Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour News

The 2010 British Snow Tour kicks off in Norfolk next weekend - 11th & 12th September with the hugely anticipated British Artificial Championships. With six British Championship titles spread over two days, a fresh new competition format and National ranking system, 3 for 2 offers on competition entry and the return of the interactive ‘RIDE Quiz night’, you’re not going to want to miss out!

Over at Norfolk Snowsports Centre obstacles are being assembled and preparations made for the Protest Slopestyle, Giro Big Air and Trespass Snowboard/Skiercross Championships. Whilst the inspirational schools tour team, Pat Sharples, Paddy Graham, Becky Hammond and local ripper Tom Coe will be getting the local kids stoked when they drop in on two Norwich schools to invite them to come along at the weekend and have a FREE ski or snowboard lesson.

British Artificial Championship Schedule

Saturday 11th September, Norfolk Snowsports Centre

• 09.00 – 14.30 - Protest Freeski Slopestyle Championships
• 12.00 – 18.30 - Protest Snowboard Slopestyle Championships
• 10.00 – 18.00 - Ski & Snowboard demo-testing
• 14.00 – 17.00 - FREE Beginner Ski & Snowboard Lessons
• 20.00 – The Great Fat RIDE Quiz (Norfolk Club House)

Sunday 12th September, Norfolk Snowsports Centre

• 10.00 – 13.30 - Trespass Snowboardcross Championships
• 10.00 – 13.00 - Giro Freeski Big Air Championships
• 14.00 – 18.30 - Trespass Skiercross Championships
• 14.00 – 17.45 - Giro Snowboard Big Air Championships
• 10.00 – 16.00 - Ski & Snowboard demo-testing
• 14.00 – 17.00 - FREE Beginner Ski & Snowboard Lessons

For more info, to pre-register to compete or snap up one of the FREE beginner lessons go to: www.britishsnowtour.com

The British Snow Tour, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors: Giro, Protest, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe and Snow+Rock. Demo partners: K2 & Ride snowboards and Line, Volkl and K2 skis. Media partners: Whitelines, Huck, Flipside, Extreme Sports Channel, www.Downdays.eu, www.Skiclub.co.uk, www.Natives.co.uk, www.Metrosnow.co.uk and www.Snowboardclub.co.uk

The British Snow Tour, with its fresh, newly-designed website: www.britishsnowtour.com is excited to announce that it will be shaking things up big style for this year’s Tour which kicks off in September. A new competition format, designed to maximise inclusion and riders' slope time will be introduced along with an all-new National ranking system for snowboarders and freeskiers – a first for UK athletes!

Keeping the progression of UK snowboarding and freeskiing in a constant state of evolution is the driving force behind the British Snow Tour and BRITS events. With this in mind and after receiving valuable feedback from riders and spectators alike, the British Snow Tour will be implementing a number of new features this year:
New for 2010

• New Big Air & Slopestyle Jam Sessions with lots of spot prizes and swag up for grabs
  
• Three run, best run counts National Championship competition format
  
• New British Snow Tour Seeded Riders list
  
• 3 for 2 offers on competition entry price
  
• British Snow Tour Ranking list
  
• New revised Kids and Youth age categories. Kids - 12 and under, Youth - 13 to 16

For more information about all of the changes to this year’s British Snow Tour and to find out who placed where on the British Snow Tour Ranking list and who made it as a coveted Seeded Athlete, check out the new website at: www.britishsnowtour.com

British Artificial Championships

11th & 12th September – British Dryslope Championships, Giro Big Air, Protest Slopestyle & Trespass Snowboard/Skiercross Championships, Norfolk Snowsports Centre.

British Indoor Championships

19th September – Trespass Snowboard/Skiercross Championships & Rail Jam, SNO!zone Scotland (please note this date has changed from Saturday 18th to Sunday 19th September to avoid an event clash)
25th September – Giro Big Air Championships, SNO!zone Milton Keynes
9th October – Protest Slopestyle Championships, SNO!zone Castleford

British Invitational Championships

22nd October – London Ski & Snowboard Show

Now in its ninth year, The British Snow Tour provides riders with a path from grass roots participation through to the highest level of snowboard & freeski competition in the UK. Open to all ability levels from novice to pro and served up across five age categories: Kids, Youth, Junior, Senior and Masters. It’s not all about the competition with a an inspirational schools tour, 500 FREE introductory lessons FREE product testing, live music and MC - the aim is to encourage everyone to get involved.



The British Snow Tour, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors: Giro, Protest, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe and Snow+Rock. Demo partners: K2 & Ride snowboards and Line, Volkl and K2 skis. Media partners: Whitelines, Huck, Flipside, Extreme Sports Channel, Downdays.eu, Skiclub.co.uk, Natives.co.uk, Metrosnow.co.uk and Snowboardclub.co.uk

Kelly Clarke © Pablo AzocarThe eighth annual Burton New Zealand Open Halfpipe finals took place under blue bird skies today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event and Kelly Clark (USA) winning the women’s competition. Podladtchikov and Clark both finished the day NZ$6,000 richer for their efforts and set themselves up nicely with solid early season results counting towards the 2010/11 Burton Global Open Series and the Swatch TTR World Rankings.

Although the weather was perfect, warm temperatures meant the competition format had to be shortened, in order to keep Cardrona’s 22-foot Olympic sized halfpipe in top shape. All 38 men and 19 women semi-finalists went straight into a single final round, with the best of two runs counting for their final ranking.

