The 2015 Air&Style Beijing World Snowboarding Competition contested the championship "Glory Ring"
The one-on-one knockout rounds on the 5th were even more intense, divided into three stages: 16 to 8, 8 to 4, and the super final. In the first two rounds, athletes competed head-to-head with three jumps each, their two best scores combined to determine advancement, leading to the final four battling it out in the super final. The electrifying music at the Bird’s Nest and the audience’s enthusiasm pushed the 16 top snowboarders to their limits as they went all out for the Air&Style Glory Ring, pulling off big tricks one after another. Canadian Maxence Parrot carried the momentum from the qualifiers, clinching the 2015 Air&Style Champion’s Ring with 182.99 points.
"I’ve been competing in the Beijing stop of Air&Style for three or four years now, so I’m really happy to finally stand on the podium today. The finals were incredibly competitive, and tonight felt amazing," Maxence said excitedly at the post-event press conference. He also shared that another highlight was landing his first-ever Frontside Triple Cork 1440 Mute in a official competition. Though he attempted to top Yuki Kadono’s best trick, he fell short—but he pledged to keep pushing forward.
2015 Air&Style Beijing Top Three at the Post-Event Media Meet: Sven Thorgren (far left) took third place, Canadian Maxence Parrot (second from left) claimed the championship, and Canadian Mark McMorris (third from left) secured second.
Swedish rider Sven Thorgren, who scored 164.32 points for third place, had been dealing with a shoulder injury prior to the competition and was initially worried about its impact—but fortunately, it didn’t affect his performance. "There was a moment where I lost focus and messed up my second jump, but overall, the result was great, and I’m satisfied with how I rode."
Japanese rider Yuki Kadono landed a high-difficulty Backside Triple Cork 1620 mute, scoring the day’s highest mark of 95.66 to claim the "Red Bull Best Trick Award." He thoroughly enjoyed competing at the Bird’s Nest—the electric atmosphere and support from the crowd gave him the drive to successfully pull off the challenging trick. He also noted this wasn’t his limit, having previously landed an even tougher Switch Backside Triple Cork 1620 in competition.
2014 Air&Style champion Ulrik Badertscher was eliminated in the quarterfinals after an injury in the qualifiers. The Norwegian rider, who started snowboarding at age 7 and rides almost daily, was competing in his fourth Air&Style Beijing event this year. Badertscher hopes to qualify for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics but admitted it’s a tough challenge. "There are just too many great snowboarders in Norway, and each country only gets four spots."
2015 Air&Style Beijing World Snowboarding Competition contested the championship "Glory Ring"
With Air&Style wrapped up, the snow sports season is hitting its peak. As a flagship event leading the trend of extreme fashion in the snow season, the 14th Red Bull Nanshan Open is set to kick off in mid-January 2016, providing more Chinese snowboarders a stage to unleash their energy on the snow.