Massive news today as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association are proposing that Big Air and Team SBX are introduced to the Olympic schedule in time for Pyeongchang 2018.
This isn’t to say that they will definitely be there, but after the success of snowboard slopestyle in Sochi and the continued high ratings and hype for halfpipe, announcements like this should be taken pretty seriously. It’s all about the ratings these days after all.
We all know how Big Air works, but it would be a sight to see what kind of jump the Koreans would construct after the super sized Sochi course, and interesting to see if there would be a women’s equivalent (just like there isn’t at the X Games or Air & Style).
Could we even be seeing quad corks in contest by 2018? Surely someone will have at least attempted one by then the rate progression is going, and with a prestigious gold medal potentially on the horizon. Or will the FIS style and execution weighted scoring see the Holy Crail come out on top again?
It’s a good move for snowboarding to have a third freestyle aspect added to the games. It’s another opportunity to win more medals and push the limits as to what is possible on a snowboard.
– Mark McMorris
Even the fact that this is being suggested at high level talks means that snowboarding’s place at the Olympic table is now here for good.
As the X Games slowly moves away from legitimacy (Call of Duty as a medal event this summer?) the five rings might now really have to take up the mantle as the blue ribbon snowboard event.
Also on the table is the possibility of a ‘team snowboardcross’ event – we’re not entirely sure how that would work (probably as a relay, but we’re holding out for the chance of seeing 20+ people on course at the same time) but after the carnage of the individual event in Sochi it would definitely be amazing to watch.
I would actually be really excited about big air being in the Olympics. The first and foremost important thing I would like to see happen would be figuring out the best format that would benefit the riders and the viewers.
This follows on from an already interesting discussion point about where the future of the Olympics is headed after it was revealed last week that all but two of the bidders for the 2022 winter games have dropped out after Putin’s games came with the heaviest price tag yet.
We’d be interested to see what you think about this – was slopestyle in Sochi a step too far already? Or is it good news that there’s a chance for three freestyle and two SBX events at the next Olympics?
Will Torah Bright have to compete in five events now? Who do you think could win a global big air contest in four years time? Let us know below:
