Freeskiers love any excuse to head for the Alps.

Austria’s Zell am See-Kaprun is hosting the world’s freeskiing community this weekend at the Austrian Freeski Open.

For the first time in its history the most important freeskiing event in Austria is taking place in the holiday region between the Kitzsteinhorn and Schmittenhöhe. The four day event attracted freeski celebrities like the Swedish freeskiing legend Jon Olsson, Australian Russ Henshaw, and Bobby Brown from the USA.

The professional freeskiers are competing against each other at the ‘Slopestyle Contest’ staged in the snow park on Kitzsteinhorn, attempting to win their share of US $20,000 in prize money.

Besides ladies and men’s open competitions, there is a rookies’ contest, aimed at young talents under the age of 16.

The event kicked off on Thursday, with an open training session. On the following day, the ladies’ and the rookies’ competitions took place. The male participants competed against each other in qualification rounds on Friday before they got down to the nitty-gritty in the final on Saturday.

Besides daredevil jumps and stunning tricks to watch, a supporting programme for visitors includes concerts and DJ acts to round off the ‘Freeski Open’ in Zell am See-Kaprun.

• Freeskiing: Click here for freeski news
• Athletes and Competitions: Follow athletic and competitive ski news here