On January 4, 2014, the 12th Red Bull Nanshan Open will commence at the Nanshan Ski Resort in Miyun, Beijing. Over the past 12 years, the Red Bull Nanshan Open has grown alongside the gradual popularization of snowboarding in China, evolving from a niche gathering into Asia’s largest and highest-level (WST World Snowboard Tour five-star) slopestyle competition. This year, with slopestyle making its debut as an official event at the Sochi Winter Olympics, the 12th Red Bull Nanshan Open—as the only international slopestyle competition in China—will not only attract “Olympic teams” from around the world using it as a training ground, but will also showcase this emerging and trendy sport to a broad Chinese audience that is still relatively unfamiliar with it, just one month before the Winter Games.
Slopestyle is one of three new snow events introduced to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Competitors perform various tricks while descending down the mountain or jumping across undulating slopes. Compared to its “elder sibling,” the halfpipe event—which joined the Olympics in 1998—slopestyle is freer and more creative. With longer courses, multiple consecutive jumps and obstacles, and a greater showcase of snowboarding techniques, it has become the most visually exciting event.
It is reported that the 12th Red Bull Nanshan Open will officially begin on January 4. During the qualification round held that day, the top 6 male and 1 female competitors will advance to the finals. The finals will take place on January 10–11, featuring both men’s and women’s divisions, with a total prize purse of $75,000.
He Wei (Xiao Hu) competing in the Red Bull Nanshan Open
Unlike the big air jump used in the “FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Cup” (Air & Style), the Red Bull Nanshan Open is a slopestyle event, so the length and height of its jumps cannot compare. As a result, riders have more limited acceleration before takeoff and lower jump heights. Successfully executing high-difficulty tricks requires an even higher skill level and more consistent performance. Xiao Hu will once again perform the Double Cork 900—the most difficult trick currently done by any Chinese rider—at the Red Bull Nanshan Open. This was also the winning trick used by last year’s champion, American rider Jeremy Thompson.
Since China does not currently have a national slopestyle team, Xiao Hu, although not part of the official system, still hopes to earn a spot representing China at the 2018 Winter Olympics—just like other professional riders from different countries—by competing in a series of qualifying events and securing his place based on merit.