The women were up first, and Kelly Clark threw down the gauntlet on her first run with a giant frontside air, backside 540 mute, frontside 900, method air, frontside 720, and Cab 720 mute for 88.70 points and her 2nd consecutive NZ Open halfpipe title. Kelly was very happy with her win saying, “I had a great day, it’s a great way to start off my season and I was really happy with how I rode today. I walked away doing the tricks I set out to do and had a lot of fun.”

Queralt Castellet (ESP) was the closest challenger with 82.45 points, also on her first run. Queralt’s run started with a backside 540 mute, frontside 540 melon, method air, and frontside 720 to place second. Taking third with 76.84 points was veteran Soko Yamaoka (JPN), who’s run consisted of a McTwist, frontside 720, Cab 720, frontside 540 melon, and backside 540. Kendall Brown was the top New Zealander, finishing in 8th place.


Iouri Podladtchikov © Pablo Azocar14 year-old Taku Hiraoka (JPN), who dominated the pre-qualifiers and qualifiers, continued to amaze with his first run score of 89.35 points setting the benchmark. Hiraoka’s run was a backside 540, frontside inverted 720, Cab 1080, and massive frontside 900 tailgrab. This Cinderella story proved that it’s possible to ride all the way from the pre-qualifier round through to the podium and second place. But taking the win was Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) who let out all stops on his second run with a huge crippler, double McTwist 1260, frontside 1080 tailgrab, and Cab 720 for an impressive 93.70 points. Louie Vito (USA) also had a strong second run to jump up into third place with 88.04 points. Louie’s run started with a frontside 1080 double-cork, Cab 1080 double-cork, double crippler, backside 900, and frontside corked 900.

It was also a monumental day for judging, with the newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) proving itself for the first time in the halfpipe. Scores are given for each individual hit during a run, as well as a flow score, to provide a very transparent and informative final score. Viewers of the live webcast on GO211.com were able to see this system in action and watch real-time ranking changes, among other features of the webcast.

There were no British riders in the final, but Courtier-Jones Lewis finished 21st in the first pre-qualification with 34 points, so well played him.

Jamie Nicholls finished an impressive 10th place in the Burton New Zealand Open Slopestyle on Friday at Cardona, with a score of 69.8 in his second run.


Jamie high over Cardona during qualifications © Pablo Azocar

Also check out Jamie on the Red Bull Performance highlight video.

The Burton New Zealand Open Slopestyle finals took place today at Cardrona Alpine Resort with Burton rider Christian Haller (SUI) taking first place in the men’s event and Jamie Anderson (USA) winning the women’s competition. Haller and Anderson both walked away NZ$6,000 richer for their performance on the challenging Slopestyle course which was even more tricky with today’s variable weather conditions.

Due to the snow conditions and morning delays, the competition format was condensed, with all 37 men and 19 women semi-finalists going straight into a single final round, where the riders took two runs, best of which counted for their final score. The low visibility and variable snow didn’t seem to hinder the best riders, with some amazing runs being thrown down regardless. The first feature of the course offered a choice between a down-flat-down round bar or a round down bar, the second feature was a choice between an up box or a gap to flat box, followed by three jumps measuring in at 45-feet, 55-feet, and 75-feet, then finishing with a quarterpipe to goalpost / hip.

Christian Haller put it all together in his second run to score 80.84 points with a backside lipslide on the down-flat-down bar, tailslide on the gap to flat box, switch backside 720, Cab 900, frontside 720 tailgrab. But the margins were tight with current TTR tour leader Gjermund Braaten’s (NOR) first run score of 80.64 points holding top spot until then. Gjermunds run consisted of a frontside 270 gap over the down-flat-down rail, frontside 270 on the gap to flat box, frontside 540, Cab 720, and double back rodeo 900. Coming in third with 79.00 points was 2010 Burton US Open Slopestyle winner Mikkel Bang (NOR). Mikkel’s run started with a gap to switch backside lipslide on the down-flat-down rail, backside lipslide on the gap to flat box, backside 540, Cab 720, switch backside 900.

In the women’s competition, Jamie Anderson (USA) took her third straight New Zealand Open slopestyle title and had this to say about her win, “I can’t believe it, I love the Burton Opens and winning this event three times in a row is amazing, so I’m ecstatic and so stoked to start of the year with a good result.”

Jamie’s winning run earned her a score of 79.20 points and consisted of a boardslide-to-tailpress on the down bar, a frontside 180 out on the up box, switch backside 180 mute, backside 360 mute, and a backside 180 mute. Coming in second place behind Jamie was Burton rider, Shelly Gotlieb (NZL), who held it down on her home turf with a great second run earning her 74.56 points. Rounding out the podium in third place was Kjersti Buuas (NOR) who also had a good run that scored 73.60 points.

The newly developed Snowboard Live Scoring system (SLS) was used today by the judges, which gives scores for each individual hit during a run that is then combined with a flow score to provide a more transparent final score. Viewers of the live webcast on GO211.com were able to see this system in action and watch real-time ranking changes, among other features of the site. The live action at the Burton New Zealand Open culminates tomorrow with highlight event, the halfpipe.

The Burton New Zealand Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series and is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour.

Winter is in full swing down in the Southern Hemisphere and riders from around the globe are making the journey to Lake Wanaka, New Zealand for the 2010 Burton New Zealand Open. A 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Tour, the New Zealand Open is set to take place August 10-14, 2010 at Cardrona Alpine Resort and will feature halfpipe and slopestyle formats. This will be the second 5Star event of the 10/11 TTR Tour season giving riders another chance to collect some early season points before winter returns to the Northern Hemisphere.

