New Corvatsch halfpipe opens with star-studded first session

Corvatsch AG's landmark halfpipe project was officially opened on Saturday in the presence of numerous riders and guests, meaning that Corvatsch's already exceptional freestyle facitilities have stepped up yet another notch as the resort becomes one of the few in the world to offer an elite-tier halfpipe venue for competition and public access alike.

Enthroned directly in the Corvatsch Park at the Murtèl middle station, the halfpipe sits 2,700 metres above sea level, is 170 metres long, has 7-metre high walls  and conveys that feeling of freedom that freestylers love so much.

The honour of the first test run in the pipe went to Swiss snowboarder David Habluetzel, who put style and airtime on display with his first run through the pipe.

“The orientation of the halfpipe is brilliant because it faces north, which means you always have the sun from behind and there’s never any glare when you are doing your tricks," said Habluetzel, "That’s a huge advantage, and one you won’t find anywhere else. What’s more, both walls are perfectly exposed to the sun and the entire pipe is bathed in sunshine at noon which makes it really cool.”

Alex Ferreira (USA), who has won everything there is to win in the halfpipe this year – all the halfpipe FIS World Cups, the crystal globe and gold at the X-Games - was also on hand for opening day at the Corvatsch pipe: "The shape of the pipe seems absolutely perfect, it’s definitely one of the best, but anything Swiss-made is fantastic. I really like this pipe and I can’t wait for the World Championships next year!”

World Championship gold is still missing from Ferreira's medal collection, but as he alluded to above, the 29-year-old will have a chance for that medal in 2025 as the Corvatsch Park is one of the venues for the FIS Freestyle, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in the Engadin.

Building a superpipe is an art that very few shapers in the world have mastered to perfection. Every degree of slope change and every centimetre of the walls is important and has an influence on the riders' experience.

Building a superpipe is an art that very few shapers in the world have mastered to perfection. Every degree of slope change and every centimetre of the walls is important and has an influence on the riders' experience.

Carlo Rusterholz, who is responsible for the design and shape of the pipe together with Kobi Würsch from Corvatsch Park, explains: “For me, it started in mid-January after around 20,000 cubic meters of snow was produced for the pipe. The man-made snow is mixed with the natural snow, which is important for the overall quality. It took me around 250 machine hours to get the pipe looking like it does today. And from now on until the end of the season, I’ll be working on it between 4-6 hours a day.”

In addition to the riders from Swiss-Ski and Swiss-Snowboard, the German halfpipe stars Leilani Ettel and Andre Hoeflich also took part on Saturday.

Hoeflich had this to say on the Corvatsch halfpipe: “The pipe feels great, especially because of the slope. It’s nicely oriented to the north and is perfectly steep, not too much and not too little. The shaper has done a really good job and knows what he’s doing. I’m looking forward to the next years where we can train here.”

Engadin snowboarding veterans of the 90s such as 1999 halfpipe world champion Martina Tscharner as well as French freeski veteran and 2009 World Champion Kevin Rolland also inaugurated the halfpipe, alongside kids from the FRESK Freestyle School.

The pipe is now open to everyone and the snowboard & freeski community says: Thank you, Corvatsch!

Further information: corvatschpark.ch/halfpipe

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