Jindabyne is a quiet little mountain town at the foot of Australia’s Snowy Mountains. No one would blame you if you hadn’t heard of it. But each year, during the Northern Hemisphere summer, the world’s best snowboarders and skiers make their way south, to ride Perisher Resort, home to one of the best parks on the planet. And one of the best park builders in Charles Beckinsale.
In September, spring in the region, on weekend nights, you can hear house parties booming from blocks away. Young, hard-charging snowboarders and skiers donning energy drink beanies roam the streets or close down the one bar: Banjo’s. And mostly, the crowds are because of Beckinsale, who’s rep is legit in freeriding’s upper echelon.
That’s why most of the sport’s best —and up-and-coming athletes–followed Beckinsale to Saas Fee, Switzerland this fall where Beckinsale built The Stomping Grounds on a glacier and ran a 10-day private park session for the sport’s elite to get ready for the season. The region was even blanketed in snow earlier this month so the lucky bastards got to enjoy October powder days, too. “Everything went better than I could have hoped,” Beckinsale told us. He entered our HEADSPACE, above, in September as he was preparing to leave Australia.
Editor’s Note: To give you a feel for the Stomping Grounds park, here’s a quick edit from Sebastien Toutant.
