Air & Style
Air & Style is one of the biggest freestyle snowboard festivals in Europe. It is held annually since 1993 in December and is considered the first competition, which has placed its focus on the so-called straight jump. Inventor and organizer of the event is Andrew Hourmont with the company Air & Style Company (legally: Agency for Sport Music Lifestyle GmbH ) in Innsbruck, Austria, which is since 2014 a majority-owned by two-time Air & Style winner Shaun White.
- 2.1 history
- 2.2 Chronology / Winner
- 3.1 CDs
Snowboard Contest
History
Formation
1993 Andrew worked Hourmont more than snowboard photographer and animated as part of a film project several professional driver to take part in a small contest in Innsbruck Bergisel Stadium. With scarce sponsor funds and hope for a couple of snowboarders (500 expected) was the first Air & Style contest held on 17 January 1994 and exceeded with about 5000 paying visitors all expectations of the organizers. In the history of freestyle snowboarding the Air & Style Contest is considered the first of its kind, in which the straight jump was in the foreground. The contest was endowed with $ 10,000 and was won by Reto Lamm features a front flip as winning jump.
Development
In the same year (1994 ) organized Andrew Hourmont after massive increase in the budget the second Air & Style Contest on 19 December 1994, it has already been recorded by MTV or followed by Snowboarder Magazine and sponsored. The prize money was doubled to 20,000 U.S. dollars as well as the number of visitors (10,000 ). Ingemar Backman won the competition and this year also the first after-show party was held in Innsbruck.
In 1995, the Air & Style Contest began to boom. Not only the skill and technical development of the driver's grown since the first competition rapidly, and the prize money of U.S. $ 50,000 and two hottest bands of the time ( H -Blockx, Clawfinger ) left the contest become a standard in the snowboarding culture. The win was the Norwegian Terje Håkonsen with a Stiff secure 360 °, although he criticized the jury demonstrative.
A new hill construction in 1996 raised the requirements for the driver to a higher level. The jump has been extended with a quarter pipe at the end and also the festival witnessed a prominent array of musical support (Bush, Ugly Kid Joe, Massive Attack ), a new peak in prize money ( 75,000 U.S. dollars plus a KTM motocross machine) and a record number of over 25,000 visitors.
The Air & Style contest was broadcast from 1997 for the first time by MTV and other channels live, bands like Faith No More and Bad Religion could undertake and grew massively in its dimensions. With prize money of 100,000 U.S. dollars ( and a Harley- Davidson), a new record in snowboard area was also an international corporation. Also this year, surpassing the number of visitors far the 25.000er brand.
The sponsors allowed in 1998 a further expansion of the event, which was grown into an established standard in the snowboard freestyle pro scene and was seen as a stepping stone to great careers. Among other things, the prize money of 150,000 U.S. dollars ( and an Audi A3 Quattro ) made the contest a celebrated event scene and still attracted more visitors than the event in the previous year.
Moving to Seefeld
Late in the evening of December 4, 1999 five people died on her injuries as a result of Massendrängelei. On the Air & Style website is called 45,000 visitors and more. Due to the lack of safety precautions of the operators and the totally congested logistics and infrastructure of Bergisel arena came after the event to a human stampede, which the outputs and barriers could not withstand. Therefore, there was a dense crowd, in which the pressure of the people was partly so strong that five people died as a result of crushing their lives. From a sporting point of view of the 7th Air & Style Contest for the first time by an Austrian (Stefan Gimpl ) was obtained, which is a large part of the prize money of 200,000 U.S. dollars ( an Audi A3 Quattro ) got. In addition to this contest participated for the first time female snowboarders.
The city of Innsbruck, which had the Air & Style Contest always been little support, allowed no further events as well as the Bergisel was then redeveloped in terms of safety. Following the contest had to find a new venue and signed in the nearby village of Seefeld in Tirol, a 5- year contract.
On December 9, 2000 was held in the Casino Seefeld Arena 8th Air & Style Contest. He was with 250,000 U.S. dollars ( and an Audi A3 Quattro ) surprisingly won the hitherto most lucrative sporting event at the Air & Style story and was again by Stefan Gimpl. The ever- growing mainstream nature of the event is controlled from now on also in many respects from the corresponding instances and attempts to address an ever wider audience.
In 2001, after Gimpls third win in a row ( with basically the same jump, the 1080 Cab ), then changed the following year, 2002, the concept of the ramps, which are driven by the straight jump and can bring additional points. Funpark elements ( rails, ramps, quarter pipes ) were a creative extension for the participants. The then 16 -year-old Shaun White was the 10th Air & Style Contest for the first time sit up and took 2nd place behind David Benedek.
