For the third year in a row, the legendary Schilthorn—perched high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley with sweeping views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau—played host to one of the most progressive freestyle sessions on the planet: Swatch Nines. With its dramatic alpine backdrop, cinematic terrain, and a legacy rooted in ski culture, Schilthorn is more than just a venue—it’s a proving ground. And in 2025? It delivered in spectacular fashion.
Under three straight days of perfect bluebird skies and soft spring snow, the meticulously crafted course delivered a mind-melting mix of massive scale, creative lines, and playful flow. Riders from around the globe converged to push the boundaries of what’s possible on skis and snowboards—and the setup gave them everything they needed to do just that.
The Features: Big. Creative. Game-Changing.
Let’s talk course design. The Swatch Nines 2025 build was nothing short of iconic:
- Double Shark Fin Gap: A twin hit setup that allowed riders to send lofty transfers and float over the gap in both directions.
- Insta360 Tunnel-to-Rail: Ride through a snow tunnel or use the tunnel itself to get onto the rail. Then straight into part two, another jib feature that incorporates a trench and offers loads of opportunities for gaps transfers and slides of all sorts.
- The Mega Booter: Smack in the middle of the course stood what many riders called “the best jump of the year.”A towering 15-meter(ish)-tall central kicker flanked by two volcano-style side takeoffs gave the crew options for creative sends and massive airtime. Triple corks were the norm—not the exception. There were to many standout moments to mention just one, so here are a few:
- A hand-drag triple cork
- Multiple quad corks, thanks to Luca Harrington and Vincent Vielle on skis and Oyvind Kirkhus on snowboard
- Synchronised tripple backies and so much more…
- Gap to Rail (aka the Teardrop of Terror): Imagine a full-size big air jump… into a 50-foot-long tear-drop-shaped rail. Yeah, it was as gnarly (and as beautiful) as it sounds. This was a highlight zone for never-been-done tricks and creative rail innovation.
- Quarterpipe with Rainbow Rail: On the right flank of the course sat a towering quarterpipe with a huge rainbow rail perched on top.
- Mirrors, Mirrors Everywhere: One of the most unique design touches this year? Strategically placed mirrors around the course. These not only upped the visual drama but created some truly surreal and artistic photo opportunities that are already flooding the ‘Gram.
What is The Swatch Nines?
We already know that this event is a ski and snowboard invitational, but it goes deeper than that. Here is how founder and organizer, Nico Zacek, describes the Swatch Nines:
“Swatch Nines is a friendly antagonist to the world of competitive sports. With unique formats and venues that draw top athletes, filmmakers and photographers, the Nines celebrates human talent and creativity while channelling the original untamed spirit of action sports. Ever evolving to meet the needs of the culture, the Swatch Nines experience now spans three cornerstones of action sports: Snow, Surf, and Bike.”
The Vibe at Swatch Nines feels like the vibe at your local resort on closing day. There is no pressure, other than the pressure you apply to your own riding. You can feel the camaraderie and goodwill amongst all the athletes. Skiers, boarders, paragliders, bikers, surfers, media and spectators are all having a great time and enjoying the fresh Swiss air.
Max Moffatt – Canadian Park Skiing King-Pin and Swatch Pro
Gala night
At the end of the event was an awards show where the athletes voted for the winners in each category.
Roookie of the year 2025 is American born, New Zealander – Luca Harrington. This young man is truely one of the best park skiers in the world right now. His deep bag of tricks, creativity, style, consistancy and work ethic were on full display this week. This man has a very bright future in our sport.
The other awards were nominated by the Swatch Nines production team then voted on by the riders. Whomever got the most votes in one minute was the winner. Some winners won a Berg trampoline, others won a Ghost E-mountain bike.
Best trick Ski:
Jay Rawe – the mad sit skier who nailed a massive corked 360 disaster onto the gap to rail. This gap was huge, at around 40 feet, and the rail was a circular tube. A truly incredible feat. He attempted it two times on day 3 and did not land it. On day 4, the final day, he got it first try.
Runner ups include:
- Vincent Veili – Quad cork 1800 safety
- Juan Bolibger – Switch dub 990 safety onto the gap to rail, back to to regs
- Fin Melville Ives – Dub 1170 mute onto the gap to rail
- Max Moffatt Dub bio 1440 bring back to 12
- Luca harrington Sw trip 1980 esco
Female best trick went to Kirsti Muir with a huge back flip onto the “Tead drop of terror”
The after-party post Gala night was a wild one. It was a melting pot of skiers, boarders, organizers, media, and locals. I cannot tell you how many shoeys (drinking a beer out of one’s shoe) I witnessed, but I can tell you how many I drank – One, and that was MORE than enough! The free drinks were a nice touch, too. Thank you, Swatch Canada!
Breaking news
We were informed at the Gala night that next year the event will be held in Niseko Japan! How exciting.
Schilthorn was an amazing host that I think will be very hard to beat. Let’s see what Niseko will bring to the table!
Click here to check out our coverage of the Swatch nines from 2024!
