Storbeck spins his way to Kings Cup victory.

Article and photos by Scott Simpson

Rounding a crest near the summit of the Moteng pass in northern Lesotho, a massive white tear scars the hillside below. Tiny figures criss-cross the slash, pausing, falling and then continuing their downward trajectory. This is Afriski, Southern Africa’s only ski resort and host to one of the biggest snowboarding competitions of the year, the Kings Cup.
 

Staff at the resort worked tirelessly throughout 2010 to get the freestyle park ready for the Kings Cup. Down, Up and Butter-boxes combined with large kickers and barrel bonks ensure the competitors had the necessary set-up to throw down their biggest tricks.
 

Wearing enough lumo snowboarding gear to make the 80’s jealous, 27 of South Africa’s top snowboarders took to the course early Saturday morning. Sponsored by Red Bull and fighting slushy snow and hangovers, the assembled competitors did not disappoint.
 

Defending woman’s champion Mawa Jekot was forced to settle for judging this year’s comp as she was unable to compete following a flowrider injury sustained a few days earlier. Disappointed to be watching from the sideline Mawa was very impressed with the park set up. “I love the fact that now we have more jumps in the park than ever before” said Mawa “it makes it more comparable to slope-style contests in Europe where jumps are favoured over rails.”  

While Mawa was particularly impressed with rider Vanessa Jackson who laid down some very clean tricks, it was Zuzana Turanyiova who dominated the woman’s comp, scoring highest in all three judging categories.  Kerry-Lynn van Randen rounded off the top three, and with her smooth style and tenacious attitude she is undoubtedly one of the local riders set to make an impact in future competitions.  
 

The men’s slope-style comp was another flipping, spinning, barrel-bonking animal all together. With riders such as Rueben Storbeck, Errol Krauss, Marcin Jekot, and Chris Barkley in the mix, reaching the top step of the podium was going to be no easy task. Proving that talent runs in the family, Mawa’s older brother and defending champion Marcin Jekot was riding well as he threw massive flip tricks and spins throughout the park.
 

The intense level of riding going down at the park meant hard slams and some injuries were unavoidable. Nathalie Scott went down hard in the woman’s slope-style final with the resulting dislocated thumb forcing her to spend the remainder of the day as a spectator. The tightly contested men’s final saw Robbie Alunni leave blood and skin behind on the course following a vicious slam to the face on his way to a disappointing 6^th place.  
 

Narrowly beating Marcin’s final score of 145 was Afriski local Rueben Storbeck. With a massive overall score of 151 points Storbeck also scored the day’s only 30 out of 30 for amplitude; amplitude points being awarded for the amount of air a rider gets while performing their tricks.

Rueben held nothing back as he laid down a massive arsenal of tricks over three solid runs. As well as winning the slope-style final, Rueben can also claim, what was arguably, the trick of the weekend. Nearing the end of a flawless final run, Rueben lined up the big kicker and stomped a massive switch backside 540.
 

Following a brief outdoor prize giving ceremony, the brand new Gondola Cafe opened its doors for its official opening night party. Enticed by an alluring aroma that held the promise of gluhwein, competitors and spectators rushed inside. DJ Mehow launched the party with a slamming set of dirty electro beats that set the tone for the night and ensured the party went on well into the early hours of Sunday morning.\