2003 and 2004 won the snowboard prodigy, Shaun White, who showed extraordinary demonstrations of his skills. Likewise Motocross show were integrated and further developed, was impressively as in the sold-out final event in 2004 demonstrated, as was the first ever stood on snow cracked backflip on a motorcycle.
Moving to Munich
Seefeld did not renew the contract and so had the Air & Style Contest wander again. With the Olympic Stadium in Munich, the event took a new partner and signed a five- year contract. On 3 December 2005 took place there the first Air & Style Games and the conceptual framework of the competition has been extended with the discipline of freestyle motocross. However, although various ideas on the motorcycle with previous Air & Style events took place, but it has now managed as competition.
2006, the competition was expanded to Snowboard Rookie Challenge. 10 newcomers from different nations compete in a half-hour race against each other. The winner will receive a permission to start among the best 16 participants at the next event. Freestyle Motocross was replaced on 15 Nokia Air & Style Contest in 2007 by Freestyle Snowmobile Cross as a new discipline. Riders from different nations jumped with a snowmobile on a hill and led various artistic maneuvers in the air through which were then evaluated by a jury. The event was 28,000 paying visitors the most successful Air & Style in Munich.
Cleavage / return to Innsbruck
The city administration Innsbruck announced on 15 February 2007 that it would welcome a return of the event in the Bergisel for several reasons now very. In early March of 2007 began the first negotiations and the first quarter pipe discharge took place on 2 February 2008 in Innsbruck. To increase the appeal factor, the biggest quarterpipe was built, which served as the basis per a competition. Above all, this should also record the height of 9.8 m, which holds Terje Håkonsen be broken. This could not be achieved, however, the competition was won by Kevin Pearce, who has also decided the Big Air Competition in Munich for itself and thus is the first rider who has won two Air & Style contests in a season. As a precautionary measure before a new misfortune 12,000 spectators were admitted for the first new event in Innsbruck, the stadium was completely sold out. On 5 December 2009, a straight- Jump competition was exactly 10 years after the disaster of 1999 again discharged, which for future events the quarterpipe competition likely must give way.
Extension
In 2010, Air & Style Company confirmed a straight jump competition in Beijing, which will be held on December 4th and will be presented among others by Shaun White. Still a further date has been set for Munich with the 12th February 2011. Since a discharge will take place in Innsbruck, this is the first season with three events, each of which is classified as a 6 -Star TTR event and makes the Air & Style thus one of the most influential snowboard contest series worldwide. After the competition on December 8, 2012 in Beijing was again a guest, the competition will take place on 1 and 2 February 2013 at Bergisel held in Innsbruck. It will be held both a jam session and a burn Style Session.
Political
Until the dissolution of 2002, the points won the driver were incorporated into the ISF rating, since the founding of the TTR World Snowboard Tour shortly after the points are counted in that official Snowboard World Ranking. The Air & Style Big Air is a so-called 6- Star TTR event and therefore one of the most important on the World Tour 1000 World Ranking points for the winners.
Furthermore, Andrew Hourmont has announced plans to make the event a series which cities to include, such as Paris and London. Munich remains preliminary, a contract, which still holds four more sweeps is signed for this purpose, which is why the Straight Jump - host for the time being remain in Munich. On February 2, 2008 saw the start of the first quarter pipe competition in Innsbruck, which was classified as 5 - star TTR contest in the first year of its existence. The second Air & Style quarterpipe competition on January 31, 2009, the event is already being made as a 6- star TTR event. The event was completely sold out already almost two weeks before the start.
Because of an early exit of the main sponsor in the summer of 2008, the Straight Jump event in Munich could not be financed in the same year and therefore had to be canceled. In the spring of 2009, Air & Style Company announced that the event will be announced as a series and will be held in Innsbruck, Munich and Moscow. Instead Moscow but then 2010 Beijing was confirmed in the summer and also played in the same year.
On January 13, 2014 it was announced that the snowboard professional and two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White is the new majority owner of Air & Style Company. Founder Andrew Hourmont remains Europe 's managing director. White was the contest in 2003 and 2004 to decide for themselves.
Winner - Chronology
Skateboard Contest
History
Between 1999 and 2001 competitions were held in skateboarding, were present at the likes of Tony Hawk, Andy MacDonald, Sandro Dias and Sergie Ventura.
The original plan was to establish the Air & Style Skate Contest to a similar size in the skateboard area, as it has done in snowboard area its big brother. Due to various factors, this project had to be shelved for the time being.
Chronology / Winner
Publications / Releases
Over the years, several official videos and 9 music compilations have been published for the event, which revolved mainly around the occurred bands and other well-known artists in the snowboarding genre.
CDs
- 2004 - Air & Style History 1993-2004