BONUS || Pedro Matus vs. Guillaume Fernandes || SLVSH CUP GRANDVALIRA '25
Guillaume Fernandes
Profile and significance
Guillaume Fernandes is a Pyrenees-bred freeski rider whose style was shaped between the Ariège valley around Ax-les-Thermes and the floodlit park lanes of Andorra. A long-time face in the Aigre-Douce crew and a regular in the night sessions at Sunset Park Peretol within Grandvalira, he represents the route many European park skiers take: community crews, relentless evening laps, and scene-defining jams that prize execution and originality over points lists. While not a World Cup athlete, Fernandes has earned broader attention through SLVSH’s cameras and regional tours, showing how clean decisions—quiet approaches, centered pop, tidy exits—translate across parks and seasons.
Competitive arc and key venues
Fernandes’ competitive footprint sits in culture-first arenas. In March 2025 he appeared in SLVSH Cup Grandvalira content, including a Bonus game filmed at the floodlit Sunset Park Peretol, after a strong showing during the week’s open sessions. His name has long circulated in the Pyrenees thanks to early starts tied to Grandvalira’s event scene and the local Pyrenean freestyle circuit. Earlier in his career he featured around the Masters of Freestyle ecosystem at El Tarter and logged results within regional rankings that connected Andorra’s parks with the French side of the range. The common thread across these venues is repetition: compact laps after dark at Peretol, storm and spring cycles at Ax, and festival-style build weeks where line choice and composure matter as much as difficulty.
How they ski: what to watch for
Fernandes skis with a “quiet approach, decisive exit” framework that makes technical choices look simple. Approaches stay flat and neutral—bases calm, shoulders level—until the last meters, where he builds a clean platform and pops from the ankles. On rails he favors square entries with an early edge set to determine slide direction, then exits with controlled pretzels or surface swaps that avoid over-rotation. Jump work reads clearly: axis-true spins with early grab connection, landings driven back to the fall line, and immediate re-centering so speed survives into the next feature. Because body language stays composed—hands relaxed, torso quiet—his lines are easy to parse in real time and instructive in slow motion for skiers chasing the same feel.
Resilience, filming, and influence
As part of Aigre-Douce, Fernandes’ story is one of steady output rather than sudden headlines. Crew edits and rider features show the habits that underpin repeatable skiing: warm-up ladders instead of first-hit heroics, deliberate speed checks, and the discipline to rebuild a trick after a miss without changing the approach. That process transfers well to filmed sessions like SLVSH, where peers reward clarity and execution. His influence lands in the most practical way—clips shared in group chats before a park day because the decisions are obvious and the technique scales to a local setup.
Geography that built the toolkit
Place explains Fernandes’ composure. On the French side, the lift network at Ax 3 Domaines delivers winter hardpack, storm cycles, and mellow spring corn within a short cable-car ride from town, offering hundreds of low-risk reps that sharpen balance and pop timing. Across the border in Andorra, Sunset Park Peretol runs under lights, turning evenings into high-frequency training on long rails and consistent jump decks. Cycling between these contexts—variable daylight laps at Ax and reliable nighttime speed at Peretol—builds a toolkit that travels: keep bases flat on approach, make the platform before you spin, manage wind and salt, and land to the fall line so momentum survives the trick.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Fernandes’ setups favor predictability over novelty, a good model for progressing skiers. A symmetrical twin with a near-center mount keeps switch approaches natural and rotations on-axis. Light detune at tips and tails prevents hook-ups on kinks while edges stay honest underfoot for firm in-runs and plaza decks. Boots should be supportive enough to transmit ankle movements without forcing upper-body compensation, and bindings need consistent retention with correct forward pressure. Maintenance is the quiet performance multiplier in the Peretol night routine: fresh wax for evening temperatures, edge touch-ups after rail sessions, and stance checks so ankles—not shoulders—initiate movement.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans care about Guillaume Fernandes because his skiing is readable and transferable. He doesn’t overpower a course with volume; he edits—two or three distinctive moves placed exactly where the build invites them. For skiers looking to progress, the blueprint is concrete: set a deliberate speed floor, build a clean platform, connect the grab early to stabilize rotation, and drive landings to the fall line. Seen across Ax 3 Domaines laps and Sunset Park Peretol nights inside Grandvalira, that discipline scales from local parks to filmed sessions—proof that consistent habits, not just high difficulty, make lines worth replaying.
