Aussie Snowboarder Luke Staveley to Compete at World’s Largest Street Snowboard Event in Tokyo – Burton Rail Days
The ’14 field is introduced to a packed Tokyo crowd. Image:: Burton
Transfer x Burton
On November 14, for the fifth year running, a group of the World’s top street snowboarders will descend on the Roppongi Hills Arena, in the beating heart of Tokyo, for what has become the biggest urban snowboard contest in the World: The Fifth Annual Burton Rail Days, Presented by Mini. This year, 17 riders will compete on a specially designed street feature, surrounded by thousands of screaming Japanese fans while they do battle for the $27,000 prize purse.
The specially designed course provides a number of lines, maximising creativity and technicality. Image:: Burton
For the first time in 2015, the field won’t be limited to riders lucky enough to score a coveted invite. Burton mixed things up by offering a series of Burton Qualifier events in each region. In Australia, the qualifier was the Burton Cattleman’s Event in Victoria’s Mt Buller. On that stormy night back in July, Luke Staveley’s performance at Cattleman’s proved he is a force to be reckoned with and he will now test his rail skills on the global stage: “This is a great opportunity for Luke to show the snowboard world that he is a rider to watch, not only now, but into the future as well.” Said Paul Colby, Burton Australia’s Marketing and Brand Manager. “He also showed up that night and blew everyone away with a backside 50-50 transfer from the close-out to front-lip on the centre rail,” Added Transfer Editor, Alex Horvath. “We were so sure that wasn’t even possible.”
Luke holds his novelty boarding pass, the Mini Stand-Out award scored him a return flight to Japan and a Wildcard entry. Image:: Warden/Burton
There’s no doubt that Luke is going to have his work cut out for him, with big names like Zak Hale, Johnny O’Connor, Ethan Deiss and Japan’s home-crowd heroes Yuma Abe, Ryusei Takahashi and Yuki Kadano all on the roster. Burton Japan said of the stacked field: “The field of riders for Burton Rail Days isn’t your typical line-up of competitors. These guys won’t be found showcasing their talents in the Olympics, rather spending countless nights stacking video clips in the streets. These urban assailants make street snowboarding look effortless. They are truly masters of a unique craft.”
As usual, the event will be live-streamed to the Australia/New Zealand audience, stay tuned for details.
