they got bombarded by a shitload of snowballs. Some loved it, others did not. But man, was it fun to stay warm and entertained between the runs. Sorry guys.

Go ride
When your interest in riding the park vanishes over time you may get stuck at Cafe Noname talking or getting your extremely important tasks done. But you should not forget, that you are a snowboarder yourself. Get up earlier, do your meetings on the chairlift or question the general amount of talking you do, if you do not manage to ride for yourself. There are amazing cruisy runs in Laax: try Stretg, Grauberg or the runs down from La Siala. So shut up and go ride’em!

Pro tip for maturing
There comes the time, everyone turns eighteen and enters adulthood. In most countries that means you can vote, drink and do boring stuff like paying taxes. So how do you make your eighteenth birthday more exiting? Consider winning the Laax Open slopestyle the day before your 18th birthday like Mia Brooks did, if you are still looking for a boss way to end your childhood.

Toxic positivity
A well know pro premiered his new movie on Wednesday night. A lot of people were very friendly with him and they told him how much they loved the film but then talked shit behind his back. It’s disgusting to witness, we’re all humans with flaws and we do not get along with everybody. So deal with that and find a respectful way to criticise stuff, tell people right away when they misbehave, and don’t act fake. Thank you for trying.

New every year
I know, if you advertise an event, you gotta come up with something new every year. But the Laax Open does not have to be reinvented every year, it’s good just the way it is. Just make sure to come up with fresh bands for the concerts, try to include as many different people as possible and maybe shorten a recap-film to an enjoyable length, so it does not feel like you are watching it for the ten years you are celebrating.

Knuckle mag
The cute people of the independent ski mag released their newest issue at Indys on Thursday. Not only have they put together a very well done mag, they even included a little bit of snowboarding in the latest issue. Making clear, that the strict segregation of the two sports becomes more and more absurd. But don’t be afraid, we will not cover skiing in Pleasure anytime soon.
See you next year!