Edmonton Style Experience big air World Cup to be first of 2022/23 “Shred the North” series in Canada

July 7, 2022, Edmonton, AB – Last Thursday in The Commonwealth Stadium, Canada Snowboard’s Director of Business Operatios Brendan Matthews, and Cindy Medynski, Interim director for Edmonton events, accompanied by three-time Olympic medallist Max Parrot announced that Edmonton will be the host city of Canada’s first ever Snowboard FIS World Cup ‘Stadium’ big air competition. The event, known as ‘The Style Experience,’ will be the first North American stop of the 2022/23 FIS World Cup season, and will showcase the best snowboarders in the world in a festival of action and entertainment, all housed within The Commonwealth Stadium in from 9-10 December, 2022. 

Canada Snowboard has a strong history of major events and its Shred the North Series of World Cups in 2022/23 cover all disciplines of competitive snowboarding spanning the country. 

The Edmonton stadium Big Air World Cup will be the pinnacle event of the Shred the North Series and the only ‘in city’ stadium event in Canada. It will be a one-of-a-kind spectator and entertainment-focused festival celebrating snowboard culture and style with plans for live music, art, vendors, food, and complimentary sports and spectacles such as freestyle snowmobile demonstrations, a potential 3×3 basketball tournament, and of course the world’s best snowboarders riding on a massive scaffolding jump under the lights – the likes of which has never been seen in Canada.

The Commonwealth Stadium is an epic venue of coliseum proportions and the perfect location to premiere an event of this magnitude in the country that is home to many of the best big air snowboarders on earth. It is the largest open-air stadium in Canada and the venue for the recently held World Cup Soccer qualifier between Canada and Mexico when the match earnt its iconic name ‘Iceteca’. 

The Style Experience will have a unique format. It will not only host a FIS Snowboard big air World Cup, but also an event-within-the-event focussed primarily on style in the form of an interactive entertainment-focused event where competitors and the live audience will connect. Head-to-head battles between the sport’s biggest names will go down, with creativity and style will rewarded over fast rotations. This will provide loads of entertainment for both the riders and the audience and should be a fun way to showcase the best of what snowboarding has to offer. 

“Thankfully Snowboarding and cold weather go hand in hand!” Canada Snowboard’s CEO Dustin Heise said when asked about the partnership with Edmonton City. ‘December in Edmonton is the perfect time to celebrate Fall, with Winter just around the corner. Temperatures will be dropping and the stoke level will be high for Edmontonians and fellow Canadians to witness the best snowboarders in the world battling it out for money and the glory right there in their city. Canada Snowboard has pushed to launch an urban, stadium big air event of this magnitude for some time. The partnership we have built with Edmonton City as the event host is ideal, with the consistent early-season cool temperatures and its large, fun-loving outdoor population that is famous for. Edmonton boasts world-class venues and hotels and there is no doubt the city will be the perfect host to the large group of international teams and social media influencing rock-stars the sport of snowboarding is known for. This year’s event will be the first of many more to come.” 

Canada is a proven nation for world-class big air snowboarders, boasting many of the legends of the sport as their own, including the likes of Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist Max Parrot, and Olympic silver medalist and current FIS big air World Champion Laurie Blouin.  Throw in 3-time Olympic medalist and all-time X Games snowboard medals leader Mark McMorris, Olympic gold medalist and multiple X Games gold winner Sebastien Toutant, X Games gold medallist Darcy Sharpe, and 2021/22 Park & Pipe overall third-place finisher Jasmine Baird, and you’ve got a formidable lineup indeed for the host nation.

The Style Experience will be Canada’s first-ever large stadium big air World Cup competition, and the event will the first of seven World Cup competitions to hit Canadian soil in 2022/23. Other World Cup events in the Shred the North series include parallel slalom and parallel slalom team competitions from 26-27 January 2023 in Blue Mountain, Ontario, snowboard cross and snowboard cross team events from 03-05 February 2023 in Mt St. Anne, Quebec, and halfpipe and slopestyle competitions from February 09-12 2023 in Calgary, Alberta.

Read on for quotes from some of the main figures in what is shaping up to be a highlight event of the 2022/23 season…

 “It’s awesome to have a Big Air World Cup back in Canada, the stadium setup in Edmonton looks epic and it’s always amazing to compete in front of a huge canadian crowd.’ – Laurie Blouin, Olympic silver Medallist

“I’m stoked there will be a Big Air event back in Canada this year. I can’t wait to compete in front of all the fans and be part of such an exciting new event.” – Maxence Parrot, three-time Olympic medallist

“Inner city FIS big air World Cups are the Formula 1 of snowboarding events. They are non-stop live entertainment, spotlighting the world’s best freestyle snowboarders on enormous jump structures delivering the best of freestyle snowboarding right to your door. The FIS World Cup Big Air Series showcases the host city and the arrival of the snow season. We welcome Edmonton to the series, supported by the Canada Snowboard” – Dean Gosper, FIS Council Member and Chair of the FIS Snowboard Freestyle Freeski Committee

“Edmonton is delighted to host this exciting new event at Commonwealth Stadium in December. Edmonton has a rich history of hosting world-class events, and this will be no exception. We look forward to showcasing Commonwealth Stadium – and our ability to think differently – by bringing snowboarding into an urban environment. Our city is a place of year-round action, and events such as this are important to showcase Edmonton as a vibrant place to live and play. ” – Amarjeet Sohi, edmonton Mayor

Further details on the Edmonton Style Experience big air World Cup, including ticket sales, detailed schedules, and additional festival elements, will be announced over the summer and into the fall.