Попытка установить мировой рекорд по сноубордингу в Китае
Only a week before the Olympics starts in Turin, Italy, Terje Haakonsen will bring the world’s best quarter pipe snowboarders to China for The Oakley Style Masters. In 2001 Heikki Sorsa flew a remarkable 9.3m above the quarter pipe at The Arctic Challenge in Holmenkollen, Norway. This record still stands as one of the most legendary moments in the history of snowboarding.
“No one can guarantee a world record, but we have found the perfect spot for a quarter pipe at the Badaling Resort by Beijing. The in-run is 28 degrees steep and you can catch the speed you want. The resort has provided us with everything we need to create a perfect infrastructure, so now it’s up to us and the weather,” said Terje Haakonsen, Norway’s snowboard legend and owner of The Arctic Challenge.
The Oakley Style Masters is being dubbed “the first professional snowboard event in China.” There have however been other international (if perhaps not “professional?”) boarding events in China, including a Slopestyle at Nanshan, also near Beijing, in 2003.
Interest in winter sports is exploding in China, and market observers are expecting similar trend developments as those seen in South Korea since the 1990s and in Japan in the 1980s. In South Korea the interest in snowboarding has sky rocketed with up to 70% of guests boarding rather than skiing at the most popular resorts according to Arctic Challenge organisers.
“There are over 15 million snowboarders in the world, with 7 million participants in USA alone. We are here to support the development of snowboarding in China. For the first time, Chinese youth and dedicated snowboarders can see snowboard legends perform world class action on Chinese soil. We believe this will be a fantastic inspiration for the snowboard community in China,” said Pat McIlvain, director of sports marketing at Oakley.
In addition to financing the event, Oakley is bringing the Gold Time Bomb for the first rider to exceed 10 meters. The Gold Time Bomb is a $30,000 gold watch, and has been up for grabs at The Arctic Challenge since 2001.
Preparation for the quarter pipe is already in the works at Badaling. The resort is doing in-ground work on 1,200 square meters creating a platform for the 10 metre high, 20 metre wide quarter pipe.
The Oakley Style Masters, by The Arctic Challenge, will take place between the 2nd and 5th of February.
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