For those who have driven down F.D.R. Drive, near Houston Street, at any point in the last month, their eyes have likely strayed from the road to the mysterious steel behemoth growing out of the trees in East River Park.
A little investigation—or a run-in with one of hundreds of promotional posters in the subway and on the street—revealed that the structure was actually a snowboard jump, built by Red Bull for last night’s first Snowscrapers competition. The almost daylong event featured 20 professional snowboarders vying for $100,000 in prize money and drew an estimated crowd of 20,000 yesterday for hours of snowboarding, live music, and subfreezing temperatures.
“It’s always been a dream of our Red Bull snowboarding team to bring a big backcountry jump to the most urban setting,” head of northeast sports marketing at Red Bull Jeff Regis said in an interview last month. Regis credited the first-time endeavor to new technologies that allowed the ramp’s construction and strategic partnerships with event producers Aura360, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and snow purveyors at Pennsylvania’s Jack Frost Big Boulder ski resort.
So much preparation may seem like a waste for just one night of competition, but the grounds won’t be dismantled just yet. During New York City’s public school vacation week (February 16 through 22), the ramp will be reconfigured to a three-story slope open to the public, with complimentary sled and board rental for anyone looking to try it out.
