SunTrust Park hosts winter sports competition

ATLANTA - It’s usually baseballs flying through the air at SunTrust Park – but over the next few days, you’re more like to see snowballs inside the Cobb County venue.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has partnered with the Atlanta Braves for the Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover, happening Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21st at SunTrust Park.  The snowboard and freeski competition will feature some of the best winter sports athletes in the world, and is the first event of its kind held in Metro Atlanta.  So how exactly will people be skiing and snowboard inside a ballpark?  How about on a 15-story tall steel structure covered with 800 tons of snow!  The competitors will speed down a roughly 40-degree slope before launching into the air at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour – and once they’re airborne, they’ll complete some truly mind-blowing tricks.  All of this, of course, leads up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, at which freeski big air will make its Olympic debut.     

Activities and entertainment for fans will be available at The Battery from Noon to 10:00 p.m. both Friday and Saturday – and gates at SunTrust Park will open at 5:30 p.m. both days.  Men’s and women’s snowboard big air practice and finals will take place on Friday, and freeski big air practice and finals will take place on Saturday.

Of course, as soon as we heard a giant mountain of snow was being built inside SunTrust Park, we knew we needed to see it!  So, the Good Day feature team spent the morning getting a first look at the upcoming competition.  Click the video player to check it out!