Despite the drought expected to continue in California throughout the winter months, snow will hit the Rose Bowl in February.
It’s courtesy of snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, who plans to transform the arena into a winter wonderland for an annual international competition and festival held in the U.S. for the first time.
White, born and raised in Southern California, is bringing the Air & Style event to Pasadena, which will feature snowboarding, skiing, live music, gaming tents, food trucks, a fashion arena and a "learn to ride" workshop on Feb. 21 and 22, 2015, according to the Air & Style website.
But event officials know the 190,000 gallons of water they plan to use to create it will draw criticism amid the statewide drought crisis.
"We've been very conscious of the fact that water is a difficult issue nowadays," said Victor Gordo, Rose Bowl Operating Company Board president and Pasadena city councilman.
To offset the effects, the Rose Bowl plans not to water its golf course over the course of the two days in February, saving around 700,000 gallons of water. They will also repurpose water brought in for the event to help replenish the Los Angeles water supply, officials said.
At the Rose Bowl, a huge 16-story, 75-foot jump will be constructed.
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“It's incredible to be standing up there getting ready to do your jump," White said. "It's only gotten bigger, it's only more impressive."
White added that this will be the last stop after a long competitive streak for many of the athletes.
"We're going to want to show everyone around here what we do and kind of how crazy we are," said Joss Christensen, Olympic gold medalist in freestyle skiing.
The event began in 1994 in Austria, and has been held annually ever since. White won the 2003 competition, but will not be competing as host this year.
Tickets for the event start at $139.
