Snowboard Club 
| Create a free SCUK account and get access to the forums and our regular newsletter. | May 26, 2012 |
SNO!52.5 / Guinness World Record Rail Atempt
The date is now 100%! This will be an open event to enter the Guinness World Record books for the longest rail ride in the UK.
The Guinness World Records graced the presence of Milton Keynes in October for Xscape's Sno! 52.5m rail event, a chance to set the world indoor rail slide record and place a boarder and a skier into the record books. The rail itself was both a masterpiece and a monster. 52.5m of green-painted metal that looked deceptively simple, yet terrifyingly long at the same time. A series of qualifier sessions during the afternoon, with each competitor aggregating two attempts, would whittle the competitors down to a hardy bunch of rail sliders who would finish the day with a single shot attempt at setting records for either one or two planks. But who exactly would make it? Would it be a local? Would it be one of the illustrious Team GB riders or an unknown hopeful? Qualification was grouped into five sessions of according to age and gender: Male under 10s, Male 10-15, Female 16+ and then Male 16+. I'm ashamed to say I arrived too late to see the first four sessions, but managed to catch all the action from the mens heat. With no chance to practice before the qualifier sessions, first runs were a cautious affair while each rider attempted to gauge just how far they could push the limits of the rail. Most opted for a smooth, consistent, but relatively unadventurous first run to lay down a respectable distance on the rail. Some, however, took the plunge and risked all to set a brisk challenge to other competitors - even if that meant the chance of eating snow. It looked like the skiers had the edge, particularly Charlie Smith and Jon Paul Medland clocking in 17.6 and 14.7 metres respectively, with Stephen Owen and Gary Walsh taking the snowboard contingent into the 14+ range with ease. Local legend Len Church fired up the second round of the Men's qualifier with an impressive slide just shy of 15m, making up for a disappointing first attempt under great pressure and the fear of the unknown. Inspired, and with first run nerves out of the way it was obvious that everyone was really taking the opportunity to hit with more speed, more confidence and more than a tad more bravado than before. The skiers in particular again set a blistering initial performance, as the many sparks issuing from their edges testified. Could it be a skier that would set the longest run of the day? Skier Rob Embling showed just how far the envelope could be pushed by registering over 25 metres, while Rhys Evans laid down a 19.9 to prove the boarders were charging just as hard. In the end, the stylish consistency of Charlie Smith placed him in the top slot at the end of the qualification round. The top 17 men joined the cream of the other qualifiers, three male under 10s, five 11-15s and four female 16+, as well as members of the British team, for the semi final attempt. The mixed discipline nature of the qualifiers was changed to separate board and ski sessions. Nerves seemed initially high but the free practice quickly turned into a spirited jam session as people urged each other on or took the opportunity to tackle the rail without the pressure of a measured run. It became quickly apparent that the initial distances set in the qualifiers was just the start of what was possible, with riders like Sam Cullum and Laura Berry hitting the turbo boost buttons and threatening to ride the whole length of the rail. If it looked good earlier, the final was promising to be something very special indeed. Laura Berry chalked up the top board distance for the first run, and overall, with a mighty 26.9m, closely followed by Rhys Evans with an impressive 26.1. Not to be deterred, Steven Owen notched up 21.4m on his second run but it was Henry Shackleton who took the longest second run with 23.3m - which helped take him one position above his brother Jack in the aggregate rankings. For the ski semis, James Cameron and Charlie Smith put in excellent first runs of 24.3 and 23.5 respectively, but James Woods was having none of that and delivered a simply awe-inspiring 37.6m for his second run - taking him to the top of the aggregate skier ranking. Whether it was the reduction in nerves, the intense concentration, the injection of enthusiasm from the pros, or just the downright hilarious commentary provided by the Sno!Zone's very own Lyndon Bodey (watch out Tim Warwood!), the rail was certainly seeming shorter and tamer than it did earlier in the day. Fears of the record being set at something rather modest seemed less and less likely. And so 11 skiers and 16 boarders faced the finals, each contesting for the chance to be the ski or snowboard record holder. Unlike the aggregate system employed for the earlier rounds, this was it - the rules demanded only one shot. So, no pressure then... A natural caution took hold initially, with many a determined and concentrated look from each rider. Sam Cullum, Steven Owen and Jack Shackleton (no doubt spurred on by his brother's semi-final performance) all breezed past the 20 metre mark with 21.7, 20.1 and 23.0 respectively. But the true hero of the day was a very surprised, dazed even, Damian Doyle from SNO!zone Castleford and the Hungerpain crew who cranked out a textbook smooth 39.3 metres, catching even the official adjudicators off-guard! Hot on the heels of the boarders, the skiers launched into their own assault. Ted Foster (23.0m) and Maxwell Alden (29.5m) crossed the 20m barrier, but it was Charlie Smith who built on his earlier consistency and power to challenge Damian's record. Charlie registered 36.2 metres and his own place in the record books. So congratulations go to snowboarder Damian Doyle and skier Charlie Smith for their superb sliding skills, and a much deserved World Record each. Stunning work guys! A big round of applause to all the competitors who braved the rail. It looked intimidating even from the comfort of the bar, let alone up close and personal. A big thanks must go to Steve Terry for designing and building the rail, plus everyone responsible maintaining, measuring and organising at Xscape, not to mention all the sponsors involved in making SNO!52.5 such a success: Berghaus, Salomon, Bonfire, Rehall, Document Snowboard, Head UK, Surfanic Ski Wear, SkiWeekends.com, Quiksilver and Ellis Brigham. [By John Chandler SCUK:MetalJoe] GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ FOR SNOWBOARDING AND SKIING MADE AT SNO!ZONE, XSCAPE  Two Guinness World Records™ have been made on the real snow at SNO!zone, Xscape Milton Keynes. The records were clinched for the longest rail slide on skis and a snowboard when distances for over 36 metres were reached.With the youngest competitor of 7, and the oldest being 58, there was a wide range of skill and ability in the qualifying rounds. 15 boarders and 11 skiers then went through to the final to attempt a Guinness World Record™ on the mammoth 52.5m rail! The Guinness ‘one attempt rule’ seemed to put everyone under pressure in the boarding round until Damian Doyle, a snowboarding instructor from SNO!zone Castleford, stepped up. Without much hesitation Damo stomped the rail with a massive slide of 39m 30cm! Much to the disappointment of many of the competitors Damo seemed to have runaway with the World Record, the closest slide after this was Jack Shackleton with a slide of 23m. Next up were the skiers. With only 11 in the final the skiers seemed less affected by the pressure for the World Record and there were several who came up with big slides including Charlie Smith, Max Alden and Ted Foster. Tension was high while they waited for the results, in the end Charlie Smith got it with a slide of 36.2m! Arnaud Palu, Managing Director of SNO!zone comments: “I am delighted that two Guinness World Records ™ were made at SNO!zone over the weekend. It was the first event of its type in the world and proved to be a huge success which I am very proud of. Congratulations to Charlie and Damo and also everyone who took part in this challenging event!” Both Charlie and Damo received a cash prize sponsored by Snozone Ltd and Document Magazine. [From SNO!zone] The SNO!52.5 / Guinness World Record Rail Atempt event page can be administered by dunx (Dunx), stu (Stu Brass), spencer (Spencer Claridge) and office (Office). Page views: 6130 |
|
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest (unless stated otherwise) is © 1997-2012 by Snowboard Club Limited
Partner/Advertise | Contact Us | Website T&Cs | Membership T&Cs | Forum Rules | Privacy Policy