Diverse Field of International Talent at NZ Open
With a healthy prize purse worth $50,000 NZD and some major TTR Ranking points on the line, riders will be out in full force to get a jump on the 2010/11 season. Norwegian rider, Gjermund Braaten, is currently sitting in World No. 1 in the TTR rankings after a good finish at the first 5Star event of the season, the Billabong Ante Up. Hot on Braaten’s heels in the World Rankings is young Canadian ripper, Mark McMorris, currently in World No.2 and American contest machine, Chas Guldemond, who owns the World No. 3 position. Other top male riders that are scheduled to attend include Seppe Smits (BEL), Marko Grilc (SLO), Charles Reid (CAN), Jack Mitrani (USA), Louie Vito (USA) and Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN).

Women’s Slopestyle Competition is Looking Fierce

The women’s field of competitors is also looking strong for the 2010 NZ Open especially the line-up of slopestyle riders, which should make for some interesting competition. With two previous TTR World Champions, Jamie Anderson (USA), and Enni Rukajärvi (FIN), riding alongside slopestyle specialists Kjersti Buaas (NOR) and Sina Candrian (SUI), the ladies’ field is going to have to bring their A-game for a shot at a podium spot.

A Chance For Rookies to Shine

In addition to the 5Star New Zealand Open and the popular 4Star Stylewars competition in Australia, there are many rookie-level events happening this season in the Southern Hemisphere giving local riders a chance to compete for TTR ranking points. Among those events are the 3Star Dew Hut Jam on July 31st 2010 in Australia, the 3Star Billabong Bro Down on September 11th 2010 and the Mother Freestyle Series – Smith Session Slopestyle on August 14th 2010 in New Zealand.

Catch the Live Webcast on GO211.com

All the action from the Burton New Zealand Open will be webcast live at Go211.com on August 13th and 14th (New Zealand time zones) and on August 12th and 13th (North American and European time zones). Video and news updates will also be available at ttrworldtour.com throughout the week.


Torstein Horgmo at the 2009 New Zealand Open © Phil Erikson

Boardwear brand Protest has been named as one of the official Title sponsors of the British Snow Tour and the BRITS.

The brand – which recently signed seven times British snowboarding champion, Ben Kilner to its growing team of riders – is sponsoring the British Snow Tour and the British Slopestyle Championships at the BRITS.

The tour is raring to go with a line-up of 14 prestigious British Champion events. Stopping at four of the UK’s top snowsport hotspots - Norwich, Glasgow, Milton Keynes and Castleford – the 2010 British Snowboard & Freeski Tour, which kicks off in September, is set to be a banger.

The BRITS marks the end of the tour in March 2011 - with Protest as the title sponsor of the British Slopestyle Championships – this unique week-long sports and music festival, held in Laax, Switzerland promises top snowboarding and skiing action along with quality entertainment.

Protest country manager, Paul Wilkinson, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the British Slopestyle Championships at both the British Snow Tour and the BRITS. This, along with the recent signing of Ben Kilner, is part of our investment in the UK core snow market to support the brand and our snow retailers.”

Now in its ninth year The British Snow Tour provides riders with a path from grass-roots participation through to the highest level of snowboard & freeski competition in the UK, offering snowboard competitors prestigious TTR points and TTR World Ranking.

Spencer Claridge, director of Soulsports/British Snow Tour, said: “We are stoked to have Protest onboard as a sponsor - building relationships with brands that appreciate the impact of the tour and the BRITS is really important. Protest are a brand on a mission and we feel pretty honoured to be one of their many new global partners... expect big things.”

www.protest.eu
www.britishsnowtour.com

The British Snow Tour is back and raring to go with a line-up of 14 prestigious British Championship events kicking off from September. Stopping at four of the UK’s top snowsport hotspots - Norwich, Glasgow, Milton Keynes and Castleford – with two new sponsors on board, a smartprice 3 for 2 offer and a hefty £20,000 combined prize purse, the 2010 British Snowboard & Freeski Tour is set to be a banger.

“We’re stoked that a host of the industry’s biggest brands continue to appreciate the impact of the British Snow Tour, as protection heavyweight Giro and boardwear specialist Protest join in the action to complement our long-serving friendships with Trespass, SNO!zone, Snow + Rock and Cushe Footwear... Here’s to the continued invasion of new participants and the developments of UK rippers... bring it on!” - Spencer Claridge – Director Soulsports / British Snow Tour

Dates for your diaries

British Artificial Championships

11th & 12th September – British Dryslope Championships, Norfolk Snowsports Centre. Featuring Giro Big Air, Protest Slopestyle & Trespass Ski/Snowboardcross Championships.

British Indoor Championships:

18th September – Trespass Ski/Snowboardcross Championships & Rail Jam, Glasgow SNO!zone
25th September – Giro Big Air Championships, Milton Keynes SNO!zone
9th October – Protest Slopestyle Championships, Castleford SNO!zone

British Invitational Championships:

22nd October – London Ski & Snowboard Show

About the Snow Tour

Now in its ninth year, The British Snow Tour provides riders with a path from grass roots participation through to the highest level of snowboard & freeski competition in the UK, offering snowboard competitors prestigious TTR points and TTR World Ranking. However, it’s not all about the competition with 500 FREE introductory lessons, FREE product testing, live music and MC, plus amazing 3 for 2 offers on competition entry - the aim is to encourage everyone to get involved. Open to all ability levels from novice to pro and served up across five age categories: Kids, Youth, Junior, Senior and Masters.

