U.S. Ski & Snowboard has secured SunTrust Park outside Atlanta as the first host of the Visa City Big Air series, an annual snowboard and freeski competition designed for large urban venues. The event is slated for Dec. 20-21. Details have not been disclosed, but big air events call for snowboarders and freeskiers to launch themselves down a man-made ramp more than 100 feet high, and then do tricks for judges before landing. The discipline made its Olympic debut during the '18 Pyeongchang Games. USS in '16 tried the concept at Fenway Park, where the event drew good crowds and turned a narrow profit despite the unusual complexity and costs of building a ramp and bringing snow into the ballpark. Visa acquired title rights to the series when it renewed with USS through ’26 earlier this year. Pacifico is on board as a founding sponsor via its own deal with USS. The NGB expects to bring the event to a different stadium each year. Execs believe ticketed, urban events can be a game-changer for both its revenue and fan-development efforts, because its traditional ski resort competitions are naturally limited in growth potential. A press conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the stadium. The average temperatures in Cobb County, Ga., in December range from the low 40s at night to the mid-50s in the day.
