It was nice working on my brother’s new home. Now I’m back in Karnten, working as kayak inline and volleyball teacher. There is a lot of wild water rivers so I spend my free time with wild water kayaking. There are many nice rivers close Seeboden where I live for the next two month . 

After they close the ski area in Arlberg I packed my bags for the next 7 month, like I did the last 10 seasons. This time with snowboard, kayak, climb and hike material.

Together with Mikaela I went to my brother in Freiburg in Germany were the flower season already started. We help him with his house he is building here. A very nice house basically made from glass, wood and mudstones. The last 13 years I build a lot on self-designed houses with natural materials and it was always very interested. These days the most houses are made of bad materials and boring designs. I think it influence our health and emotional state of human. We all feel the different between wood and concrete, between electric and wooden heather etcetera.

In two weeks I start working as ‘wild’ water kayak teacher in Karnten, south Austria. 10 July I fly for three month to New Zeeland for a sport and nature 360 degrees filming project and discovering the islands.

After a few bad weather days the sun is there again. Saturday was the Long Board classic, a Chinese downhill competition. That means mass start on the top of a mountain, the first person that pass the finish in the valley is the winner. I was so enthusiastic by riding probably the last powder of the winter, that I kept on riding and arrived too late at the start. After this comp there was like always a nice party with live music, snowball fights and lots of crazy funny people.

The day after we took the first lift, provided with sleeping bag and food for two days. The plan was to hike to a hut and do some touring from there. But we were already too late and we had to turn around because of avalanche danger. So we changed this plan, shaped a corner and enjoyed the jump session.

Today we went slack lining, longboarding and skating. I made some skate photos you can under the corner photos:

Last Saturday me Christian Schnabel and Simon Holzknecht went to Kleinwalzertal to take part on the K2 Krank Slalom competition. It is slalom with jumps and rails. You go down with a group from three and you get points for speed and for style (jumping tricks). We got 3rd place from 90 riders, one point after the 2^nd. The winners how won a trip to japan treated otherwise we had the best time and second best style.

Below you see pictures I made for a catalogue from Rehal included the cover shot. I love to make photos but have not match time. I like to get commissioned to photograph and to unpack my good camera. But also with a small camera I have fun as you can see at the photos I made from Mikaela before yesterday.  

Sometimes I can’t post photos after a good fotoshooting day because the photos have to get published first.

Hereby some awesome pictures from Edo Jungerius from last winter, also published in Snowboard Mag. The last photo where you see me jumping a melon air from the tunnel is probably the craziest jump I ever did. It is a huge jump from a tunnel into a steep couloir that ends into a waterfall. It is called the Hölltobel (hell couloir). The two old photos 1 and 2 are from the bridge made in 1905, build by Johann Bertolini (photo 3). Later in 2000 they built a tunnel over the Hölltobel. It gives you an idea about how steep the couloir is. Johann Bertolini was a sun of a street worker and started as 12 year old boy as carrier by street projects. After nine years of work he graduated as street building guide and started his own projects. With photo 4 you can imagine how hard is was to build these kind of bridges in that time.

If you ever drove from St. Anton to Zurs and Lech you drove through this tunnel, it is called the Flexenpass.

The last week we, the Steinbock crew, had some hard hike and ride actions.

Today and yesterday I was on the way with Bas Elhorst and Filmer Elmar Strotman. Today we joyed the last sun shine on top of the Sat 1. We had more than 11 hours hike and riding action far in the backcountry from Arlberg (8:45h till 20:10h.) .

Yesterday Bas got cached by a huge sluff waterfall what came done after he finished his line. I can tell you more but I’m tired. Here some pictures from the last 10 minutes just before dropping Sat 1.

no words needed with these photos

It is not very easy to Film, weather, snow, riders, light & shadow, everything has to be perfect. Same story for sound recordings.  We use the bad weather days by Filming how to build a split board and Film some Steinbocks and other animals how live in the Austrian Alps. Hours and hours of Filming for a few seconds for the movie, but a brilliant movie. The trailer will be ready before next winter, the hole movie is gone be a two years project again.

I you understand dutch read my interview:                                                                                   part 1: http://wepowder.nl/weblog/4266/Irian-van-Helfteren                                                   part 2: http://wepowder.nl/weblog/4267/Irian-van-Helfteren

Film season started. All Steinbocks are schredding again. Check some beautiful pictures from Iris Kammerhofer, part of the family.

Friday I drove to Fieberbrunn and slept with the other riders in a barrack. Saturday morning we stood up at 5:00 h. and got up the mountain at 6:00 h. to watch the face. It looked match better then a week before but still not easy because some parts had lots of snow, some parts not at all.

I was the first starter from the boys, I dropped in the end jumped a cliff into a steep couloir. I had all the time every cliff in my head so I could hide for an avalanche if there would come one. Under me there was a cliff over 25 meter cliff not possible to jump. While riding the steep part of the mountain a small avalanche broke, because the speed I had I could manage to get out and jumped a double out of the no fall zone. Further down I my run was not good, I felt on the last very small cliff because I landed a meter to far where the landing was hard and quid flat.

Too bad, I did not plan to jump this cliff and made the bad decision to jump it while I was riding. Because of this jump I lose all the points I needed to ride Verbier and participate next year again in the FWT.

I had not a very good competition season, sometimes bad luck and I made some mistakes. But I showed also some nice lines and some very good technical riding I think. I will keep on, progress my freeriding, filming photo shooting some more competitions and sharing my passion by guiding.

I’m proud on my friend Nadine Wallner, she was already first place overall and she won the comp in Fieberbrunn. She is almost neighbours and she was my travel buddy during the comps.  Here a picture of my guests, the 4 winners in Fieberbrunn (right Nadine)