Here we go! The riders have arrived and the atmosphere is rocking here in La Thuile, Italy, today, on the first day of the five days stage of Corona Extra Winter Tour 2006.
On the majestic mountains of these amazing Italian Alps, both a new spot and a new era of freestyle snowkiting is about to reveal itself. The spot of La Thuile showed itself from a good side today, with sparkling sun, fresh snow and Italian hospitality.
Unfortunately, the wind didn’t deliever quite what the riders was wishing for on training day, with a 5 knot average of wind, but for sure the riders made the best of it and had a good start on this year’s snowkite world cup. In addition to well known world cup riders, new names and faces has entered the scene this year. As world champions Agnès Fontenay and Kari Anne Tragethon is on the spot to defend their titles, the snowkite pioneers and several times champions Guillaume Chastagnol and Fabio Ingrosso chooses to stop competing. New riders, new tricks and a brand new spot leads the way to the discovery of what to come in the near snowkiting future. Exciting, yes! The first day of competition tomorrow will maybe set some new standards for the young sport of snowkiting.
Judging by the big smiles at the end of training day, this looks like another Semnoz Kitesurfing and Corona Extra success to come, keeping alive the true spirit of snowkiting.