Pedro Matus
Profile and significance
Pedro Matus is an Argentine freeski rider from San Martín de los Andes whose park-and-street focus has grown through South American seasons and winters in Andorra. Splitting time between instructing and filming, he translates day-in, day-out resort mileage into creative lines that read cleanly at full speed. His name began circulating internationally through the SLVSH Cup stop hosted at the night park in Andorra, where he appeared in a Bonus game during the 2025 bracket at Grandvalira. Matus is emblematic of a broader pipeline from the Patagonian Andes to European terrain parks: build fundamentals at home, refine them under lights in the Pyrenees, and show that style and execution travel across snowpacks and setups.
Competitive arc and key venues
Matus’ competitive résumé is anchored in culture-forward formats rather than federation circuits. In the Pyrenees he logged visible laps at the floodlit freestyle hub of Sunset Park Peretol, the site of the SLVSH Cup Grandvalira—an event that rewards trick variety, line choice, and pressure-proof consistency. In South America, he cut his teeth at Patagonian resorts where the regional scene blends park sessions with sidecountry: Chapelco, his local hill above San Martín de los Andes, and Chile’s storm-lashed Antillanca near Osorno both feature in his clips and community appearances. That venue list explains how his skiing looks at home on long rails and in variable, wind-affected snow: the same habits—quiet approaches, centered pop, clean exits—show up whether the canvas is a plaza-style build or a spring-slush park line.
How they ski: what to watch for
Matus rides with a “quiet approach, decisive exit” philosophy that makes technical choices easy to follow. Approaches stay flat and composed, with light ankle work and neutral hands until the last meters, where he builds a firm platform and pops cleanly. On rails he favors square entries and early edge sets to determine slide direction, then finishes with tidy pretzels or surface swaps that avoid over-rotation. On jumps he connects grabs early to stabilize axis-honest spins—180s and 360s first, then higher-rotation variations when the takeoff invites them. Landings drive to the fall line and re-center immediately, preserving speed into the next hit. Because he rarely telegraphs moves and keeps upper-body noise low, his lines are readable in real time and even more instructive in slow motion.
Resilience, filming, and influence
Like many Southern Hemisphere riders, Matus stacks progression by living two winters a year. Teaching and coaching blocks in Argentina and Andorra provide structured repetitions, while night sessions at Peretol and spring laps in Patagonia supply the filmable moments. His presence in the SLVSH Cup Grandvalira environment—where peers judge originality and execution—underscored a calm, repeatable process: set a deliberate speed, place tricks only where the build supports them, and reset quickly after misses. The influence is pragmatic rather than headline-driven. Park skiers share his clips because the decisions are obvious and the technique scales to local features, from small-town rope tows to destination parks.
Geography that built the toolkit
Two mountain ranges shaped Matus’ habits. In Patagonia, Chapelco supplies storm days, spring corn, and a mix of rails and side hits that reward balance and pop timing; trips across the Andes to Antillanca add coastal weather and visibility changes that punish sloppy edging. In the Pyrenees, Grandvalira and especially Sunset Park Peretol deliver high-frequency night laps on long rails and consistent jump decks. Cycling between these contexts teaches transferable timing: keep bases flat on approach, make the platform before you spin, and land to the fall line so momentum survives the trick.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Matus’ setup choices mirror his spot selection. A symmetrical twin with predictable flex and a near-center mount keeps switch approaches natural and rotations on-axis. Light detune at tips and tails prevents hook-ups on kinks while edges stay honest underfoot for firm in-runs and plaza decks. Boots should be supportive enough to transmit ankle movements without forcing upper-body compensation, and bindings need consistent retention with correct forward pressure. The real performance multipliers are maintenance and ritual: fresh wax for sticky spring salt, edge touch-ups after rail days, stance checks so ankles—not shoulders—initiate movement, and a warm-up ladder that progresses from straight airs and shifties to spins.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Fans care about Pedro Matus because his lines are both original and transferable. He edits rather than overloads, choosing a few distinctive moves and placing them exactly where the build invites them. For skiers trying to progress, the blueprint is concrete and copyable on any public park: set a deliberate speed floor, build a clean platform, connect the grab early to stabilize rotation, and land to the fall line so momentum carries to the next hit. From Patagonian sessions at Chapelco and Antillanca to night laps at Sunset Park Peretol in Grandvalira, his path shows how consistent habits can bridge local scenes and international showcases.
Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut by night
Overview and significance
Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut is Grandvalira’s floodlit night snowpark in the Peretol area of Grau Roig, Andorra—a purpose-built, progression-friendly venue named in collaboration with one of freeskiing’s most influential riders. It’s designed for repetition after dark: dependable lighting, compact laps, and a rotating mix of jibs and jumps that stay consistent when evening temperatures lock in the speed. Within the Pyrenees, it’s a standout because you can finish a full day elsewhere on the mountain and still stack productive park attempts under lights. For the resort-wide context, start with Grandvalira’s snowparks hub and the destination overview on Visit Andorra. Inside our own ecosystem, see skipowd.tv/location/andorra/ and the daytime counterpart at skipowd.tv/location/sunrise-park-xavi/ for planning a two-park routine.
What makes Sunset Park special is the cadence. Cold night air stabilizes lips and in-runs, the floodlights keep sightlines clean, and the footprint is compact enough to turn “one more lap” into twenty. Crews can film clips with a consistent look and feel, run coaching drills without crossing half a mountain, and wrap a day of freeride or slopestyle elsewhere with high-quality repetitions in Peretol.
Terrain, snow, and seasons
The park sits alongside the Peretol pistes in the Grau Roig sector at mid-to-high resort elevation by Pyrenees standards. Typical Andorran winters mix Atlantic and Mediterranean weather, bringing quick refreshes and frequent freeze–thaw swings. Nights are the equalizer. As temperatures drop, groomed lanes and salted takeoffs hold a predictable sheen, and the snow stays fast and shapeable—ideal for timing pop and landing stance. When high pressure takes over, you’ll get classic, firm corduroy on the approach early in the session, softening gradually as the evening wears on.
Operational windows vary by season, but the pattern is consistent: afternoon into night sessions on a posted schedule, with feature count scaling to the snowpack. Expect a more jib-forward vibe early winter when base depth is building, then fuller jump lines as coverage grows through mid-season. Always check the resort’s park status before heading over from another sector to make sure the lights are on and the set is live.
Park infrastructure and events
Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut is built around a clean progression ladder. You’ll typically find a small/medium line with boxes, rails, and rollers for first hits, plus medium tables, hips, and creative steel for advancing riders. The shaping philosophy is repetition first: tidy lips, long forgiving landings, and lines that let you take two or three features in sequence, then reset quickly. Rail gardens rotate regularly so there’s always a new puzzle to solve even if you’re lapping the same lane for an hour.
Event energy is grassroots and rider-led. Expect cash-for-tricks evenings, club meetups, and filming nights rather than stadium-scale contests—exactly the kind of sessions that help you progress without sacrificing flow for show. For bigger features or daytime slopestyle variety, pair a day at El Tarter’s flagship park with Sunset Park at night; for fundamentals, run a Sunrise Park Xavi morning in Grau Roig and return to Peretol after dinner to lock in muscle memory under the lights.
Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow
Base your evening in Grau Roig/Peretol for the shortest approach. If you’re already skiing elsewhere in Grandvalira, plan a mid-afternoon transit so you arrive as features open and lips have set. Driving from Andorra la Vella or Encamp is straightforward; parking and local shuttle details are posted on Grandvalira’s site. Because this is a night venue, think “arena” logistics: layer for static time between laps, bring a pocket scraper for quick speed fixes, and swap to a clear or low-light goggle lens before lights come on.
Flow is simple and efficient. Start with a two- or three-feature circuit in the smaller line to calibrate speed and wax, then move to the medium tables and more technical rails once the in-runs feel automatic. When you need a reset, take one groomer lap on the adjacent piste to re-center your timing, then drop back in. If you’re filming, bank the most technical tricks in the first hour under the lights—when surfaces are crisp—then pivot to creative lines and presses as the snow softens slightly later in the session.
