Summer snowboarding draws top amateurs
Published: July 05, 2009, 12:30 am
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NIAGARA FALLS—The nation may have just finished celebrating its Independence Day, but there are a good number of people whose idea of fun in the sun includes a trip to a winter wonderland that has snow-covered hills and a skating pond.
Those folks can now indulge themselves to their heart’s content in summertime heat. In an area that gets a bad rap for its winter weather, it’s all snow all the time at Snow Park Niagara Falls — except the blustery conditions currently are on ice.
Snow Park, which already held its grand-opening gala June 20 — in the rain no less — will hold an even bigger coming out party Thursday night when the venue plays host to a top amateur snowboarding competition, the Red Bull Butter Cup.
Spectators can watch the three-hour competition that begins at 7 p. m. for free as 50 of the top East Coast Regional snowboarders will compete for $5,000 in cash and prizes. The winner receives $2,500. The competitors will commence practice runs at 5:30 p. m.
This will be the first major event held at the establishment owned by “Smokin’ ” Joe Anderson.
“We’re looking forward to showcasing what can be done [with the park],” said Jennifer Pauly, marketing coordinator for Snow Park Niagara and Smokin’ Joe’s. “We’re expecting anywhere from 1,000 to a few thousand people, depending on if there’s great weather.”
Zach Leach, a pro snowboarder for Red Bull, will be on hand to judge the event, along with other guest judges with extensive background in the sport.
“They’re all up-and-coming amateurs,” said event organizer Pat Morgan of the competitors. “Some carry a heavy sponsor list. Some are just climbing the ladder but all are really high caliber. This is one of the top amateur events on the East Coast and possibly in the country during the summer, especially with $2,500 up for first place. That type of prize doesn’t happen too often for riders at this level.”
Pauly said: “We have some locals but most are really interested in it because it’s in the middle of July and there’s not a lot of opportunity for snowboarding in the middle of the summer. Most of these events happen in the winter.”
But this one will be taking place in a facility that is the first all-season outdoor winter sports park, according to Al Bronander, president of Snow- Magic Entertainment USA. SnowMagic technology is used at the park to generate the snow regardless of how hot it might be on a given day.
Snow Park Niagara Falls offers snow tubing and ice skating on a synthetic NHL-regulation size rink. While it doesn’t offer snowboarding at the moment, that’s something that could be added in the future, Pauly said.
The facility is the brainchild of Anderson’s 16-year-old son, Alex, according to Pauly. The younger Anderson is a winter sports enthusiast and believed that such an establishment could be an attraction for the city. His father took the idea and developed it.
“People are mesmerized that we’re making snow outside in the summer,” Pauly said. “It’s cold. It’s frozen. It’s snow. When you’re tubing down the tube hill . . . it is cold and it is wet, but our customers come dressed in shorts and T-shirts and they love it.”
The park will be closed the day of the Red Bull Butter Cup so that Bronander and the Snow Park’s magicians can convert the tubing hill into one for snowboarders. Extra snow also will be made so the snowboarders can do their tricks and jumps at the bottom of the hill.
Bronander said that on a normal day the park lays down a 6-to 12-inch snow base on the tubing hill, adding snow as needed depending on the temperature and the number of people tubing on a given day since friction increases melting. The park will make as much as 24 additional inches of snow for the Red Bull Butter Cup, he said, with a good chunk being made for the landing area at the bottom of the hill where the snowboarders hope to dazzle the judges and the masses.
Morgan said the snow should feel like it does during the spring — kind of slushy.
This is the first summer outdoor competition for the Red Bull series, according to Libby Tierney, communications manager for Red Bull North America.
“It’s a unique thing for snowboarders to experience,” she said. “This is out of the element, kind of the off-season. This is a cool way to reconnect with them during the off-season and also for them to get some practice in.”
While Bronander said he helped pull off a snowboarding/ skiing event three or four years ago on the Fourth of July in New Hampshire, Morgan said it’s still slightly risky holding this type of competition in the summer.
“We definitely need to hope for a great day of weather,” Morgan said. “If it’s too hot we risk losing snow. If it’s raining we lose crowd participation and lose snow. Really those are our variables. It’s at night so we’re just hoping for a clear and comfortable temperature night.
“Riders are coming here aware of the difficulties of putting on a summer event. They’ll be expecting a good event but they’ll also be aware of what they’re encountering. We’re just excited to try it. The rewards outweigh the risks. We’re confident it’ll go off without a hitch.”
mrodriguez@buffnews.com
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