Red Bull Heavy Metal full riders list announced
SAINT PAUL, JAN 21, 2025 – In just under two weeks, thirty of the world’s top Street Snowboarders will return to the Minnesota State Capitol Building to compete in the premiere event in street snowboarding: Red Bull Heavy Metal.
Red Bull Heavy Metal is a single-day competition that features a variety of unique obstacles and lines, compiled in one downtown space for the ultimate exhibition in technical skill and personal style.
The competition began in the early 2000s to celebrate the snowboarders who didn’t only ride in the mountains and at snow resorts. It shone a light on street snowboarding, a style of riding that emphasizes the use of features that wouldn’t look out of place at a skatepark: rails, stairs, and other natural features. The series was revived in January 2022 as the first Red Bull Heavy Metal in nearly 20 years was held at Cascade Park in Duluth, MN and moved to Hart Plaza in Detroit, MI for 2023. In 2024 the event transformed the historic Minnesota State Capitol’s steps and rails into an electrifying arena.
Red Bull Heavy Metal will take place on Saturday, February 1 at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, MN. Viewing is free and open to all spectators. Gates will open at 1PM and the competition will run from 2-5PM. Following the conclusion of the event, there will be an afterparty at Patrick McGovern’s Pub and Restaurant in downtown Saint Paul.
As in years past, Red Bull Heavy Metal’s contest format will see competitors testing their talent and technical abilities on three different zones. The zones emphasize different skillsets and, together, showcase various disciplines within the sport of Street Snowboarding.
• Zone One is a light pole gap on the lowest set of stairs on the south side of the Capitol, where electric winches will tow riders into a 30-foot gap.
• Zone Two moves the competition up the main stairs with a pair of handrail features and marble ledges.
• Zone Three concludes the action on the main stair set, focusing on 60-feet-long kinked rail that works its way down the length of the stairs.
Like last year, a winner and runner-up for each zone will be named for both the male and female competitors. At the end of the competition, the judges will crown one male and one female rider the overall champion. A $30,000 prize purse will be split among these awards, with equal prizing for men and women.
A trio of snowboarding legends, Luke Winkelman (winner of Red Bull Heavy Metal 2024), Darrell Mathes, and Mary Walsh, have been tapped to judge the contest.
The confirmed rider list consists of male and female competitors from across North America and Europe. The mix of veterans and up-and-coming talent should make for quite an exciting contest.
CONFIRMED RIDERS
Benny Milam
Grace Warner
Benny Urban
LJ Henriquez
Sam Anderson
Paula Benito
Nate Bujarski
Pete Croasdale
Quin Ellul
Joey Fava
Pat Fava
Kevin Gillespie
Veda Halen
Jaylen Hanson
Dillon Hendrickson
Jayva Jordan
Sam Klein
Beck Lobben
Garrett Mckenzie
Brantley Mullens
Denver Orr
Ryan Paul
Jess Perlmutter
Iris Pham
Rob Roethler
Brett Stamper
Austin Visintainer
Egan Wint
The final two slots remain open for the male and female winners of the Last Chance Qualifier being held at Buck Hill in Burnsville, MN on Friday, January 31. Registration for the qualifier is now open to the public, and participation is limited to the first fifty registrants. More details can be found at www.redbull.com/heavymetal under the “Qualifier” tab.
For those who cannot be in attendance, the event will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, February 16 at 9:30PM Central. Red Bull will also release video content to recap and support the event on the Red Bull Snow YouTube channel. More info on viewing/attending the event can be found at https://www.redbull.com/heavymetal
