Let us introduce: the jury of the NK/BK Freeride 2024
Kappl, March 2024 – With only a few days left until the Poederbaas Freeride Festival/NK Freeride/BK Freeride in Kappl starts, it is time for an introduction round. Since the starting list is completely full this year, it is also crucial to have a good jury. This year we succeeded, the seven-member jury consists of experienced snow sports enthusiasts with a passion for the sport of freeride.
Let's start with Roderik Sillevis, a well-known name at the Poederbaas Freeride Festival: in 2016 he took home the title himself. That's not the only competition he's won, he's been a competitive skier since he was 14 and has competed in almost all disciplines, including slalom, giant slalom, skiercross, freestyle big-air, freestyle moguls, of course freeride and he's even been at the start of the Weisse Rausch several times. In recent years he's been busy as a trainer and guide at Epique and has recently taken on a new challenge: training to become a ski guide. He describes skiing as pure freedom and therefore fits in perfectly with the Poederbaas Freeride Festival!
Another new name on the jury is Pieter Simons, for whom snowboarding is his whole life. He even met his wife during a season in the snow. Pieter comes from the freestyle world where he later became a trainer for the Belgian junior team. And a fun fact: he is the first Belgian snowboarder who could land a 900. The freeride world is also not unknown to him, one of his best memories in the snow is a 2-month trip to Japan, where he applied his freestyle talent to the freeride sport. He will therefore take the NK/BK Freeride to the next level!
Another brand new addition to the jury this year is Sanne Iwema, this fanatic skier has exchanged the Netherlands for the Austrian and French Alps for years. She has a great passion for freeriding and the mountains: her happy place! She has followed many courses including the Brevet d'Etat (French Staatlich) and the mountain rescue course with Bruno Jelk in Zermatt. She has also taught a lot herself, both as an independent ski instructor and off-piste guide in Val d'Isere. A spectacular addition to this year's jury!
Koen Speleman is also a new name on the jury, but certainly not a new name in the freeride world. He has already participated in the BK Freeride no less than seven times and has been in the snow for 20 seasons. He has even often spent the summer in the snow by climbing volcanoes and skiing in Chile and Argentina. He has seen many aspects of snow sports and worked as a ski instructor, tour guide and went along as a halfpipe coach to the Olympic Games in Sochi. He has also done every discipline by now: freestyle, freeride, ski touring and now also regularly ski mountaineering. Once again an impressive addition to the jury table!
An indispensable jury member is of course Martine van der Hoorn and luckily she is back again this year! Martine is a jack of all trades. This experienced jury member is a hero on both skis and snowboard. She is the first female Dutch snowboard guide and a mentor for the new generation of fanatic winter sports enthusiasts at CIOS Haarlem and as an excerpt from Snowsports Academy. Full of passion, experience and with a lot of knowledge - a crucial part of the jury.
Patrick van der Graaff is also a well-known name who was previously part of the jury. This ex-pro snowboarder was at the cradle of Dutch freestyle snowboarding. After winning titles himself, he was coach of the Dutch snowboard team and presented RTL Snow Magazine. He brings this wealth of experience and passion to the jury table, so the bar is set high this year!
The jury consists of three snowboard and three ski judges who are led by Head Judge Paul de Groot. Paul is perhaps the most famous freerider of the Low Countries, after first becoming Dutch champion himself a few times, he has had a permanent place at the jury table for the past 5 years. He travels all over the world in search of the best snow, including for his YouTube series Hidden Faces with Loic Isliker. From climbing to Iceland to heli skiing in Canada, he has seen it all, but next week he will simply be in Kappl.