The new British Snow Tour website, which will include event news and gossip, course layouts and online registration, will be live from 1st August www.britishsnowtour.com in the meantime for any news and gossip make sure you check out our facebook page: www.facebook.co.uk/snowtour

About the Schools Tour

The inspirational Schools Tour programme runs alongside the British Snow Tour, stopping off at two secondary schools in each region, Norfolk, Milton Keynes, Glasgow and Castleford to spread the word about skiing and snowboarding to over 5,000 kids. James Thorne, Paddy Graham, Becky Hammond and Pat Sharples will be heading up the tour and dishing out 500 FREE beginner lessons encouraging the next generation of riders to get their shred on.

The Billabong Ante Up competition, the first 5Star event of the 2010/11 Swatch TTR World Tour season, went off this weekend with an excellent showing from a diverse field of riders. The summertime event was held in the Camp of Champions park on the Blackcomb glacier and featured a massive 75-foot gap jump. The Ante Up hosted 40 riders in a big air format who were all going for a piece of the $50,000 prize purse and 850 TTR ranking points. It ended up as an all-Canadian podium and Sebastien Toutant (CAN) took the top spot making him $20,000 richer. Toutant also secured the World No. 3 spot in the TTR World Rankings and received an automatic invite to the 6Star Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck later in the season.

Canadians defend their home turf with 1260 double corks

Every rider was pulling off impressive tricks all day and it came down to a double cork 1260 podium with the top three riders doing different variations of the trick. Toutant won the first place with a flawless Cab 1260 double cork and had this to say about his win, “Winning the first 5Star TTR big air contest was just amazing, it was an epic final and it’s sick because I’ll be in the top of the TTR rankings going down to New Zealand in August.”



Coming in second place behind Toutant and winning $10,000 USD was Matts Kulisek (CAN) who landed a frontside 1260 double cork and Mark McMorris (CAN) took third place earning $6,000 USD for his backside 1260 double cork. Other notable mentions include Gjermund Braaten (NOR) who also stomped a backside 1260 double cork to take fourth place which, when combined with his 2009/10 season-end bonus points, bumped him up into TTR World No. 1. Check out the new Top 10 in the Swatch TTR World Rankings below.

Looking forward to the Southern Hemisphere Season

With the first 5Star event of the 2010/11 season in the bag, the tour will move down to the Southern Hemisphere in August for the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open which is the next major event on the calendar. Point your browsers to ttrworldtour.com for news, photos, and video coverage from the Ante Up as well as updated Swatch TTR World Rankings.

Subscribe to the Swatch TTR Newsletter on www.ttrworldtour.com

Believe it or not, the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour is getting ready to kick of the 2010/2011 season with the 5Star Billabong Ante Up big air event going down at Camp of Champions on June 26th, 2010 in Whistler, B.C. Canada. The inaugural 5Star event has a premiere lineup of riders trekking from across the globe to compete for a share in the $50,000 prize purse and the first batch of 850 Swatch TTR points. As an added bonus, the man who takes the first place podium spot at the Ante Up will receive an automatic invite to the legendary 6Star Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck.

Big names on the rider list, large tricks on tap

Although the event is only one day of competition, the organizers have built in a five-day holding period to ensure the riders have optimal weather conditions. The Ante Up will feature an international field of 40 invited riders including heavy hitters such as Seb Toutant (CAN), Marko Grilc (SLO), Torstein Horgmo (NOR), Scotty Lago (USA), Chas Guldemond (USA), and Charles Reid (CAN) making for some solid competition. And, with Horgmo’s recent success in landing a triple-cork in Norway this spring, the Ante Up could see some next-level trick attempts on the massive 85-foot step-over jump. All the action from the Blackcomb glacier can be viewed live via webcast at www.billabongpro.com beginning at 11 pm CET on June 26, 2010 (depending on weather).

Getting a head-start in the 2010/11 Swatch TTR points race

The Billabong Ante Up is the first major event for the 2010/11 TTR World Tour season which will give riders, especially North Americans, an opportunity to rack up some valuable 5Star Swatch TTR points before the tour heads down to the Southern Hemisphere. Many riders attending the Ante Up, especially those like Chas Guldemond, Mark McMorris, Marko Grilc, Gjermund Braaten and others, who finished in the 09/10 TTR Top 25 will have the opportunity to set themselves up nicely in the 10/11 points race. A good result at the Ante Up combined with their 09/10 season-end bonus points will result in a healthy padding leading into the big picture of the 2010/11 season.

Southern Hemisphere on the horizon

After the Ante Up, the Swatch TTR Tour will take a break until the next big event on the calendar in August, the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open, and then things will shift to Australia for the 4Star Stylewars and a handful of 2Star and 3Star events. Check out www.ttrworldtour.com for the complete Southern Hemisphere calendar of events.

The annual TTR General Assembly 2010 took place from May 21st to 22nd, with a great turnout of snowboard sport representatives from around the globe who came together in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the future of competitive snowboarding. For the second consecutive year, the annual meeting was held together with the World Snowboard Federation (WSF). Open workshops and meetings were held over a two day period in which a multitude of important topics were discussed between TTR and WSF members, snowboard industry representatives and media representatives with the objective to establish measures that will push the progression of competitive freestyle snowboarding and help take the sport to the next level.

Some of the key changes made for the upcoming season, as well as the future of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour in general, are outlined below:

World Snowboarding Championships taking snowboarding a step further

Representatives of TTR Pro Snowboarding and the World Snowboard Federation jointly developed the concept of a new world-class snowboarding event over the past two years and it was voted to proceed with planning the World Snowboarding Championships. The World Snowboarding Championships will be held every four years and will feature men’s and women’s halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. The first event is planned for the 2011/2012 season and will create an environment for the best freestyle riders to compete for world snowboarding champion titles in both halfpipe and slopestyle formats. With a unanimous vote at the TTR General Assembly 2010, the application of a Norwegian consortium to host the first event of its kind in Oslo in 2012 has been accepted by the TTR members. The final decision whether the event will take place is pending approval by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment for the expansion plans of the event arena at Tryvann Vinterpark.

Preparations towards the World Snowboarding Championships

In preparation for a legitimate qualification system for the World Snowboarding Championship in 2012, the TTR has decided to introduce separate world rankings for halfpipe/quarterpipe and slopestyle/big air events. The two new lists will be generated for the combined formats in addition to the World Tour Rankings and will serve for qualification purposes. Further details on the concept will be released in the near future.

More value for riders ranked on the World Rankings

In an effort to add additional benefits for riders ranked on the World Rankings and provide more value to lower level events, the TTR Board of Directors has accepted a proposal to exclusively use the TTR World Rankings to select riders for all open spots in open qualifications at 5 and 6Star level events on the tour.

Improved communication with riders

As a rider-driven organization, it is one of TTR’s main objectives to communicate effectively with the athletes to inform them about important topics as well as supplying them with all relevant event information. In order to do so, TTR will be improving its rider hospitality services in a joint effort with the events to ensure a good communication flow between all parties.

A stronger women’s leg on the TTR Tour

Developing women’s snowboarding in co-operation with WSF is a project that aims to strengthen the women’s leg of the Swatch TTR Tour and to create more coverage for women athletes. By building up the women’s events and strengthening the female portion of mixed-gender events, as well as ramping up the publicity of the women on the TTR Tour, WSF and TTR hope to attract more female riders to join the tour and create a better opportunity for the progression of the female side of the sport. The TTR will also look into a proposal to adapt the point scale for women in the next months.

These changes and initiatives were discussed and approved by the TTR members and the TTR Board of Directors during the Annual General Meeting in Barcelona.

The annual TTR General Assembly 2010 took place from May 21st to 22nd, with a great turnout of snowboard sport representatives from around the globe who came together in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the future of competitive snowboarding. For the second consecutive year, the annual meeting was held together with the World Snowboard Federation (WSF). Open workshops and meetings were held over a two day period in which a multitude of important topics were discussed between TTR and WSF members, snowboard industry representatives and media representatives with the objective to establish measures that will push the progression of competitive freestyle snowboarding and help take the sport to the next level.



Some of the key changes made for the upcoming season, as well as the future of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour in general, are outlined below:

World Snowboarding Championships taking snowboarding a step further

Representatives of TTR Pro Snowboarding and the World Snowboard Federation jointly developed the concept of a new world-class snowboarding event over the past two years and it was voted to proceed with planning the World Snowboarding Championships. The World Snowboarding Championships will be held every four years and will feature men’s and women’s halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. The first event is planned for the 2011/2012 season and will create an environment for the best freestyle riders to compete for world snowboarding champion titles in both halfpipe and slopestyle formats. With a unanimous vote at the TTR General Assembly 2010, the application of a Norwegian consortium to host the first event of its kind in Oslo in 2012 has been accepted by the TTR members. The final decision whether the event will take place is pending approval by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment for the expansion plans of the event arena at Tryvann Vinterpark.

More here...

Preparations towards the World Snowboarding Championships

In preparation for a legitimate qualification system for the World Snowboarding Championship in 2012, the TTR has decided to introduce separate world rankings for halfpipe/quarterpipe and slopestyle/big air events. The two new lists will be generated for the combined formats in addition to the World Tour Rankings and will serve for qualification purposes. Further details on the concept will be released in the near future.

More value for riders ranked on the World Rankings

In an effort to add additional benefits for riders ranked on the World Rankings and provide more value to lower level events, the TTR Board of Directors has accepted a proposal to exclusively use the TTR World Rankings to select riders for all open spots in open qualifications at 5 and 6Star level events on the tour.

Improved communication with riders

As a rider-driven organization, it is one of TTR’s main objectives to communicate effectively with the athletes to inform them about important topics as well as supplying them with all relevant event information. In order to do so, TTR will be improving its rider hospitality services in a joint effort with the events to ensure a good communication flow between all parties.

A stronger women’s leg on the TTR Tour

Developing women’s snowboarding in co-operation with WSF is a project that aims to strengthen the women’s leg of the Swatch TTR Tour and to create more coverage for women athletes. By building up the women’s events and strengthening the female portion of mixed-gender events, as well as ramping up the publicity of the women on the TTR Tour, WSF and TTR hope to attract more female riders to join the tour and create a better opportunity for the progression of the female side of the sport. The TTR will also look into a proposal to adapt the point scale for women in the next months.

These changes and initiatives were discussed and approved by the TTR members and the TTR Board of Directors during the Annual General Meeting in Barcelona.

