Japanese Snowboarders Dominate Austrian and German Masters Big Air at Kitzsteinhorn

Seventy snowboarders from 19 nations descended on the Kitzsteinhorn for the fifth Austrian and German Masters, and once again Japan walked away with the top prizes.

The two-day Big Air competition, held on April 7 and 8, served double duty as both the penultimate European Cup Big Air event of the season and the platform for crowning the Austrian and German national Big Air champions. It's a tidy format - one event, multiple titles on the line - and the standard of riding across the field reflected that.

Men's competition

Japan's Hiromu Watanabe took the win with a frontside 1620 Indy and a cab 1440 mute grab - a combination that earned him the European Cup points to match. Germany's Niklas Huber finished second, picking up the German championship title in the process, while Japan's Sora Horigome rounded out the podium in third.

Women's competition

Sofia Afanaseva, competing as an AIN (Authorised Individual Neutral) athlete, was the clear standout in the women's field, landing a backside double cork 1080 and a frontside double cork 1080 mute. Dutch Olympian Melissa Peperkamp took second, with Japan's Yura Murase in third.

National titles

The Austrian Masters titles went to Lennox König (men) and Ilvy Paul (women), while Germany crowned Niklas Huber (men) and Heli Bockhorn (women) as their 2026 Big Air champions.

Full results

European Cup / Austrian and German Masters - Women

1. Sofia Afanaseva (AIN)
2. Melissa Peperkamp (NED)
3. Yura Murase (JPN)

European Cup / Austrian and German Masters - Men

1. Hiromu Watanabe (JPN)
2. Niklas Huber (GER)
3. Sora Horigome (JPN)

Austrian Masters: Ilvy Paul and Lennox König German Champions: Heli Bockhorn and Niklas Huber

The event marks five years of the jointly organised Austrian and German Masters - a solid partnership between the Austrian Snowboard Association and Snowboard Germany that gives both nations a competitive season closer with genuine international depth.