Junior World Championships in Kappl

A springboard into the wide world of freeriding

The freeride youngsters will be competing for gold in Kappl.(Bild: ©mia maria-knoll.com | open-faces.com)

The Junior World Freeride Championships will be held in Tyrol for the seventh time from January 11 to 16. The best young ski and snowboard talents will once again return to Kappl, where participants from 17 countries are expected to compete for victory on Monday.

The Junior World Championships in Kappl are the highlight for the young freeriders. This is the 13th time the World Championships have been held, and the seventh time in the Tyrolean Alps. With its extensive powder snow fields, Kappl offers the perfect terrain for the participants from 17 countries.

From the Quellspitze at an altitude of 2690 meters, the slopes are up to 60 degrees steep. Perfect for conjuring up great lines in the snow and performing spectacular jumps. The weather is set to be perfect for the competition on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Seizing the opportunity
The challenging environment of the Junior World Championships offers athletes from all over the world the chance to prove themselves on the international stage and recommend themselves for bigger tasks. Former participants such as Canadian Marcus Goguen (20) and Frenchwoman Astrid Cheylus (21) have used this as a springboard to success on the Freeride World Tour. They both came second overall last winter.

Jana Häusl (2nd from left) and the other 2024 junior champions.(Bild: ©mia maria-knoll.com | open-faces.com)

Daredevil jumps in Kappl.(Bild: ©mia maria-knoll.com | open-faces.com)

The young snowboarders threw themselves down the slopes.(Bild: ©mia maria-knoll.com | open-faces.com)

Local heroine as defending champion
A young Tyrolean also made a name for herself a year ago at the Junior World Championships. At just 15 years old, Jana Häusl is already the defending champion in the women's skiing category. The daughter of freeride legend Stefan Häusl from Strengen am Arlberg, who took part in her first contests at the age of 10, is the youngest junior world champion and the first from Austria.

After her success, she said goodbye to a racing career in the Alps for good: "I'm going to specialize in freeriding and hope to achieve my dreams there." She will be competing against 13 female challengers on Monday. Julian Unterbrunner from the Außerfern region will be competing for the medals in the boys' ski category and will be up against 27 opponents.