TTR Pro Snowboarding today announces the creation of the World Snowboarding Championships. A new world-class snowboarding event, the World Snowboarding Championships will be held every four years and will feature men’s and women’s halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. The first event is planned for the 2011/2012 season and will create an environment for the best freestyle riders to compete for world snowboard champion titles in both halfpipe and slopestyle formats.

“The creation of the Snowboarding World Championships is a great step forward for the TTR and the world of snowboarding as a whole,” says Reto Lamm, President of the TTR World Tour. “We look forward to putting on a world-class event to push the progression of the sport and provide a global platform to showcase the best riders in the world.”

The concept for the World Snowboarding Championships was developed by a group of international representatives of the sport at the 2009 TTR General Assembly in Austria and is a joint project of the TTR World Tour and the World Snowboard Federation (WSF). With a unanimous vote at the General Assembly 2010, the application for the Norwegian capital, Oslo, has been accepted to hold the inaugural event in 2012. The proposal was put forward by a consortium of the Norwegian Snowboard Federation, the Arctic Challenge organisers and the hosting resort Tryvann.

The municipality of Oslo will back the project with $4.3-million USD for the event and another $1.3-million USD for preparations. The final decision whether the event will take place is pending approval by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment for the expansion plans of the event arena at Tryvann Vinterpark.

After the 2011/2012 event, the World Snowboarding Championships will continually change locations every four years and will take applications from cities around the world to host future events. Other details surrounding the event, such as qualifications, prize money and event schedules will be determined over the next six months and will be released as they are finalised.

Claire Frost, Enni Rukajärvi and Saana Pehkonen
© Harri TarvainenAfter an action packed few days at the Ruka Battery Park in Northern Finland, snowboarding’s upcoming star Enni Rukajärvi took the victory at the 3Star Oakley Girlsessions. The event had attracted a crowd that was curious to see the local rookie talent, who had last month been crowned Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion. In second place came Saana Pehkonen (FIN) and in third Claire Frost (GBR) who all got a piece of the $10000 USD prize purse.

Once the morning fog eased up, the qualifiers began and the riders boosted off the kickers in the hope to become one of the eight finalists. The shapers had done their best to tame the unusually slushy spring snow conditions, in order to create a progressive slopestyle setup for the girls. Claire Frost (GBR) said after the event:“ It was a fun course, the jumps were well shaped and it had a good flow. In one run you can do a bit of everything, with a fast lift to get up. I would say it's one of the best parks I’ve ridden in Europe.“ Claire, who had won a wild card from the 3Star Skullcandy Sista Sessions earlier this year, stomped a backside 360 mute and frontside 720 melon over the top kickers in her second run in the finals. Saana Pehkonen from Rovaniemi, who won the 2Star Finnish Snowboarding Championships slopestyle this year, was also in contention to knock Enni out from the top spot. Saana is a constantly progressing rider and stomped a backside 360 melon, frontside 540 tailfish, a cab 180 nosegrab and a frontside 270 on 270 out and a cab 270 in 270 out in the jib section.

Enni Rukajärvi qualified in first and held on to the lead throughout the day. Her effortless airs showed no sign that she had been away from her home park most of the season demonstrating her impeccable technique by stomping a solid winning run consisting of a backside 540 indy, cab 720 indy, switch backside 180 indy on the kickers into a frontside 270 on and a nose press switch-up in the box section. On her last run in the finals she only barely bailed on a cab 900 attempt, showing the spectators what lies ahead in the upcoming winters. This year, Enni returned to this event, which had once been her first competing experience. “This year here at the Girlsessions I have had a bit of a different program, as I have been coaching the future stars, and on Friday night we had a bit of a celebration and ate some cake”, sais Enni after the comp. The party honouring Enni’s success on the Swatch TTR World Tour as well as many other victories this season included speeches among all of Enni’s friends and family. The 19-year old looked happy and relaxed among her close peers and exclaimed “It's great to come back here every year to ride at the Oakley Girlsessions. Its an amazing feeling, its the best event of the year and has the best vibe!” In a generous gesture she shared her prize money with the other finalists.


Enni Rukajärvi © Harri Tarvainen

This year's Oakley Girlsessions attracted more than 80 enthusiastic girls from 8 different nations to participate in the various activities during the four days. Activities included coaching, photo shoots, seminars, amateur competition sessions, parties and a lot of fancy dress action. It is a setup created to push the progression of the female athletes and shine the spotlight on the new emerging talent. With the huge international success of Enni Rukajärvi this season it has been particularly rewarding for the event organizers who are more than proud of Enni’s accomplishments.

For more pictures and information please check out www.girlsessions.com

TOP 8 AT 3STAR OAKLEY GIRLSESSIONS

1. Enni Rukajärvi FIN 95.75
2. Saana Pehkonen FIN 87.25
3. Claire Frost GBR 80.25
4. Hanna Laukkanen FIN 70.75
5. Chani Michaux ARG 66.75
6. Veera Vihervaara FIN 60.50
7. Tiina Lindström FIN 60.25
8. Emilie Evensen NOR 26.50

OK, the waiting is over and you can now check out all the freestyle action from the 2010 British Championships in Laax, Switzerland. All the winners, spills and thrills from the Animal Slopestyle, SNO!zone Halfpipe, Trespass Snowboardcross and the Giro Big Air Championships... Check it - http://www.britishsnowtour.com/video/brits.html

The BRITS, which fuses together a week-long festival of top class British Snowboard and Freeski competitions, banging après sessions with some of the finest DJs bands and entertainers, came to an exciting close last weekend. Records were smashed, new speeds and heights reached, future stars found and a plethora of parties kept the resort rocking well past most people's bedtimes!

