Wicked Big Air

Olympians and Olympic hopefuls will be sending it in Beantown on February 11th and 12th. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) has worked out a Grand Prix tour stop at Boston’s famous Fenway Park. Freestylers will vie for $150,000 grand prize on the same field where Big Papi makes all the chowdaheads yell “sick nasty!” 

The U.S. Grand Prix is in its 20th season, making it the longest running season-long winter action sports tour. To celebrate, USSA created Big Air at Fenway and will construct a ramp three times the size of the park’s infamous Green Monster with the help of terrain park wizards Snow Park Technologies, the builders of every Winter X-Games course. Skiers will drop in on a 140-foot ramp and will have to clear a 70-foot gap from take-off to landing, most likely reaching speeds upwards of 40 mph. 

Twenty women and 40 men will be invited to the FIS sanctioned event, including big names like Olympians Devin Logan, Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy, and Nick Goepper. Each skier will be allowed two qualifying runs, from which 10 men and 6 women will advance and have three runs in the finals. This is an especially significant event for Logan and the female field as this season is only the second year women are competing on the World Cup big air tour. 

The event will be aired on NBCSN and live streamed on the NBC Sports Live Extra platform on February 11th and 12th. 

By Paddy O’Connell