Oakley and Shaun White present Air & Style Beijing 2012

By John Poulin
Tue, Nov 20 2012 10:37 am | Comments

Oakley and Shaun White present Air & Style Beijing 2012 brings the world’s best snowboarders to the olympic stadium Beijing, the famous Bird’s Nest

Badertscher, Toutant, Piroiinen and Smits, are part of the 24 strong riders field to compete on December 8th 2012 with Sun Nan live on stage.

Beijing/Innsbruck, 20th November 2012

For the 3rd consecutive year the Air & Style takes place in Beijing, China, in the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium. The Oakley and Shaun White present Air & Style Beijing is the most important and only 6* event of the World Snowboard Tour (WST) on the Asian continent. It’s the year of the dragon and all 24 riders will need dragonblood pumping through their veins when dropping in from the 50 meter high start gate on top of the monsterous ramp. Dragons are high flying, fearless, risk taking apex predators, who soar to far away lands to seize glory and riches. These characteristcs are also key in sticking a double cork or 1440 enroute to winning the Oakley and Shaun White Air & Style.

Patrick McIlvain, Oakley Vice president Global Sports Marketing: “China is continually showing its strength as a global sports leader and the action sports arena is no exception. Now in its third year, Air & Style Beijing is building momentum behind the sport of snowboarding in one of the most important emerging markets in the world. Oakley is proud to partner with Shaun White in bringing one of the best snowboard events of the year to the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium.”

For the first time all 24 riders will start in a head-to-head competion from round 1 on. 12 winners and 4 lucky losers will advance to round 2 and battle their way through to the Super Final of 4 riders. 1,000 World Snowboard Tour points, a dragon’s share of the 75,000 Euro prize purse and the Ring Of Glory are the plunder wating to be captured by the top vanquishing hero. Ulrik Badertscher (NOR), winner of last years Beijing event, will lead big names such as WST champion Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) and WST Big Air champion Seppe Smits, into the stadium. The North American delegation, with Slopestyle world champion Chas Guldemond (USA), Mark McMorris (CAN), Seb Toutant (CAN), Eric Beauchemin(USA), Antoine Truchon (CAN), Sage Kotsenburg (USA) and Maxence Parrot (CAN) poses a formidable challenge to all. A menacing field of norsemen will travel from Scandinavia to the middle kingdom, China. Stale Sandbech (NOR), Petja Piroiinen (FIN), Torgeir Bergrem (NOR), Roope Tonteri (FIN), Emil Ulsletten (NOR), Sven Thorgren (SWE) and Nils Arvidsson (SWE) are coming to strengthen their position as one of snowboards strongest heritages. Never to be underestimated, Werner Stock (AUT), Clemens Schattschneider (AUT), Mathias Weissenbacher (AUT), Pat Brugener (SUI), Marko Grilc (SLO) and Viktor de la Rue (FRA) from the European Alps are a venerated guild. Yuki Kadono (JPN) will have the shortest trip to make, but may have the most to gain from a victory in his home continent.

And in old Air & Style tradition Sun Nan and Band will perform live on stage to entertain the Chinese crowd alongside breathtaking world elite snowboarding.

Program (Press conference for accredited journalists only):

Friday 07.

12.2011 2.00 pm Riders Draw / Press Conference

Saturday 08.12.

2011            3.00 pm   Doors open
4.30 pm   Contest starts round 1 & round 2
6.30 pm   Sun Nan & live band

7.30 pm Contest round 3 & superfinal
9.15 pm Winners Press Conference

Starting field (Top 24)

Ulrik Badertscher

NOR

Peetu Piiroinen

FIN

Seppe Smits