The final day of the BRITS, Saturday 27th March, witnessed over 200 skiers and snowboarders take part in the hugely anticipated Red Bull Homerun, an en-masse race from the top of the mountain to the bottom five miles below. Competitors jostled for a space on the front row, with little regard for the frail and the meek, before strapping their freshly waxed boards and skis on and riding flat-out all the way to the bottom.

Local skier and ex Swiss Skiercross Champion, Christian Corey, proved his local mountain knowledge to be priceless when he reached the bottom in a record time of 3mins – the fastest time achieved over the past three years. 14 year-old Katie Summerhayes was the first female skier to reach the bottom whilst Jessie Smith and Silke Voithoter where the first male and female snowboarders to cross the line.

Throughout the BRITS week, hundreds of revellers jumped at the chance to test one of the Garmin GPS devices and charge the slopes to register their fastest time. The Top Gear style, leader board logged the fastest male and female skiers and snowboarders from each day and at the end of the week, times were logged and results verified before the Garmin Downhill Challenge Champions where crowned. Registering a whooping 111km the overall title went to skier, Rob Andean. Danielle Freeze and a respectable speed of 102.8km clinched it for the female skiers, whilst the fastest snowboarder times were awarded to James Stentiford (107.83km) and Ivy Taylor (70.5km).



The celebrations carried over to the Riders Palace Club on Saturday night, where two times DMC World Battle Champion, DJ SWITCH and the legendary break beat and hip hop master, A Skillz wrapped up the BRITS music-line up in style.

To check out all of the BRITS podcasts and picture galleries from throughout the week go to:www.brits10.com



The BRITS, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Giro :Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock, Garmin, Eristoff& Red Bull Demo partners: DC, Salomon, Ride, K2, Line, and Volkl skis. Media partners Whitelines,Dark Summer, Spiked, Extreme Sports Channel, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk, Skiclub.co.uk,and Natives.co.uk. Destination partners: Switzerland Tourism and Laax

Swatch and the TTR World Snowboard Tour launch the Swatch TTR Trophy “Art Rules” Design Contest and offer YOU a chance to make yourself a name in the design and snowboarding world around the globe. The Swatch TTR Tour is symbolised by its trophy, which is handed out at the end of the competitive season to the male and female Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion. This trophy carries along the prestige of being the most respected snowboarding tour on the planet and is awarded to only the utter most top of athletes. For the 2010/11 season, a new trophy has been carefully crafted by the renowned German “Coarse” artist Mark Landwehr. The resin statue is 36 cm (14,4 ") high, weighs 4,5 kg (10,5 pounds) and it's dashing looks make Oscar look downright plain.

We want to invite all of you creative minds out there to participate in the Swatch TTR Trophy 2010/2011 “Art Rules” Design Contest to create a unique design vision that represents the nature of the Swatch TTR Tour. You get the one chance of a lifetime to be part of the design outlook that fits in with the “Coarse” statue along with a new Swatch TTR watch to match, which will be produced and distributed worldwide in 2010/11. This will not only let you play an important role in the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour season but will also bring you worldwide recognition and press coverage.



You think that’s all?! By far not! Apart from the fame and glory that comes along with being the designer of this unique “Oscar of Snowboarding”, a two week creative vacation to Shanghai, including transportation and accommodation costs plus pocket money will be handed out. Everyone is invited to participate! The competition is now open and ends on April 25th 2010. The rules and details for submissions can be found on www.artrules.swatch.com.

The designs will be judged by a critical jury of five, consisting of the Swatch President Arlette Elsa Emch, the legendary snowboarder and co-founder of the TTR Tour Terje Haakonsen, the President of the TTR Board of Directors Reto Lamm, the "Coarse" toy artist Mark Landwehr, and Pascal Johansen, the founder of “Illustrative Berlin”

The trophy winner will be announced at the “Art Rules!” event, held alongside the Swatch TTR General Assembly on the 21st of May 2010, in Barcelona, Spain. Check out the competition rules on www.artrules.swatch.com , get your colors out and start designing!

This winter the 19-year old rookie from Finland, Enni Rukajärvi took the snowboarding world by storm by appearing almost out of thin air and dominating the top slopestyle events. Fresh from finishing high school, she begun competing a few years prior at her home mountain and it became clear that she had a talent. With her textbook style and fearless mind Rukajärvi cleaned up almost every slopestyle title she tried for this winter, slowly climbing the TTR ranks and growing stronger also in the halfpipe. At the nail biting tour ending 6Star event, the Roxy Chicken Jam US, her efforts were rewarded and she was crowned Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion 2009/2010, earning herself $50,000 USD and automatic invites to all major TTR events for the 2010/2011 season.



In the fall of 2009/2010, Rukajärvi began to stir up the noise outside her home country making international headlines with her win at the 4Star Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam 2009 in Austria, beating the likes of former TTR World Champion Cheryl Maas (NED). Carrying over an end-of-season bonus, from a World No. 46 position in the 08/09 TTR season, she jumped into World No.43 with her first result and caught up with the pack who had got a head start at the southern hemisphere TTR events.

