The most prestigious Big Air competition in snowboarding is branching out big time this year by putting on a contest in Beijing of all places! In previous years the Air & Style has been known to move from its traditional home in Innsbruck’s Bergasil to a stadium in Munich, but this is the first time the contest has ever ventured outside its south German/Austrian enclave. Staging a major TTR contest in China can only be a good thing for the growth of the scene over there, as there’s currently just the Red Bull-tastic Nanshan Open, which while cool, doesn’t masses of attention (or rider attendance) outside of the local scene. This new contest is a different proposition all together though. It’s set to take place in the incredible Bird’s Nest stadium built for the 2008 summer Olympics, and it looks like the Chinese organisers have spared no expense, promising “top bands, top riders, $100,000 prize purse” and… Shaun White. Yep, it seems that the ginger wonder has been persuaded to ride in an Air & Style contest for the first time since his victory in 2005. Wonder who paid what for that to happen? Keep your eyes peeled on December 4th, because we imagine this is going to be pretty spectacular…