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Boston Globe

Thousands crowd City Hall Plaza to watch top snowboarders compete at Red Bull Heavy Metal

Competitors did tricks on obstacles more commonly found in a skate park, including handrails, ledges, stairs, fences, and gaps. Organizers built the three competition zones into the architecture of the brutalist City Hall complex, with riders sliding down the plaza's real stair railings. 'I feel like we don't usually get stuff like this because we're not close to a mountain, so had to pop out, had to see Zeb Powell,' Camden Smith, 21, said. Advertisement For Smith, a Northeastern student and life-long skier, the design set the competition apart as the real deal for street snowboarding. He noted the competition paid attention to small details, like making sure to shovel the stairs. 'It's a thing in street snowboarding and skiing culture to shovel the stairs, because if you don't and you just leave snow it's like being in a park on a mountain,' he added. The concrete steps just feet away from the railing heighten the risk of a fall. Organizers shipped approximately Drake Warner warms up for Red Bull Heavy Metal at City Hall Plaza. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Hannah O'Neill, 34, drove to Boston from Sandwich to watch her friend's daughter, Veda Hallen, compete. 'I used to live out in California. It's where I really got into snowboarding and started following Zeb and a bunch of other riders,' O'Neill said. 'I saw they were coming to Boston and it's the first one on the East Coast, so I was really excited.' Kylie Chambers, 24, and Jack Desjarlais, 27, of Kittery, Maine snagged a coveted spot behind the starting point for a down-rail course facing Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The couple, who both snowboard for fun, was excited to watch their first live street snowboarding competition right in the middle of Boston. Advertisement People are standing on 10-foot snow piles and (precariously) balancing on banisters to catch a glimpse of the world's top snowboarders competing at Heavy Metal Boston in City Plaza — Jade Lozada (@jadelozada_) 'I haven't seen a real Red Bull event, but I've seen them online, so it's just fun to go in-person,' Chambers said. Chambers and Desjarlais said that watching professional snowboarding contests inspires them to hit the slopes themselves. 'It looks so cool, they make it look easy,' Desjarlais said. Greg Tobin, 34, of Foxborough, a snowboarder for 24 years, expressed disappointment with the long wait for the down-rail contest in front of Faneuil Hall Marketplace to begin, but was excited to watch the competition with two of his friends who were also avid snowboarders. 'This is the first time they had it here, so when I saw it I said, 'hey, we got to go,'' he said. Chris Taylor, 44, drove from Easton with his partner and 11-year-old daughter to City Hall after hearing about Heavy Metal from his co-workers at Gillette. Thousands of spectators are waiting for the down rail event to begin in front of Faneuil Hall at Red Bull Heavy Metal — Jade Lozada (@jadelozada_) 'I'm not a very good snowboarder, but I can ski pretty good, so I figured I'd see where they'd set up a track,' Taylor said. Heavy Metal brings the sport from the slopes of ski resorts to audiences in the heart of cities, including St. Paul, Minn., where Red Bull staged a contest earlier this month. The first Heavy Metal was held at Niagara Falls in 2002, with several events in the early 2000s before the competition went on hiatus. Heavy Metal returned in 2022 with an event in Duluth, Minn. BBrett Stamper flipped through the air while warming up for Red Bull Heavy Metal. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff The City Hall Plaza crowd reacted to a competitor during the competition. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff