FREERIDE: We've heard that a celebrity guest is coming to visit this year. Do you want to reveal more?
Holger Meyer: YouTube star Elias Schwärzler wants to come on Saturday. Elias will be shredding with us in the park. Anyone who wants an autograph or a selfie afterwards will certainly get one.
What else can participants expect this year?
We also believe in small groups. This allows the coach to better cater to the individual goals of the participants, for example, if someone wants to jump from the hut drop at the end of the camp weekend. A professional photographer is also present on one day.
How does a typical day go? Do you meet up in the evening or do you all go your separate ways?
No, there's an evening programme - for everyone who wants to. If a new bike film comes out, we'll watch it together. Or we can go to a bar. On the last evening there will be a relaxed BBQ evening with a campfire.
How old are your participants? And how high is the proportion of women?
Of course, there are more male participants than female, but there are always four to five women. The age groups are much more mixed. It starts with the youngest at 25 and goes up to the oldest at 55. However, the main group is usually between 28 and 48 years old. In recent years, there have also been 16 and 17-year-olds at the camp. Here, a parent had to be on site, as we are unable to offer day care. However, the parents do not necessarily have to be at the camp.
That's a wide age range. What is the level among the individual drivers?
Riding ability is very different. Many people ride mountain bikes a lot, but have never actually been to a bike park. This is exactly what the FREERIDE camp is designed for: to teach people about freeriding. It's the wrong camp for people without any MTB experience. It should not be seen as a beginners' event.
How do you organise the grouping? Who decides who goes in which group?
The participants can decide for themselves. On the first day, the groups are assigned to coaches. Here, each participant can express their training needs, e.g. whether they want to practise dropping or cornering technique. If you don't feel comfortable in your group, you can change groups at any time.
Keyword dropping. You advertise with the slogan: "We give a drop guarantee". What does that mean in concrete terms?
Theoretically, you could drop anything. The technique is the same from a kerb or from a height of two metres. But I can't guarantee whether everyone has the nerve to do it in practice.
How do you organise your riding technique programme?
There is one focus per day. A lot is practised through section training. The coaches look for suitable spots in the park. They stop there and practise the technical section with the participants. Beginner moves, such as the bunny hop, are practised in the car park. There is also a trail day, where we ride on natural alpine trails around Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis.
Scott test bikes are available. Which bikes can you look forward to?
Scott Ransom enduro bikes and Scott Gambler downhill bikes will be available. The enduro bikes are intended for the Trail Day, as many participants will be travelling with a big bike. Two Scott mechanics will look after the test bikes to ensure that they are always in top condition.
How long can I hire the test bikes, even for the whole weekend?
That's not what the bikes are designed for. You can try out the bikes for a morning or afternoon. But you can't hire them for the whole weekend. That's why there's the bike shop at the bike park, which has a fleet of Propain bikes. You can hire various models there.
Is the camp already fully booked or are there still places available?
Places are still available. We plan to be able to accommodate up to 50 participants. So far, about half of them are booked. If you are interested and have time, please register, you are all welcome! Simply click here.
Why have you once again chosen Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis as the venue?
The area is perfect for this camp. The trails are not too challenging and the park is not very busy. You can also change routes in between, for example from black to blue or vice versa. All in all, the area is simply perfect for this camp.
You can find more information at: www.dierasenmaeher.de
