Skiing yesterday (a Wednesday) made me think about how ski resorts survive. If it weren’t for snowboarding, they probably wouldn’t. I’d say 70% of the riders I saw at Hunter were knuckle-draggers. I’ll always be a two-planker, but you never know. We ran into a 76-year-old who took up snowboarding at age 70. Snowboarding was growing, skiing was flat or shrinking — with some ski resorts banning snowboards. Once the numbers starting coming in, they changed their minds. Sure, we’ll take your money, too. A weekday — WEEKDAY — cost me $54, but they gave me a $20 voucher for another ticket, to buy at some time in the future.
Come February, snowboarders will invade lower Manhattan to watch The Flying Tomato and other Red Bull Snowscrapers. The details, via Marketing Daily:
Red Bull is creating a massive snowboarding arena in lower Manhattan this winter as a branded venue for Red Bull Snowscrapers, a competition that pits snowboarding icons against each other for a piece of the $100,000 purse.
Sixteen pro board riders, including Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White and freestylist Travis Rice, will compete. The event will include performances by bands like Anthrax. There will also be a spectator “village” located in East River Park, at Houston Street and FDR Drive.
The structure for the event is a 90-foot tall or nine-story hill adjacent to an 80-foot-long landing area. A panel of internationally licensed judges will score the event.
To be shown live on MSG (5 February 2009), this event is going to be much bigger than the frantic sampling they did in South Beach…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1141XLxj-jc]
Red Bull is doing a good job promoting their brand. And I like the product, too. Better than coffee in keeping you alert while motoring down the long highway, hammer down.