Following the controversial location of the Icer Air event in downtown San Francisco last summer, the organisers have decided to stage the event in a stadium this year, with the event date put back to November.
Last year it was touch and go whether the event would be staged due to its downtown location, and in the end bringing 200 tons of snow to the San Francisco’s Fillmore Street, for boarders to jump on had mixed results in terms of popularity.
This year’s event will be staged at AT&T Park, home to the San Francisco Giants, on November 4th. It will feature 20 world-class boarders and will be the first stadium big air ski and snowboard competition to be held in the United States.
“Last year’s event was amazing and will certainly go down in the history books, but we knew that we had to do something different and more outrageous this year,” said Glen Griffin, Icer founder and president. “Each year we’d like to continue to raise the bar, push the envelope and evolve the event to greater heights. Our mission is to bring the mountains to the city and showcase these amazing athletes in an urban environment.”
The 100-foot high ski and snowboard jump will descend from the scoreboard at AT&T Park, extending over 350 feet in length and will be covered with over 200 tons of snow. Spectators will be afforded views of Olympic medalists and X-Game champions flying through the air amidst the backdrop of the spectacular San Francisco Bay. The jump will take over 100 workers, three days, and more than 14,000 cubic feet of snow to build. Esurance Icer Air is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 4th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at AT&T Park, located on San Francisco’s waterfront Embarcadero.
“We are excited and proud to continue to build on what Icer created last year with the inaugural Icer Air event,” said freestyle skiing spokesperson Jonny Moseley. “ICER will continue to create spectacular events that bring together urban and athletic communities in unique environments that every one can appreciate and enjoy.”
The big-air invitational features some of the most talented athletes on the mountain today. Athletes will be competing for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes, including a 2007 Toyota 4Runner. In addition, Esurance Icer Air will feature the inaugural San Francisco Ski and Snowboard Festival. The SF Ski Fest, co-organized with SnowBomb.com, will feature new gear from industry icons such as Head Skis, Ride Snowboards, The North Face and many others on the promenade level of the stadium. Every major ski resort from the Lake Tahoe area will be on hand with special promotions for Esurance Icer Air attendees. Finally, Lombardi Sports will be hosting a huge ski and snowboard sale at the event.
The week leading up to Esurance Icer Air will feature a range of promotional events including movie premieres, product launches and parties. Additional details will be released by event promoters in the weeks and months ahead.
Tickets range in price from $10 to $48 and may be purchased at
www.icerair.com. Tickets purchased for $24 or more include a lift ticket to a major Lake Tahoe ski and snowboard resort, a one-year subscription to Freeskier and TWSnowboarding Magazines, as well as additional giveaways. Finally, a raffle will be offered online and onsite during the event which includes over $100,000 in prizes including a Toyota FJ Cruiser and a Whistler ski vacation.
