Snowboarding in... Manhattan?

When a snow storm hits, most people heed the warnings and stay inside. But this past weekend, a few brave souls ignored that advice and decided to venture outside and explore New York City.

That is where their excitement started. They took a Jeep, put some chains on the tires and attached a rope-tow to the back. And then they proceeded to ski and snowboard the hauntingly (nearly) vacant and beautiful snow-covered Manhattan streets.

Using several cameras, including a GoPro, they were able to capture the thrilling footage that is set to Frank Sinatra’s, “New York, New York.” The viral video features Internet star Casey Neistat and fellow filmmaker Oscar Boyson, performing a variety of daredevil stunts to the delight of onlookers.

With over 6 million views, the piece is compelling for a variety of reasons. It showcases the winter wonderland that was New York City on one January afternoon in 2016. It spotlights a few intrepid individuals who, figuratively, opted to turn left when everyone else was turning right, and have some fun during this weekend’s blizzard. And it demonstrates the creativity one can have by thinking outside the box and not being limited by the constraints of human nature.

While Neistat, Boyson and friends probably broke a number of laws, the prank was relatively harmless which is why it was so refreshing to see the video end with the police officer pulling up to the Jeep and saying, “Someone complained about you, so we’re going to act like we’re talking to you.”

“You guys are awesome,” Neistat replies.

 Perhaps the greatest lesson of this video is that we should take chances because life can be – if you want it to – be as exhilarating as skiing through Times Square in the middle of a blizzard.

To document your own adventure, we encourage you to visit our online store and check out our collection of GoPro cameras and accessories. And click here to see more of Neistat’s work and  to see more of Boyson’s work.