Street snowboarding is coming back to Boston, and Zeb Powell is leading the charge.
The top street contest in America will have not one, but two stops this year. Riders will head to City Hall Plaza – once the home of the Boston Calling Music Festival – to tackle custom-designed rails, gaps, and features. The contest will go down on February 22, 2025.
“Some of the world's best riders will journey to Boston for a legendary showcase of the grit, creativity, and raw energy that defines street snowboarding,” Red Bull said. “The contest will feature three differentiated competition zones, each highlighting different aspects of street snowboarding.”
Heavy Metal will be free to attend, and open to the public. Powell hinted at the contest in a couple of cryptic Instagram story posts. The photos featured City Hall Plaza, including an infamous staircase directly across the street from Quincy Market.
Mark Clavin
“Who’s got spot pins in Boston,” Powell posted on his Instagram January 9, 2025. “Scheming on something with Red Bull in Boston, MA.”
Powell participated in the 2023 Heavy Metal contest in Detroit, Michigan. Watch a recap of that event here.
The Boston contest will be the second Heavy Metal contest of the month for Red Bull. A February 1, 2025 date for St. Paul, Minnesota has already been announced. It will be the second year in a row the contest goes off in Minnesota. Last year’s event went down at the State Capitol building, and Gov. Tim Walz, who later became the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, was notably in attendance.
Though the rider list has not yet been revealed, plenty of east coasters will no doubt be itching to get the call from Red Bull. Past contests have included winners Egan Wint and Luke Winkelmann, Jaylen Hansen, Pat and Joey Fava, Benny Milam, Sam Klein, Denver Orr, Austin Vizz, Grace Warner, and Irish Pham.
More information surrounding the event will be released in the coming weeks, including the full rider lineup, attendance details, and Last Chance Qualifier registration.
This is perhaps the biggest snowboarding to come to Beantown since the 2016 Polartec Big Air contest at Fenway Park. That contest brought the Killington Resort snowmaking team in to make snow for the 150’ jump at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark. Sage Kotsenburg, Brandon Davis, Max Parrot, and Jamie Anderson were among the snowboarders that dropped in atop the Green Monster. You can watch a recap of that event below.