Ready, set, JUMP.. and FREEZE!

Winter here is a cause for celebration, and while this season has been a stellar one, it’s no secret that the sun is lingering around a little longer each evening, and our days are warm enough that people are opting for sunnies over goggles. The beginning of Spring is here, and along with it comes the outrageously hilarious Red Bull Jump and Freeze. If you were here last year, you’d have seen the Queenstown legend Patrick Halgren throw some fluid freestyle whilst being chased by a blow up shark – once hitting the splash he threw off his prosthetic leg and squirted tomato sauce in the air in a theatrical display of hilarity. The crowd goes wild, the judges deemed it fab – and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, Pat’s the winner of the day. This year, all bets are off.

Up the mountain, it can seem like people do take themselves a wee bit too seriously – so the Jump and Freeze is the perfect combatant. You are expected to dress like an odd-ball, in a costume (or vehicle – last year a guy had a giant balloon Red Bull plane – not to harp on, but 2017 was STELLAR), kick down a slope, throw in your most impressive flips and tricks in front of a big uproarious crowd of expectant admirers, to land into an insanely freezing pond of mountain water.