Street snowboarding — and truckloads of snow — return to Boston's City Hall Plaza this weekend

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The Winter Olympics come to a close this weekend, but the snow sports action isn’t over here in Boston. This Saturday, locals will have a chance to watch elite snowboarding up close, though it may look a little different than what you’ve seen on TV these past few weeks.

Red Bull Heavy Metal, a single-day street snowboarding competition, is returning for its second year in Boston. Unlike the type of freestyle snowboarding you’d see at the Olympics (where athletes do tricks off of downhill jumps, boxes and rails), street snowboarding involves obstacles found in cities, like handrails, ledges, stairs and fences. (Click here to watch highlights from last year’s event.) Judging is also a bit more subjective, according to Joe Sexton, the competition director for the event.

“It’s a lot more about expression,” Sexton told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow. “It’s how you do the tricks, it’s how you look doing the tricks.”

To turn City Hall Plaza into a winter playground equipped for rail grinding and stair jumps, Red Bull Heavy Metal organizers truck in more than a hundred tons of snow from Loon Mountain. Though there’s plenty of natural snow around Boston this year, Sexton says the competition requires more to build a firm base. “With how much it's getting ridden on, you just need to have those reserves of enough snow to build a foundation,” said Sexton.

The event drew thousands of spectators to its debut at City Hall Plaza last year — a “huge success” Sexton chalks up, in part, to its accessibility. The event was free to attend — and didn’t require a long drive up to the mountains. Last year’s lineup also included top athletes, like Olympian Jess Perlmutter and street snowboarder Zeb Powell, the latter of whom is returning for this Saturday’s event.

“​​ It's a way to introduce people who maybe would never see this type of event to street snowboarding,” said Sexton. “They can walk out their front door or drive a little bit and see world-class snowboarding right in front of them.”

With a few additions, organizers are hoping to build on last year’s event. Sexton says this year they’ll have a jumbotron, which will help accommodate even more spectators — and ensure that they all can see what’s happening.

“Way more likelihood of you seeing action,” said Sexton. They’ll also have food trucks, vendors and music. Gates for spectators open at 2 p.m. The competition will officially begin at 2:30 p.m. and runs through 5:30 p.m. The first-place winners will take home several thousand dollars in prizes.

“It’s just a cool, electric atmosphere,” said Sexton. “I think the crowd's gonna see top tier snowboarding, a lot of action, some crashes and hopefully leave with an appreciation of what these guys and girls do.”

P.S. — Hoping to do some of your own shredding this season? Check out our guide to skiing across New England — including the easiest places to get to from Boston.