Winter Olympics: What is big air snowboarding?
By Amy Kaplan
Everything you need to know about the Winter Olympic’s newest sport — Big air snowboarding.
Even if you are an avid follower of the Winter Olympics you may not be familiar with Big Air Snowboarding and that’s because this will be the first time it will be included in the Olympics and it’s kind of a big deal.
It took years of lobbying before the International Olympic Committee announced it would include big air snowboarding as a medal event for the very first time at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
But what is it exactly?
Big air snowboarding is a single day event, unlike some other winter competitions, and consists of one large jump where the athlete will be judged on innovation, level of difficulty and showmanship. So, it’s pretty exciting.
According to TeamUSA.org, “Snowboarders start atop a big snow ramp and then perform big tricks off a big jump. Everything about it is big. At 49 meters tall, the ramp in Pyeongchang is the biggest in the world. Its slope reaches 40 degrees at its steepest point. On the world cup circuit, there is a qualifying and final round. In the finals, each rider takes three jumps, with the top two scores counting.”
The current reigning champion for Team USA is Ryan Stassel. He finished third in trials in Pyeongchang and is ranking second in the international big air standings. We think he’s a shoe-in for a medal this month.
But don’t sleep on 17-year-old Chris Corning who will also be competing for Team USA after multiple top 10 showings last year alone.
The Winter Olympics begin airing on Feb. 8 on NBC.
Next: Best Olympian from each state
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