Local culture, safety, and etiquette
Sunset Park is compact and popular, so Park SMART rules are non-negotiable. Inspect first; call your drop loudly enough to be heard; hold a predictable line; and clear landings and knuckles immediately. Give shapers room when ropes are up—they’re preserving speed for everyone. Expect a healthy mix of locals, visiting crews, and coached groups; be patient with teaching lanes and slot your laps so takeoffs don’t bunch up.
Nightlighting helps, but shadows and glare can still hide ruts. Take one speed-check hit on any feature you haven’t ridden under lights before, and detune rail contact points while keeping edges sharp enough for firm corduroy. Inside resort boundaries you’re far from avalanche terrain, yet closures and signage still matter—respect any temporary feature or lane closures when the crew is doing touch-ups or safety changes.
Best time to go and how to plan
Mid-winter is prime. Late January through early March usually delivers the coldest, most repeatable night surfaces and the fullest feature sets. Early season is ideal for building rail mileage on smaller sets; spring brings forgiving dusk laps that are perfect for learning new tricks at lower speeds before the lights click on. The winning routine is a two-park day: daytime slopestyle in El Tarter or progression at Sunrise Park Xavi, dinner and a quick tune, then a two-hour focused session at Sunset Park to lock in what you learned.
Check the Grandvalira snowparks page each afternoon for that night’s operating plan, confirm lift access in Grau Roig/Peretol, and pack for cold-soaked stops between laps. If your crew includes non-park skiers, point them to nearby groomers or timing-friendly meeting spots so you can reconvene easily without leaving the lights.
Why freeskiers care
Because Sunset Park Henrik Harlaut turns evening hours into high-value progression. You get reliable lighting, crisp night surfaces, and fast laps on a compact, well-shaped set—plus the freedom to combine it with Grandvalira’s daytime parks for a full, park-first itinerary. If your goal is to learn fast, film clean, and keep momentum when the sun goes down, this is the Pyrenees venue that makes it happen.
Monster Energy
Brand overview and significance
Monster Energy is a global beverage brand that became a fixture in freeski culture by backing athletes, contests, and film projects across park, pipe, street, and big-mountain skiing. Launched in the early 2000s by the company now known as Monster Beverage Corporation, the “claw” logo migrated from motocross and skate into winter sports and quickly showed up on helmets, sled decks, and banners at major venues. In skiing, Monster’s value is less about hardware and more about platform: funding rider-driven media, supporting athlete travel, and amplifying edits so lines and tricks reach audiences far beyond a single premiere. For Skipowd readers, our curated hub for Monster Energy pulls those stories together in one place.
At competition level, Monster’s presence is visible on the world’s most-watched stages. The brand is a named partner at X Games events, including Aspen’s winter edition, with title integrations on Big Air and SuperPipe segments that keep freeskiing front-and-center for a mainstream audience. Combined with a deep roster of athletes and a grassroots pipeline, Monster has helped bankroll a generation of clips and projects that shaped modern freeski style.
Product lines and key technologies
Monster’s “products” for skiers are twofold: beverages and media infrastructure. On the beverage side, the lineup spans the classic Monster Energy range, sugar-free options like Ultra, coffee blends under Java, and hydration-oriented Rehab—formats riders choose for long travel days, dawn call times, or late-night rail sessions. On the media side, the brand runs dedicated snow news and athlete pages, plus the Monster Army development program (Monster Army) that gives emerging skiers a route to small stipends, exposure, and eventual pro support.
The real “tech” is distribution and continuity. Monster’s content operation turns contest weeks and filming windows into year-round storytelling: pre-event previews, daily recaps, and athlete features that keep freeskiers in the broader sports conversation. That consistency has helped edits from core hubs break out of niche channels and reach new viewers who might never attend a premiere or follow a film tour.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
Translate “ride feel” to culture: Monster shows up wherever skiers want volume and visibility. Park and slopestyle crews benefit from athlete travel and media support that keep jump lines and rail gardens in view all winter. Big-mountain and backcountry riders leverage the same amplifiers for spine shoots, wind-lip sessions, and sled-accessed zones. For grassroots skiers, Monster Army functions as an on-ramp—local edits and regional podiums can become invitations, product flow, and small travel budgets that make the next step possible.
