Clear the ring at the Freestyle Academy LAAX

After almost 12 years, the Freestyle Academy LAAX closed its doors on March 27, 2022. By spring 2024, it will be completely rebuilt at the same location, but in the basement. Until then, however, no one will have to do without indoor freestyle: an old circus tent from the National Circus Knie will serve as a temporary facility during the two-year construction phase. All the popular freestyle facilities will be available there – from the vert ramp to the airbag. On Saturday, June 25, 2022, it will be "freestyle circus time" when the Freestyle Academy LAAX reopens at its temporary location. Visitors can look forward to fun, action, and entertainment on opening day.

The idea becomes reality

It all started with a small model made out of cardboard: trampolines, airbags, skate ramps – everything was carefully assembled in miniature form on a scale of 1:100. The cardboard model became plans, and the plans became reality. Of course, it didn't happen quite that quickly; the Freestyle Academy team put in a good 10 weeks of work. First, they had to figure out how to fit all these different elements of the Freestyle Academy into a circus tent. Fortunately, with a diameter of 44 meters and a height of 14 meters, the circus tent offers around 300 square meters more space than the old hall with 1,200 square meters. This meant that all the elements could be accommodated as desired.

In line with Greenstyle, the Weisse Arena Group's sustainability concept, the aim was also to reuse as much material as possible from the old hall. This required very precise planning right from the start of dismantling the facilities. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, all the individual elements were first labeled and then had to be reassembled correctly after dismantling. A total of 160 cubic meters of wood was used, 100 of which was reused from the old hall. The remaining 60 cubic meters of wood was mainly needed for the substructure of the trampolines and for the railings.

Freestyle meets circus

The circus tent was erected by the experienced team from National Circus Knie within half a day. This meant that dismantling the facilities in Laax and then setting them up in Flims could begin. Soon, Ivan Capaul was standing in the empty hall in Laax Murschetg: "There was definitely a touch of sadness after 12 years," he recalls. However, the anticipation of running the Freestyle Academy in the circus tent outweighs everything else. "The combination of freestyle and circus is actually quite obvious and simply a joy," says Ivan Capaul. The Knie family agreed and agreed to make their old circus tent available.

Clear the ring for everyone

Why should you visit the Freestyle Academy temporary facility in Prau la Selva? Ivan Capaul enthuses: "You simply have to experience the feeling for yourself. I can still remember my first visit to the circus – the special atmosphere, the artists, the smells – now our visitors have the chance to stand in the ring themselves." And he is certain: "The opening day will be a great celebration for young and old alike, and we are looking forward to seeing lots of amazed faces, because what has been created here is much more than just a temporary facility."