After the qualification round for Chinese athletes at the 10th Red Bull Nanshan Open concluded at Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort on January 7, the highlight of the event—the finals—are poised to begin this weekend (January 14–15). On January 11, the event organizers, in collaboration with Red Bull, hosted a rider meet-and-greet, featuring the appearance of all 22 international riders from 12 countries and 7 Chinese qualifiers. Among them are Finland’s Roope Tonteri, currently ranked No. 1 in the world in Slopestyle, Sweden’s Nils Arvidsson who placed fourth in the 2011 Beijing Freeski Open, and Anton Bilare, runner-up of the previous Nanshan event. This weekend, these top-tier athletes will gather at Nanshan Ski Resort to compete for the event’s total prize purse of 50,000 RMB.
World pro riders from left: Nils Arvidsson, Juuson Laivisto, Roope Tonteri
The finals will feature 22 invited professional riders from around the globe along with 7 qualifiers from the Chinese selection rounds. Each rider gets three runs, with the best score counting. The top 12 will advance to the Sunday finals, where each rider gets two runs, again with the best score determining placement. The top 4 will move on to the ultimate event in the afternoon, where each rider gets three runs, with the highest score deciding the champion.