Practically, skiers tap Monster’s platforms around the cadence of a season: early-preseason park laps, mid-winter contest blocks, spring build weeks, and Southern Hemisphere or glacier sessions. The through-line is repetition and reach—support that helps riders stack attempts, refine style, and put the best version of a trick or line in front of the world.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
Monster’s freeski roster blends icons, contest winners, and film specialists—most visibly at X Games, where the brand’s partnership and athlete presence span SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and newer formats like Knuckle Huck. Recent seasons in Aspen saw Monster-backed skiers and snowboarders rack up headline results across the program, validated by the brand’s own event recaps and athlete features. Beyond podiums, Monster’s support of style leaders and legacy projects—think multi-year film arcs with Scandinavian and Québec crews, or rider-led street projects—gives skiers room to pursue the parts that influence technique and aesthetics for years.
The pipeline matters as much as the top end. Monster Army highlights junior and up-and-coming riders, publishes results, and showcases standout edits, creating a credible path from local scenes to international rosters. That continuity—grassroots to global—underpins the brand’s reputation inside the sport.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
On-snow, Monster’s winter footprint tracks freeski infrastructure. In North America, Aspen hosts X Games on Buttermilk’s courses under the Aspen Snowmass umbrella (Buttermilk), stacking high-mileage training and broadcast-grade venues in one valley. West Coast film crews cycle through Mammoth Mountain and coastal British Columbia, while the Alps and Scandinavia add spring and late-season looks that show up in team edits. In Québec, hometown hills and night parks feed the scene; you’ll even see Monster projects roll through compact venues like Vallée du Parc when storylines call for local roots.
Between tours, Monster uses city-based touchpoints and festivals to premiere or promote projects, then folds those stories back into athlete pages and season recaps so they remain discoverable long after a live event.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
For a beverage brand embedded in outdoor sport, responsibility shows up in packaging and operations. Monster’s corporate reporting outlines steps such as recyclable aluminum as the primary package, efficiency improvements in manufacturing, and sustainability targets published in annual updates (Sustainability Reports). On the events side, large activations coordinate with venue partners to manage sampling, waste, and energy use—pragmatic measures that matter at scale when contests and festivals bring thousands of fans to alpine towns.
From an athlete’s viewpoint, durability is cultural: consistent budgets, long-term relationships, and support for serviceable projects (from street trips to heli windows) keep skiers productive through full seasons, not just headline weeks.
How to choose within the lineup
If you’re picking a Monster can for ski days, think context. Sugar-free Ultra variants suit riders who want flavor without added sugar; classic Monster Energy is a familiar choice for long travel days or early starts; coffee blends (Java) make sense for base-area mornings. Hydration-forward options (Rehab) are useful for spring sessions when temps rise. As with any caffeinated drink, match intake to your tolerance and hydrate—especially at altitude and during high-output days.
If you’re an aspiring rider looking for support, study Monster’s athlete pages and the Monster Army program: publish clean edits, compete regionally, and keep results and clips organized so you can be found. For coaches and filmers, align output with the season’s storytelling windows—contest weeks, park build cycles, and spring features—so your work lands when the audience is paying most attention.
Why riders care
Skis and boots define how you turn; brands like Monster help define whether the wider world sees what you did. By underwriting athletes, events, and films—particularly around anchor venues like Aspen—the company has amplified freeski progression from rope-tow nights to global broadcast. Add a visible presence at X Games, a credible grassroots pipeline in Monster Army, and year-round content that keeps freeskiing in front of non-core audiences, and you get a sponsor that materially supports the sport’s culture—not just with logos, but with the resources that let skiers stack laps, film lines, and share them widely.
SLVSH
Brand overview and significance
SLVSH (pronounced “slash”) is a ski-culture brand and media outlet founded around a simple but powerful idea: bring the playground game of “HORSE” into the park and freeski scene by matching tricks between rivals and letting the video tell the story. The brand was co-founded by notable freeskiers Matt Walker and Joss Christensen as a way to inject creative freedom and fun into a culture increasingly dominated by judged contests. SLVSH has grown into an internationally recognized format and community hub, with apparel, video series, and global event tie-ins. For skiers who care about park laps, jib battles, street features and rider-vs-rider formats, SLVSH offers a unique, peer-driven alternative to traditional competition.
