2014Year11Month8Day, the largest and most influential "season opener" party――the "Red Bull Cold Rush" held its first stop at Beijing’s ContemporaryMOMABackhill Art Space. This year’s Red Bull Cold Rush featured a creative "Freestyle Rail Jam" on an artificial snow ramp that celebrated individuality. Freestyle snowboarders made dazzling appearances in costume, usingCosplayto kick off the new snow season. Ultimately, female rider Qiqige stole the show in a Peking Opera-inspired Mu Guiying outfit, earning the most votes from the live audience. She defeated a host of male riders including the "White-Haired Swordsman," a "Qing Dynasty Official," and top Chinese pro snowboarder He Wei (Xiaohu), successfully "taking command" to claim the championship. Following the event, the annual snowboard film 《Touch》 premiered as per tradition, featuring a key role played by Red Bull athlete He Wei. His historic feat last year at "Air & Style" — China’s firstDouble cork 900(a 2.5-twisting double backflip) — electrified the crowd.
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On the first day after the Start of Winter, snowboard enthusiasts had the chance to show off their skills on the snow ramp. The "Creative Rail Jam" at the Beijing stop of the Red Bull Cold Rush emphasized creativity over difficulty, challenging riders to break from their usual image with imaginative outfits and outlandish looks. As a result, the audience was treated to sights such as a "Qing Dynasty Official" sharing the stage with a 1950s-era "People’s Policeman," and a showdown between a "Trash Bag Superman" and a "Japanese Invader."
During the competition, the "White-Haired Swordsman"-costumed riderX-Foxdrew attention with his skillful backside270° andBack Side 180° (switch backside180°) tricks paired with his bold outfit, looking especially graceful. However, the female rider Qiqige, who followed, went one better with her unique take. Dressed in full Peking Opera regalia as Mu Guiying, with meticulous makeup and a perfectly tailored costume, she received thunderous applause upon her appearance. She then launched off a50/50ramp and landed smoothly.
According to the competition rules, the live audience could stick their voting stickers on their favorite riders based on their costumes and performance. The top three riders with the most stickers were awarded first, second, and third place. As soon as Qiqige finished her run, stickers rained down on her, and the audience swarmed to greet her. It turned out this post-70female rider was already a well-known figure in the snowboarding scene. Wuyun-Qiqige is her Mongolian name, meaning "flower of wisdom." Usually working in tourism, she has been snowboarding for over10years and also competed in two editions of the Red Bull Nanshan Open in2010and2011. "I’m a huge fan of the Red Bull Cold Rush — I come every year. When I heard this year’s event had aCosplaytheme, I started preparing early. This time I dressed as Mu Guiying, a heroine and a general. I want to say, when it comes to creativity, female riders are absolutely not inferior to the men!"
As she spoke, one of Qiqige’s snowboarding friends jokingly stuck a sticker on her cheek, the adhesive smudging her "Mu Guiying" makeup. A makeup artist nearby quickly stepped in to touch her up. "This outfit was specially rented for me. To keep my makeup intact, I even hired a makeup artist to accompany me throughout the competition. If you’re going to dress up, you might as well go all out," Qiqige said with a laugh. In the end, she won the championship undisputedly. The "White-Haired Swordsman"X-Foxtook second place, while He Wei claimed third thanks to his outstanding performance and immense popularity. The trio shared a prize of 10,000 yuan.
The on-site host, "the Godfather of Chinese Snowboarding" Steve, is Austrian, but his Western features paired with a 1950s-era "People’s Policeman" uniform looked completely natural and not the least bit out of place. Throughout the competition, his constant shoveling of snow for the riders mirrored the "Serve the People" slogan on his chest. In the end, Steve’s perfectly fitting persona earned him the "Vita Coco Pure Natural Award" from the organizers.Cosplaywon the "Vita Coco Pure Natural Award" presented by the organizers.
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After the conclusion of the “Creative Rail Grand Prix,” China’s seventh snowboarding documentary,Touch, premiered as scheduled. Produced by Red Bull, the film documents the life journeys of China’s professional snowboarders during the previous winter season. When the footage showed He Wei landing China’s firstDouble cork 900(a double cork 1080 with a double backflip) at “Air & Style” and his standout runs at the Red Bull Nanshan Open, hundreds of snowboarding enthusiasts erupted in applause and cheers, paying tribute to one of China’s top snowboarders, as the Hot Snow event reached a fever pitch.
Among the crowd, a short-haired boy stood out for his exceptional excitement. Every time a highlight played, he high-fived his friends and cheered until someone called out his name, snapping the audience out of their enthusiasm — it turned out to be none other than the long-haired, swashbuckling figure who had just appeared on screen:X-Fox. Once recognized,X-Foxsmiled and said, “Most people in the scene call me ‘Cha Dui’ (another name forX). The film you’re watching now,Touch, is already the seventh installment. Back in2008, I was in the first one,Niu Bees-ness—I clearly remember, I was the second rider to drop in. Over all these years, I’ve pretty much been a witness to this gathering. It’s incredibly heartwarming to see how ‘Hot Snow’ has grown from just a few dozen participants to tens of thousands, becoming one of the most influential events in our community.”
I’m really happy about that.”
Following the screening, He Wei once again became the center of attention. Having undergone2months of intensive training in New Zealand this year, he stated that he will compete in both the “Air & Style” and “Red Bull Nanshan Open” events in the upcoming season. He said, “If my form is good, I want to challenge theDouble cork 1080(a triple cork 1440 with a double backflip), and I also want to try more moves with my own style on the Air & Style stage.” It is reported that this year’s “Air & Style” will take place at the Bird’s Nest on12Month8, while the 13th Red Bull Nanshan Open will begin its qualification rounds on1Month10, with the finals scheduled for1Month17and18.
After wrapping up the Beijing stop,2014the Red Bull Hot Snow event will also bring the “Creative Rail Grand Prix” and11Month15and11Month30, respectively. In addition to these two cities,Touchto Shenyang and Urumqi on2014the Red Bull Snow event series will also take place in other locations such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Dalian.10The event will be held in 60 cities, along with the launch of another creative and fun competition――called the “Excavator Snow Slope Building Contest,” where skiing enthusiasts will use remote-controlled excavators to build snowboarding slopes on-site. Participants who build the fastest and best slopes will be awarded the title of “Best Excavator Operator.”
