Check out the rider list for the return of the infamous contest.
Sunday, January 16, 2022, it’s going down in Duluth. For the first time since 2003 (right?), Red Bull Heavy Metal has returned and a whole new crop of rail riding mavericks have descended on the lakeside town to compete. Saying the rider’s list is stacked is an understatement (you can see the full roster below). Red Bull tapped Joe Sexton to make sure the crew was complete, so this year’s Heavy Metal is a who’s who of both established riders and up-and-comers. Watch Benny Milam, Miles Fallon, Zeb Powell, Alexis Roland, Nora Beck, Danimals, Danyale Patterson, Rob Roethler, Pat and Joey Fava, Eli Lamm, Jadyn Chomlack, Marty Vachon, Iris Pham, Grace Warner and more drop in in Cascade Park starting at 1pm CST tomorrow.
The return of Heavy Metal is one thing, but to have the event make its debut in the handrail mecca that is Duluth, Minnesota is even more rad. Nial Romanek will be riding; he grew up just a little over an hour outside the city and while he lives in Tahoe now and most of the jibs he hits are in the backcountry lately, he remains one of snowboarding’s most technical rail riders.
“It’s an honor to get invited,” commented Nial. “The last time they held Heavy Metal was one of the first years I started snowboarding and it’s something that still sticks out in my mind. It’s so cool to see the event come back, and to have it be so close to where I grew up is insane. It’s sick that it’s at a venue where there’s so much snowboard history and so many heavy things have gone down.”
Speaking of Duluth, if you’re in town for the contest–or at any other time you’re in the area–make sure to swing by Damage, one of our favorite brick-and-mortars.
You can watch live here, but you need to have a TikTok account, so sign up for one before 1pm Central Time to watch the contest go down on three different zones in Cascade Park from 1-6pm.
Red Bull Heavy Metal 2022 rider list:
Men’s Division
Benny Milam
Rob Roethler
Miles Fallon
Danimals
Zeb Powell
Mike Liddle
Justin Fronius
Nial Romanek
Dylan Okurowski
Austin Visintainer
Marty Vachon
Kyle Kennedy
Eli Lamm
Jordan Small
Pat Fava
Joey Fava
Mike Skiba
Nate Haust
Colton Rutledge
River Richer
Brett Stamper
Fumiya Okomoto
Casey Fzlipszen
Ryan Paul
Garrett McKenzie
Blake Lamb
Sam Klein
Jadyn Chomlack
Billy Contie
Sam Anderson
Calvin Green
Pete Croasdale
Women’s Division
Alexis Roland
Melissa Riitano
Nora Beck
Maggie Leon
Danyale Patterson
Kaleah Opal Driscoll
Gracie Warner
Iris Pham
Hannah Peterson
Jaylen Hanson
For anyone old enough to currently experience random lower back pain from moderate activity, it’s likely you have watched Mack Dawg’s Game Show at least once (or many times on repeat). The first section, beginning at 1:15, features 2003’s Red Bull Heavy Metal in Portland, Oregon. Riders include Danny Kass, Hana Beaman, E-Tree, Simon Chamberlain, Kyle Clancy, TJ Schneider, and of course, Josh Dirksen in a football uniform hitting the down rail, football in hand. If you haven’t seen Game Show, it’s definitely worth a watch.
Stay tuned for full coverage right here and updates throughout the event on @snowboardmag.
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