I got the call to go and witness the madness and, naturally, the stoke was high.
It just often seemed to pass me by.
Being a big behind closed doors invitational event it seemed far removed from us as skiers.
After spending the week here things became a lot clearer.
The no-pressure, totally free, and inventive approach to skiing truly gives back to the invited riders.
Its the little things like this that began to marinate with me over the week.
The cornerstone of any Nines is the set-up.
Always futuristic and seemingly carved by the hands of the gods.
An innovative Swatch bowl feature, 7m tall with 1.5m of transition at the base and a tunnel exit.
A decision made in part due to the tough season in terms of snowfall, to put it lightly.
Home of all things Alaia; Parks, Chalet, Bay, and Lodge inclusive.
The Chalet has indoor and outdoor skateparks, trampolines and parkour set up, etc.
Imagine my surprise to see Andy spinning like a top out of the corner of my eye one evening.
The combination of Nines and Crans seems to be a real winner.
So Ill cut to the chase and talk about some of that.
If you dont know, get to know.
The old beef between the two is now more reserved for chairlift banter than it is a real divide.
Yet no other invitational joins skiers and boarders in the same way.
Matej laced a triple on a board earlier this winter and Birk Ruud repeated the feat at Nines.
The skiing, too, was off the charts.
The whole week was highlights and the video recap does it much justice in a way words struggle to.
Matej is still the future and that switch 14 mute, grabbed at 7, was perfection.
With the week all but wrapped up there were only two orders of business left to attend to.
The award ceremony and copious amounts of shoeys.
Forefronted by the man himself, Nico Zacek.
