Shaun White's Air + Style festival this year will be "closer to the ground" without the 16-story-high big air ramp that had been the "focal point of the festival" since its inception, according to Richard Guzman of the Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM. Air + Style, now in its fourth year, will return to L.A.'s Exposition Park on March 3-4 and in place of the big air ramp will "instead showcase urban snowboarding with athletes competing in a snow covered street scene created in collaboration with Big Bear Mountain Resort." While the festival "won’t be the concert and snowboard competition" originally organized by White, it will now "include a skateboarding competition for the first time." Over the two days, more than 20 bands will "perform on two stages, led by" the band Phoenix, DJ Zedd and rapper Gucci Mane (Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM, 1/10). USA TODAY's Rachel Axon notes the big air jump "will make its return for Air + Style Australia in August" and the event will be "contested in the Olympics for the first time" at the Pyeongchang Games (USA TODAY, 1/10).
