The girls who ride have shown their best and the judges decided Elena Könz from Switzerland is the new Nikita Chickita 2010!

When the snow gets slushy, the goggle tans deeper and the season comes to an end, it’s also time for the Nikita Chickita contest circuit to come a close. While in the beginning there was just one single event, it has evolved to a whole series of contests over the years. Besides the Nikita Chickita Swiss Tour with 5 events, there is the Nikita Chickita Sweden and the Nikita Chickita Scandinavia, where the girls can qualify for an invitation to the European finals in Serfaus.

And despite infamous TTR contests like the Volcom Peanut Butter & Rail Jam, the Oakley Girls Session as well as a whole bunch of end of season event going down on the exact same day, Nikita put on a great event once again.

As the Nikita Chickita has been more about the fun than the competition from day 1, with bluebird skies, blazing sunshine and super chilled out end of the season atmosphere, judges Julia Baumgartner, Lisa Filzmoser, Maude Richon, and Vanessa Waldenhofer decided to skip the strict schedule of training, qualification, and finals to just let the 16 registered girls have fun riding together in a 3 hour jam session.

Three quarters of the judging team: Lisa, Vanessa and Julia

The park provided everything they needed for that. The girls had the choice between the kicker line, consisting of two sets with a 10m and 12m jump each, and the jib line, consisting of various kinked and down rails and boxes, stairset, tire bonk, pole jam and a wall ride. And with 3s, 5s, boardslides and backside disasters being thrown it was obvious they were having fun and enjoying themselves. Head judge Julia was especially stoked about the huge motivation of the girls, who weren’t even stopped by some really nasty slams. In fact one girl went to see the physio in the chill out area between to runs after bailing.

And the judges put all their heart in as well (especially Lisa Filzmoster, who had recently torn her ACL and meniscus but still made it up the hill although she wasn’t even able to ride herself). As all four of them are on the Nikita team as well, they know exactly what they’re looking for in a future fellow team member. But they also encouraged the girls with all they could, shouting advice and praises at the girls flying past them over the kickers as well as shaking heads and commiserating with the ones who slammed. Vanessa kept on running back and forth over the kicker table to ensure to get a good view on the girls hitting the jib line, while Julia climbed on the table once in a while.

True Nikita girls: marketing force Pia and Kathi

In the end it was Swiss rider Elena Könz, runner up of the Swiss Tour, who showed the best riding throughout the day and leaves Serfaus with a one year sponsorship contract from Nikita. Second place went to fellow countrywoman Isabel Derungs, whose Backside Rodeo was also awarded Best Trick. And last but definitely not least third place went to Malin Johansson from Sweden and best Jib Line to local rider Mary Luggen.

After another typical, fun, boozy Nikita Chickita after party, riders, organisers and spectators start back for home similarly tired, hang overed and stoked from another great event, while we’re heading on to some more end of season goodness and camping action at Kamp K2 in the Kleinwalsertal – more about this to follow as soon as we’re back from the roots and returning to the technology of the modern world…

Check out the video of the event HERE

– Anna Langer

The park just before it cleared up to become a full blazing Spring session