Before the big final of the Nikita Chickita Europe in Serfaus, the Scandinavian edition went down in Geilo, Norway and Nikita marketing manger Pia Kaipainen was live and on the ground…
“The train ride through the mountains from Oslo to Geilo on Friday already set the mood sky high for the upcoming weekend. Slowly passing views to fjords and mountain ranges were breathtakingly beautiful. Arriving in Geilo even the warm spring sun came out, lighting up the resort and making water drip from the rooftops. Geilo’s multitasking man in everything to do with snowboarding, Rune, picked me up from the train station and off we drove to the traditional Norwegian cabins he had arranged for the whole bunch coming to the Nikita Chickita contest. All girls stayed in groups of about 7 in houses that were directly located next to the mountain.
When we’d settled down, everyone gathered for some dinner at the local pizzeria where the registration was also held. After getting goodie bags packed with everything from Nikita beanies to beauty products, the girls (and some boys too) hungrily finished off plate after plate of delicious pan pizza. Yummy! By 9pm everyone had a full belly and a tired but happy smile on their face – it was time to hit the hay and sleep. Saturday was gonna be a full on, action packed day for everyone! It was snowing heavily when we headed back to the cabins and everyone was sleeping with their fingers crossed to have some sun the next day…
The day of the Nikita Chickita Scandinavia 2010 opened up in stunning sunshine so it was worth it to spend the night sleeping all tangled up! Breakfast was served at 08.30 at the mountain hut next to the lifts and then it was time to head to the park for a warm up. The snow was good and the park was in superb shape. The course included a flat down box, a banana box and a flat rail plus three jumps and a jib at the end. While the Nikita crew set up some banners, tents and sun umbrellas on the bottom of the course, the girls rode and got to know the course. The sun was shining, music was banging and excitement was in the air! After some warming up, it was time to kick start the contest.
There were 40 girls altogether at the starter gate, ready to push the best out of themselves and support their fellow sisters in achieving the same. Nikita riders Cecilia Larsen and Thea Stenshagen were all set to score the girls and see who would be continuing into the finals from the qualification runs. We had juniors ripping and having fun alongside a bit more experienced and older gals – all having a great time together. 15 girls made it to the final which was due after a quick lunch on the mountain. We witnessed a BS 3, FS 5 and a switch BS 1 from Dina Treland, BS 3, an indy grab and a BS 540 from Anette Bandidos Andersen followed by a switch BS 180, FS 360 and BS 360 from Malin Johansson. It was Dina who bagged the winning jackpot with her great variation of tricks and smooth style.
Deciding the TOP3 was more than a struggle as all of them had some outstanding runs and showed real talent. But the decision had to be done and this is the final result: 1. Dina Treland 2. Anette Bandidos Andersen 3. Malin Johansson. The rest of the girls placing from 4th -10th were: 4. Hanne Kauko 5. Silje Johnsen 6. Martina Nicile Naess 7. Erika Kolbert 8. Alexandra Unger 9. Christina Kolbu 10. Emilie Wilberg. Best Junior prize went to Emilie Wilberg and Best Trick was nominated to Anette Bandidos Andersen. The busy girls that they are, both 1st and 2nd placed winners already had other commitments for the weekend of the Nikita Chickita Europe so it was Malin Johansson from Sweden who got the golden ticket to go to Serfaus, Austria. And she definitely deserved her ticket; the difference in points for the top 3 girls was extremely tight. So, grattis Malin!!
The day ended at Rune’s new boardshop in Geilo where there was a rail jam in the front yard of the shop and inside a mini ramp for the gals to skate on. What an awesome setup! And after a packed day full of physical action the brain hard-drives were activated too with a little quiz. The teams were divided between the houses the girls stayed at and the winning team took home a big bag full of sweets and snacks. Here are the results of the rail jam: 1. Dina Treland 2. Louise Blanc 3. Hanne Kauko 4. Thea Stenshagen 5. Gro Engebakken.
After the prize giving ceremonies, photoshoot sessions and using a good dose of energy throughout the day, everyone was pretty exhausted and the bus ride to the cabins were full of giggles and red cheeks. As Ice Cube says: it was a good day! The weekend of fun was finished off with a mellow photoshoot session on Sunday, along with a BBQ on-hill and a fierce snowball fight. When it was time to go home, the girls were stoked after an amazing weekend at Geilo. Everyone went home with new friends, new experiences and much laughter!
Nikita would like to send BIG thanks especially to the Response Crew (Pål Wahl, Ailin Hårklau, Hege Ringard, Kent Willy Nilsen) & the photographers Remy Eik from Playboard Norway mag and Otto Alsaker Prestmo as well as Rune from Snowboardtrener.no. Also, tusen takk goes to Electric and Aeriel Seven for prizes, Playboard as media partner, Coca Cola for drinks and Geilolia for a fantastic park. And not to forget all the wonderful girls who took part in the event – many thanks for being there! At the event site we had a whopping crew of 69 people taking part to make this event happen and as fun as it was – that’s deserves big applause! Same time next year!
You can check out more about Nikita Chickita online at www.nikitaclothing.com