Product lines and key technologies
SLVSH is not a ski manufacturer; its core “product” is content and community. Under the SLVSH banner you’ll find the game format (head-to-head trick matching), video episodes, event series (such as SLVSH Cups) held at terrain parks and resorts, and a streetwear line including hoodies, hats and accessories. The apparel is often co-branded and available globally (e.g., via abstractmall storefronts). On the media-side, the brand uses filming and editing techniques suited to the park environment—tight follow-cams, rapid cuts, and multi-angle battles—to emphasise trick detail, reaction, and rhythm. The key “technology” is the format itself: no judges, just call a trick, the opponent lands (or doesn’t), someone gets a letter, first to spell SLVSH loses. This simplicity underpins the brand’s appeal.
Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)
SLVSH speaks directly to park, urban, and freestyle-oriented skiers who ride rails, boxes, jumps and street features and who value creativity, fun, and peer challenges. If you’re in the terrain park, enjoying jib setups, chasing friends on the rail line, or filming match-ups with your crew, SLVSH fits. The ride feel is loose, expressive and informal—less about maximal speed or big-mountain consequences, more about style, line choice, trick creativity and session banter. It’s ideal for skiers who view park laps as culture rather than contest rounds, and who like a format they can play with friends, record, and share.
Team presence, competitions, and reputation
SLVSH has cultivated credibility via its athlete-led foundation and the adoption of its format by parks and resorts worldwide. Games and match-ups featuring high-profile skiers such as Joss Christensen, as well as grassroots entries, have helped the brand stay relevant. Its video series on YouTube show head-to-head match-offs at terrain parks from North America to Europe (e.g., SLVSH Cup Grandvalira). The reputation is of a brand that keeps skiing fun, accessible and peer-to-peer oriented—contrasting with high-stakes judged contests. While it may not carry the prestige of an Olympic or World Cup circuit, for the park scene it holds a meaningful place.
Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)
SLVSH has roots in the modern park and freestyle community rather than a single geographic resort heritage. Its match-format videos and events have taken place at venues such as Penken Park (Austria) and the SLVSH Cup at Grandvalira (Andorra). The global reach includes U.S. park locations (such as Park City, Utah). Because the format is portable and doesn’t require infrastructure beyond a terrain park, the brand’s geography spans many popular freestyle hubs. It channels the spirit of open-session, game-driven skiing across continents.
Construction, durability, and sustainability
In the media and culture context, SLVSH’s durability is shown in its staying power—over a decade of match-games, videos, community visits and product drops. The game format remains relevant to emerging skiers and seasoned stylers alike. Sustainability-wise, the brand emphasises participation and simplicity. Because the barrier to entry is low (rent features, film a game), the format scales without large production overheads. On the apparel side, there is limited public data on material sustainability; the focus remains cultural rather than manufacturing. For the skier-viewer, the lasting value is the format and community more than a tangible gear asset.
How to choose within the lineup
If you’re a skier wanting to get involved: start by watching SLVSH videos to see how the format plays out in parks you know. Then arrange games with your crew—pick a feature, call tricks, record. Aim to replicate the style and pace you’ve seen so that your own edits look crisp and fun. If you’re a park or resort looking to partner: host an official SLVSH Cup or branded match session, film for social, invite riders of varying levels. For apparel: drop a hoodie or shirt from the SLVSH line if you’re into ski-street style and want a brand that signals park credibility.
Why riders care
Because skiing should be fun, peer-driven and expressive. SLVSH removes the intimidation of judged contests and replaces it with a format nearly any skier can join. It brings friends, features and filming together in a way that emphasises trick creativity, risk-taking and fun—whether you’re a 270 board-slide novice or a back-flip rail veteran. Its brand cues—bold graphics, playful identity, video match-ups—resonate with skiers who spend equal time filming, lapping features and pushing style. For the park crew, the hill is the playground and SLVSH gives you the rules, the format and the vibe.
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