Telma Sarkipaju and LJ Henriquez showing off their hardware. Photo: Red Bull
LJ Henriquez and Telma Särkipaju won Red Bull’s 2026 Heavy Metal Finals Saturday in front of a massive Boston crowd. Red Bull announced a live attendance of 20,000 in 2025 — only four years after re-launching the classic street snowboard competition in Duluth, Minnesota in 2022 — and on the eyeball test alone, Saturday’s crowd could easily have been in that same ballpark.Fans were climbing trees and light poles just to get a view of each competition zone.
It’s a big leap in exposure for the street snowboarding scene when you consider the event’s roots. It all began just north of Buffalo, New York at Niagara Falls in 2002. After a brief run, the event was put on ice for 20 years. It was relaunched at Duluth, Minnesota’s Cascade Park in 2022, an epicenter for street riding.
Saturday’s action in Boston proved that the event format can attract an audience anywhere. Henriquez’s performance and energy seemed to be peaking in Zone 3’s rail session — a multi-kink rail with a gap after its first section. Only a couple athletes attempted to connect that first rail, but Henriquez’s two sessions in Zone 3 were full of variety. By the time the final came around he was claiming, waving his arms in celebration, and running back up the stairs after each run.
“This is the pinnacle event in the world for street snowboarding right now,” Henriquez said. “To win here, close to home, in front of my friends and family is such a surreal feeling. Everyone here is the best, so I had to go as hard as possible at all times to come away with the win.”
Finland’s Telma Särkipaju, on the other hand, seemed reserved in comparison while she put together a consistent and solid day at all three competition zones. At one point she reached the bottom of the rail and let out a couple of fist pumps that seemed like they went completely unnoticed by the crowd, the chaos of one rider dropping after another almost drowning out the 20-year-old’s quiet excitement.
Ironically, Särkipaju’s wasn’t so quiet when the winners were announced. She darted over to the podium to hug and congratulate New Jersey’s Henriquez as he was being mobbed by the other riders. After celebrating with him for a moment, she walked away while he soaked up the win. Henriquez posed for photos and took in the moment until the announcers called for Särkipaju, who had been so focused on celebrating the men’s overall winner that she didn’t notice her name being called the first time around.
“I had no expectations coming in and was just hoping to make finals, so to actually win something this big means a lot,” Särkipaju said. “I saw videos from last year and thought it was next level, but being here and feeling that crowd was unlike anything I’ve experienced. Their energy definitely made the difference.”
All in all, it was a fantastic showcase for street snowboarding, with Boston making for an incredible venue.
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