Here’s some encouraging/refreshing news on the legendary Arctic Challenge event for 2014.

I-Pod sending a backside air on the way to his win at last year’s Arctic Challenge. Photo: World Snowboard Tour

In a bid to rejuvenate what Terje Haakonsen has recognised as dying interest in halfpipe snowboarding, this year’s Arctic Challenge will have a unique spin on it to bring back some of the freestyle elements that it was founded on.

In March 2014, Terje will invite snowboarders to “help develop the future format of halfpipe contests” and alongside park shapers SPT, will create a competition pipe that offers more than two standard walls. The event will go down on 15th March 2014.

Following our recent debate piece on whether ‘contests are killing snowboarding’, and with the most standardized, inorganic snowboard contest that our sport knows right on the horizon, it’s rad to see that many of the comments calling for fresh, new competition formats are being taken onboard here.

Well enough waffle from us. Here’s the full press release, straight from the desk of Terje Haakonsen. This man speaks truth:

Freestyle snowboarding started with halfpipe 30 years ago. For a long time, snowboarding and halfpipe was the same thing. This is where freestyle snowboarding was born, but now it is a dying art form. The standardisation of pipes and contest formats kills the interest. The riding on the top level reaches new heights and rotations, but still fewer and fewer snowboarders start with pipe. Just like with gymnastics, we risk ending up with only a top elite of snowboarders having their 15 minutes of fame every four year in the Olympics. Very little has happened since halfpipe entered the Olympics. Today we have less halfpipes, fewer riders, almost no prize money, terrible tv-­ratings, almost no events and little spectators at the events.

The Arctic Challenge 2014 will be an attempt to get the “freestyle” and interest back into halfpipe snowboarding. Basically get snowboarding riding back to snowboard contests. We will experiment with different formats and halfpipe obstacles that can be suitable for halfpipe contests. We know there are many good people out there doing great stuff, so we are not saying we have the final formula. There is definitely room for changes. And we are not the only ones being frustrated of the decline in interest for the halfpipe. But we would like to invite a few riders, media and key industry people to push progression for snowboarding on The Arctic Challenge platform.

In 2014 it is 15 years since we did the pilot event. The background was much the same: People were frustrated. Back then, we made a concept where riders could strongly influence the infrastructure, contest and presentation. In March 2014 we will invite riders to help develop the future format of halfpipe contests with us. We will work with SPT to make a pipe that has more than two basic walls. We will present a slightly different pipe pipe and contest format for a packed Oslo audience on March 15.

As we gonna experiment with setup and contest format, we will not have a live tv event. There will be plenty of media exposure, though, with a 44 minute sports documentary as the main thing. We also have a great partnership Snowboarder Magazine. We will also deliver a solid concept for content sharing on social media platforms.

It’s not gonna be a ranking event, but we are working together with the World Snowboard Tour. And we are offering appearance fee and some prize money for all. All riders will get their share.

Please contact us [email protected] if you are interested in joining this project – rookies or established. We are looking for world class riders that are comfortable with both transition and park elements, and it doesn’t hurt if you can speak your mind in front of a tv camera.

Arrival day is March 11th. Pipe is open from the 12th to the 15th. TAC is part of the newly established Oslo Winterfestival, and there will a good crowd on the “finals” on March 15th. We will cover your hotel, food and travel here in Norway.

— Terje Haakonsen