Red Bull High Night: Unbelievable Fun

    On January 9, 2014, one day before the official start of the 12th Red Bull Nanshan Open, 36 riders from 11 countries including the United States, Finland, and China came to Nanshan Ski Resort for their final practice before the competition. In the evening, one of the participating riders suddenly appeared holding a bouquet of roses and got down on one knee in front of a woman, staging an on-the-spot proposal that moved everyone present. The woman who was proposed to, after a brief moment of surprise, responded with a loving hug and a gentle kiss on the forehead. However, just as everyone was touched and offering their blessings, the individuals involved laughed and revealed that this was actually part of a fun gathering called "Red Bull High Night" held on the eve of the official competition of the Red Bull Nanshan Open.

    "Red Bull High Night" is a lighthearted evening creative snowboarding photo event organized by the event organizers before the competition. After a day of intense training, the participants were not required to perform difficult tricks during this event. Instead, they were encouraged to unleash their creativity and showcase the free-spirited and imaginative culture of snowboarding through the lens.

    During the evening's event, the young man who proposed publicly was American rider Tim Humphreys, who was making his first trip to China to compete in the Red Bull Nanshan Open this year. The mock proposal was a spontaneous idea meant for fun and interaction with friends – and the "woman being proposed to" wasn’t even his real girlfriend. "During today’s training, I was jumping off the ramp in the morning and doing some fun tricks on the features in the afternoon. But I didn’t want to train too hard, so I thought of this playful way to joke around with everyone," Tim said with a smile. "I actually really enjoy taking photos. This idea of pretending to propose was something I’d never done before, and I found it really fun." After successfully pulling off his first "proposal," Tim got hooked. He stationed himself near the snowboard wall at this year’s Red Bull Nanshan Open. Whenever a female rider approached the wall to perform, he would crouch nearby holding a rose, playing the part of a lovesick suitor, drawing laughter from everyone.

The women’s champion from the previous Red Bull Nanshan Open holding flowers for a quirky shot

Playful competitors goofing around with flowers

    And it seemed the roses Tim used for his mock proposal really won over the female riders’ hearts. Finnish female rider Kristiina Nisula, the defending women’s champion, continued to hold a rose throughout her next run. "The weather today is absolutely perfect—blue skies, white clouds, fresh tracks and air. Skiing with friends in such an environment feels amazing!" Kristiina said excitedly during the evening’s "Red Bull High Night" event, constantly trying out new creative moves. After each trick, she eagerly ran over to the photographer to review her footage. At one point, she and her friend Merika Enne raced down from the second jump and then performed an impromptu combo move on the snowboard wall—one after the other. Though they didn’t succeed and almost collided, they couldn’t stop smiling. Merika said, "Kristiina and I are very good friends. After she competed here last year, she kept talking about it non-stop, so I decided to come along with her this year. And the course here really exceeded our expectations—it’s surprisingly great!" Kristiina added that this wasn’t their first time performing creative tricks and photo shoots. Back in Finland, they used to come up with ideas too. "One of the funniest times was when we raced down super fast and skimmed just above the water. Because we were going so fast, it felt like we were floating on the water—it was a blast!"

    Freedom, relaxation, joy, and imagination—these are the innate qualities of snowboarding. "Red Bull High Night" provides a space outside the official competition for riders to let loose and have fun. Riders at the event made full use of various props such as fireworks barrels and toy ponies, having a blast. The most "high-energy" of them all was American rider Seth Hill. After Tim’s "proposal," Seth wasn’t one to be outdone. He performed a variety of tricks while holding a rose in his mouth, putting on a show as the "Rose Knight" at Nanshan Ski Resort. Seth said, "Snowboarding isn’t just about competitions—competitions are only a small part of it. What matters more is enjoying the atmosphere with everyone. For example, among the thousands of snowboarding videos that come out every year, only a small fraction are about competitions—the majority are about people’s experiences and enjoyment." Seth also places great emphasis on innovation in his riding and shoots many short videos. "Shooting videos is another important part of snowboarding. I shoot countless short clips every year, and I’m currently working on a snowboard film called *Really Gotta Wanna*, which should be out around next year." Although Seth hadn’t tried creative photo shoots like today’s before, he said he’ll continue exploring diverse ways to interact with friends, because for him, snowboarding is not just about competition—it’s about having fun.

    At the "Red Bull High Night" event, photographer Fischi was having just as much fun as the riders. Fischi is a professional snowboard photographer with 17 years of experience. During the creative shoot, he often burst out laughing at the riders’ quirky antics. "I love the photos of Tim’s proposal, and Seth’s flower-in-mouth moves on the snowboard wall are hilarious too. I did something similar during the Air & Style competition in Australia before. All the riders held swords, and spotlights projected a dragon shadow onto the snow, and the riders would ‘battle’ the dragon. We called them dragon slayers." After every shoot, riders would rush over to see the photos, sometimes not even taking the time to take off their boards. As Fischi showed the pictures, he even mimicked the riders’ mid-air poses. Amid the cold evening at the ski resort, the atmosphere was "high" to the max.

    The joyful vibe of "Red Bull High Night" also moved Istok Sumatic, the head judge of this year’s Red Bull Nanshan Open and a slopestyle judge at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Seeing everyone enjoying themselves, Istok couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is the true essence of snowboarding!"