ICER BIG AIR: Urban big-air competition to hit San Francisco 8/27
Riders descend on the streets of San Francisco for some summer fun
Skiing and snowboarding are going urban. No, not rails but a city jump that will send riders distances of up to 70 feet through the San Francisco skyline.
The inaugural event, ICER AIR 2005, will be held on Saturday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the steep and renowned Fillmore Street in downtown San Francisco. Olympic gold-medallist Jonny Moseley will be the official host of the big-air competition. ICER, a small ski and snowboard products company from Nevada, is one of Moseley’s apparel sponsors.
“The idea is a fun, creative event to promote the sport and crossover between skiing and snowboarding,” says ICER spokesperson Glen Griffin, who along with Moseley and another ICER spokesperson, Arne Morkemo, helped conceive the event.
According to Griffin, the same company that built the snowboard jump for the 1999 Summer X Games in San Francisco will construct the ICER feature. It will cover nearly 800 feet on Fillmore Street with more than 12,000 cubic feet of snow from ice blocks.
Griffin, a San Francisco resident, picked the site for its steepness along with its recognition. “With views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance,” says Griffin, “Fillmore Street will be a really cool setting for big-airs.”
Maybe even more impressive than the location and magnitude of the jump is the list of confirmed riders for the event. Headlining the field for snowboarders are Eddie Wall, Marc Frank Montoya, and Andreas Wig. The skier line-up includes C.R. Johnson, Candide Thovex, Simon Dumont, and Eric Pollard. Kent Kreitler, Shane McConkey, Shawn Palmer, and Glen Plake are expected to attend the event and maybe throw down a trick or two.
Ten snowboarders and ten skiers will compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes and a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Each athlete will be judged on height, speed, trick, and landing by five judges—two snowboarders, two skiers, and one celebrity (rumors have it Paris Hilton could be a member of the panel).
Skiers and snowboarders will compete separately, but the order of riders will be mixed. Unlike other competitions, ICER presents an opportunity to showcase the fusion the two sports have developed over the last few years by competing together in unique atmosphere.
ICER AIR 2005 also acts as a charity event for Boarding for Breast Cancer and CHARITYSMITH. Admission is free to pedestrians.
For more information on ICER AIR 2005 including complete rider lists, check out icerair.com.