Aspen, Colo. (October 2, 2014) – Every year, pro snowboarders descend upon the Colorado Rockies for some of the globe’s best snowboarding conditions at world-class venues. Each season brings competitions, new and old, but in recent times innovating halfpipe snowboarding has been a challenge. How is one to get more creative and develop new tricks and lines when the halfpipe has essentially remained the same since 1998? The answer: build two pipes.
Red Bull Double Pipe will return for a second year in Aspen March 12-14, 2015. Last season, Red Bull pushed the limits of halfpipe snowboarding, building the first side-by-side Super Pipe to challenge the world’s best snowboarders. The competition will return in the New Year with a new design, new features and a new format. Twenty-four athletes will be invited to take their chance at revolutionizing the way they ride, including Olympian Greg Bretz. “No other halfpipe on the planet is on the level Red Bull Double Pipe is,” says Bretz. “The event takes some of the best halfpipe snowboarders out there along with other talented slopestyle riders and puts them in the middle of what might be the most creative feature built on snow.”
Building the world’s only double Super Pipe is no easy feat. Chris Gunnarson, President of SPT, who organizes the design and build, says there are challenges to constructing the dual halfpipes. “The inaugural Red Bull Double Pipe in 2014 felt like such a groundbreaking moment in pipe and transition riding. Going into this second year we can push snowboarding progression even further,” said Gunnarson. “The experimental nature of this project has been such a cool collaboration between Red Bull, our team at SPT and the snowboarders to explore where pipe riding can go into the future. These are the kinds of projects that break new ground in our sport and that is what SPT is all about.”
This year modifications will be made to the two Super Pipes to make the lines and tricks more progressive than ever before. Each Super Pipe will again be 575’ long, approximately 68’ wide, and 22’ tall, but changes will be made to the spine, rails, gaps and more to make the largest halfpipe feature built to date even more rider-friendly and challenging than ever before.
“Red Bull Double Pipe’s return to Buttermilk is exciting,” says John Rigney, Aspen Skiing Company’s VP of Sales & Events. “It is a leading edge competition, the venue is spectacular, and the action both on and off the slopes in Aspen Snowmass is unrivaled in March. We look forward to its return.”
The Red Bull Double Pipe event format, schedule, and a complete list of riders will be announced in the coming months. In the meantime, please go to www.redbull.com/doublepipe and www.redbull.com/snow for updates on other snowboarding athletes, events and projects in the world of Red Bull.
Red Bull Double Pipe will again air as part of the Red Bull Signature Series on NBC, the most progressive action sports property in the world. The series features Red Bull’s most jaw-dropping events, including Frozen Rush, Straight Rhythm, Joyride and Rampage. For more information, please visit www.redbullsignatureseries.com.
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About Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Skiing Company operates the four mountains in the Aspen Snowmass area – Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk – as well as the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen Snowmass. The area offers unparalleled nightlife and off-slope activities as well. Aspen Snowmass is accessible by two of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (3 miles from Aspen) and Eagle County Airport (EGE) (70 miles from Aspen). For more information on Aspen Skiing Company, please call 800-525-6200 or 970-925-1220, or visit the company’s website at www.aspensnowmass.com.
About The Red Bull Signature Series
The Red Bull Signature Series is a collection of the most progressive action sports events in the world, featuring some of Red Bull’s top properties including Frozen Rush, Double Pipe, Joyride, Rampage and Straight Rhythm. Red Bull Media House and Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group, showcase the most progressive and innovative snowboarding, mountain biking, off-road trucking, freestyle motocross, skiing, surfing and BMX events, on custom courses from the inspiration of the athletes themselves. For more information, please visit www.redbullsignatureseries.com. Be sure to follow the Red Bull Signature Series on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
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Digital
www.redbull.com/doublepipe | @redbullDEN | #doublepipe
For Press Information
Raechel Ball | Red Bull Media House | 310-745-2034 | raechel.ball@us.redbull.com
Ryan Snyder | Red Bull Media House | 310-460-5362 | ryan.snyder@us.redbull.com
Meaghan Lynch| Aspen Snowmass | 970-300-7024 | mlynch@aspensnowmass.com