World’s Best Snowboarders Invade Beijing

It’s December in Beijing and even though there’s no snow to be seen, the world’s best snowboarders are invading the city and making history.

On Saturday, December 4, the Beijing Olympic Sports Center Stadium will play host to the Air & Style competition, presented by Oakley and Shaun White. Air & Style is a 6-star Ticket To Ride (TTR) big air contest where riders go head to head performing their best tricks with a judging panel of snowboarding legends. It was at the Air & Style competition in Innsbruck, Austria in 2003 that Shaun White won his first major contest and launched his illustrious career.

Air & Style is not only the first World-Class snowboarding competition to be held in the PRC but also the first large-scale outdoor winter sports event for Beijing. Snowboarders have only recently been making tracks at China’s resorts, but this competition, which is expected to attract at least 15,000 spectators, shows the budding sport has the potential to become huge.

This competition is the most renowned in the snowboarding world, but these guys aren’t just in it for the glory. The winner will also receive a cash prize of EURO 75,000, 1000 points for the world TTR ranking list, and the coveted Ring of Glory.

Each rider has three runs to pull off their gnarly-est trick and the judging panel will score each turn out of 100 possible points. In the end, the rider with the most points out of 300 wins.

International pro riders like Scotty Lago (US), Mikkel Bang (NOR) and Kazuhiro Kokubo (JAP) will be competing along with China’s finest. Xiao Hu, Zhang Wei and the snowboarding marvel Wang Lei will also throw down and stomp their best tricks. See here for more details on those taking part.

If snow and steez aren’t enough to entice you, Air & Style has also brought in two of the top acts from China’s music scene. Pop superstar Wang Leehom is headlining and the indie group New Pants will also play a set. With a striking stage presence and retro taste, New Pants have a distinctive sound and style that is sure to rock your pants off.

Whether you’re an avid rider yourself or just looking for an awesome event this weekend, this is a great way to kick off the winter season.

Air& Style; Saturday, December 4, 11:30am-2pm; Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Tickets on sale now: RMB 120/280/480 (infield seats)/80 (students).

More information can be found at: www.air-style.com