Air & Style

Charly Weger and his snowboard photographer friend Andrew Hourmont first started the Air & Style Contest in Innsbruck. They only expected some hundred spectators but more than a few thousand showed up to see a single Straight Jump from each rider. From there on it developed into one of the most influential snowboard challenges today. Until 1999 the sponsorship exploded and over 45.000 visitors witnessed the last Air & Style in Innsbruck, when six people died after the show when everybody tried to leave at once and the exits could not funnel the masses. The Contest had to move and the Bergisel stadium was renovated. In Seefeld, a place near Innsbruck five other contests were held until 2005 it found a new home in Munich, Germany where it expanded its program with Freestyle Motocross. For February 2008 the contest returned to Innsbruck, and will presumably stay there for the following years. Also three Skateboard contests have taken place in Innsbruck and Seefeld, even won by Tony Hawk in 1999. After the end of the International Snowboarding Federation in 2002 the contest joined the newly formed TTR World Tour, and Air & Style Munich is now a 6-Star event on the World Tour, whilst Air & Style Innsbruck has a 5-Star accreditation. In 2000 the prize money was over 250.000 US Dollars (including an Audi A3). On February 2nd 2008, an Air & Style Quarterpipe event was held in Innsbruck in addition to the Straight Jump in Munich. Kevin Pearce won the event which makes him the first winner of two Air & Style competitions in one season. The organisor has announced that this event will from now on also be held annually as a TTR 6 Star event.