Baggage claim at Gmon airlines session
„Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flight 42069. Gmon Airlines welcomes you on board for some turbulent action. Loosen your seatbelts, lean back, and enjoy the flight.“
On a slushy spring day above Innsbruck, Gmon Airlines turned Nordkette into a full-blown circus. Just a few minutes by bus from the city center, Nordkette is basically the backyard playground for a huge part of the Innsbruck ski community, which made it the perfect setting for this kind of chaos.
What started as a mellow hike park session up top slowly unraveled into barely organized madness all the way down the Dreierstützenlift line. More and more shredders arrived, side hits multiplied, beers were cracked open, and a crowd stacked up around the landings waiting to see who was about to send it.
Then the road gap started firing and the whole thing really took off. Doubles, triples, miracle ride-aways, and catastrophic slam-downs — the kind of session where the success rate doesn’t really matter and the crowd cheers just as loud for the crashes as the makes.
Right in the mix, the Peanut Butter Club crew added their own energy to the slope. As a snow community for women, trans, non-binary, and gender expansive folks, their presence brought a different kind of vibe. It was proof that even when a session feels chaotic, intense, or a little intimidating to step into, the right people can turn it into something welcoming and shared.
At one point, while the session was at peak sendy energy, with the crowd stacked up, people throwing doubles, and the landing looking more like a crash site than a runway, a female friend came up to me and asked: “Remco, do you think it’s okay if I just do a straight air on the jump?”
Of course it is. Sessions like this can feel intense, with lots of eyes on the jump and riders throwing down big tricks, but everyone deserves to take up space. It’s always sick to see more women stepping in and making the spot their own, no matter the trick or the level. And honestly, being nervous is normal; I was hesitating to drop in at times myself. You never have to force yourself to do something crazy. Showing up, riding, and doing your thing, even if it’s “just a straight air”, is a huge part of the whole thing. You have a seat on the flight, take it and enjoy. And if that seat just means sitting back, watching the show, cheering people on and soaking up the energy — that’s part of the session too !
In short, the event was a perfect blend of mayhem, commitment, and community. Below you’ll find our video recap filmed by Tristan Steen (@myanglesarebroken) along with a selection of photos by Shannon Sweeney (@shansweeneyy).
And as with any proper event, the official afterparty went just as nuts as the main offering, with some of the Knuckle team members ultimately drifting into an after-hours nightclub playing very tasteful techno and making it home way too late. It’s impressive how Innsbruck really has it all: good people, incredible mountains, playful slopes… and good clubs. It’s a dangerous combination.
Big up Gmon and the whole community for making this flight happen. Can’t wait to fly again next year.
Doesn’t look like it… but yes, that was a triple backflip. The crowd lost its mind. See for yourself in the video recap ! (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Welcome to the Peanut Butter Club terminal — a safe space created for everyone to take off, ride and enjoy the flight. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Dane Kirk buttering the Peanut Butter Club terminal (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Joel Magnusson made the trip down from Sweden with the Suede crew to join the madness, stomping this beautiful switch bio 9 safety into the notoriously sketchy landing. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Gmon, the mayor of Innsbruck and hero captain of the day, sharing a hug with Tereza Korábová, who organized the Peanut Butter Club session. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Never thought I was going to ride an airplane window in my life. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Big shout-out to the cabin crew who made this whole thing happen. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Gmon is kitted (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Gmon is organizing (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Coolest flight attendant ever ? (Picture : Shannon Sweeney)
Zach got a little surprised trying a cork 7 and ended up landing flat on his back — the crowd absolutely loved that one. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)
Snowball fight above Innsbruck to end the day ! (Picture : Shannon Sweeney)
Gmon — captain of the day, mayor of Innsbruck, club owner, kind human. Generally loose but lit guy. Would recommend. (Picture: Shannon Sweeney)