O’Neill Big Mountain Pro 2009 - Day 2 Highlights

The second day of the O’Neill Big Mountain Pro was again blessed with blazing sunshine and an impressive face on the Brandjoch towering over Innsbruck.

With beautiful scenery to look down on, they first had to traverse to the left end of the mountain before they hiked to the very top in icy winds that even brought the heli that was filming their runs, off balance from time to times.

Although the weather was very nice, there was a strong wind blowing and the guides weren’t a hundred percent sure about the conditions of the snow. Thomas “Beckna” Eberharter had already decided in the morning not to participate this day. After his slam on the second run yesterday the herniated disc he had had a couple of years ago started hurting again and he didn’t feel fit enough for the challenge of hiking and riding the Brandjoch. “For such a long hike and difficult run in difficult conditions you have to be entirely fit”, he explained. Also Austrian rider Eric Themel decided not go for this run, the strong wind and unsure snow conditions gave him a bad feeling so he stayed with the rest of us to watch whole thing going down from a safe distance.