The big bang on her career came along with her slopestyle victories at the 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam in Saalbach, Austria and the 6Star Burton European Open in Laax, Switzerland. By this point it was clear that she was no one hit wonder, but a serious contender for the Swatch TTR top spot. After the two 6Star events, she had climbed into World No. 6 and spoke about her experience at the BEO explaining; “I was really nervous in the semis because I wanted to get to the finals, but once I got in I was able to just ride”. Her determination showed in the finals where she reached top scores with her second run consisting of a 50-50 Boardslide to Fakie, Cab 360 Slide, Cab 270 Boardslide, 50-50 on Downbox, Stalefish Frontside 360 Indy, Backside mute 540 and a stylish Cab 720.

After her success in January, Rukajärvi made quick calculations and came to the conclusion to include a 5Star event in her schedule to allow her a few more crucial results for her Swatch TTR ranking total. She accepted an invitation to compete at the 5Star Burton Canadian Open, despite her original plans to only do a few events this year. Her efforts paid off and once more she shone on the top spot of the slopestyle podium, and also showed that she could stomp a solid run in the halfpipe.

Sitting in World No. 4 prior to the 6Star Burton US Open allowed Rukajärvi to relax a bit and she returned to her home mountain to regain her focus. At Stratton she walked away with another nice result, barely missing the podium with 4th place in slopestyle and 15th in the halfpipe and was awarded the Burton Global Open Series title. Now in the Swatch TTR ranking lead Rukajärvi was in a great position for the Roxy Chicken Jam USA, however, with seven other contenders able to overtake her rank she was still in for a tight battle. She managed to hold her own and place 6th in slopestyle and 21st in halfpipe. “I feel awesome. I am so happy and stoked and also surprised. I did not expect to be Tour Champion at all at the beginning of the season.” Rukajärvi has certainly showed that one can make her way through the various Star rated events on the TTR Tour and participate in the open events to make a success story and we can expect to see a lot more of her in the future.

The Swatch TTR Top 3 of season 2009/2010 were rounded up with Sina Candrian (SUI) in World No.2 and Sarka Pancochova (CZE) in World No. 3. The men’s Swatch TTR Tour Champion, Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), was crowned at the Burton US Open. More information and videos of Enni Rukajärvi’s 09/10 World Champion Title are available on www.ttrworldtour.com.

The 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam slopestyle and halfpipe finals both went down today under sunny skies at Mammoth Mountain in California and Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) has been officially declared the women’s Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion for the 2009/2010 season. Sina Candrian (SUI) was able to post a sixth place finish in the slopestyle finals to defend her World No. 2 position and Sarka Pancochova (CZE) squeezed in a fifth place in slopestyle to finish her season in World No. 3. All three of the women mentioned above will go home with some hefty prize money and will also receive automatic invites to all major TTR events for the 2010/2011 season.

A Jam–Packed Day Full of Action: Slopestyle Finals

The day began with slopestyle finals in the morning under the blazing California sunshine making the course a little bit slow, but the ladies powered through the slush and put on a great showing. The slopestyle course is larger than in years past and the riders were loving the setup that consisted of a 65-foot jump, 55-foot jump, a rail section, pole jam and finished with a 50-foot kicker. It was American rider, Jamie Anderson, who had the speed and style on the course and was able to throw down a run that included a backside 540, switch backside 540 and a Cab 540 mute to take the top spot of the day. On the TTR side of things, Enni Rukajärvi came in ninth place, but that was enough to keep her in the TTR World No. 1 spot. Sina Candrian was able to place sixth in slopestyle to keep her World No. 2 position. And, Sarka Pancochova (CZE) took the fifth place finish to put her in the World No. 3 spot. However, the ladies still had halfpipe finals ahead where some riders had a chance to shake up the final TTR results.


Jamie Anderson © Peter Morning

The Action Continues with Pipe Finals in the Afternoon

There was a two-hour break after the slopestyle competition wrapped up before the halfpipe finals kicked off. Over the past couple of years, the Chicken Jam was running an 18-foot pipe and the ladies were definitely stoked on the 22-footer being used for this year’s event. It was Kelly Clark (USA) putting up her signature huge airs and smooth spins to take the top spot for the day in the pipe. Japanese rider, Rana Okada, was also going big and took the third place spot and Elena Hight (USA) rounded out the podium in third.


Kelly Clark © Peter Morning

The Top Women Riders in the World of Competitive Freestyle Snowboarding

With none of the riders on the pipe podium in contention for a top TTR Tour finish, Enni Rukajärvi was able to clinch the TTR World Champion title at the close of the Chicken Jam with Candrian officially finishing in World No. 2 and Panchochova in World No. 3. Rukajärvi was beyond excited with her win saying, “I feel awesome. I am so happy and stoked and also surprised. I did not expect to be Tour Champion at all at the beginning of the season.” With her TTR Tour Champion title win, Rukajärvi will take home a cool $50,000, Candrian will be awarded with $25,000 and Pancochova will walk away $15,000 richer.

Swatch TTR World Tour Champion Videos on ttrworldtour.com

The major events on the TTR World Tour have officially come to a close and the 2009/2010 champions have been named, so head over to www.ttrworldtour.com for special tour champion videos and a ton of other video coverage from the entire season.

The BRITS, Laax, Switzerland, 21st – 28th March 2010

The Animal Slopestyle Championships wrapped up the final day of snowboard competition at the BRITS on Friday 26th March with Laura Berry scooping up the women’s gold and Jamie Nicholls taking his second overall British title for the week.

The women’s Animal Slopestyle Championships kicked off the day’s action, due to high winds the women’s final results were taken from their qualification run.

In top spot and taking the women’s 2010 Animal Slopestyle Championship title was Laura Berry. Laura threw down a solid and stylish run including a frontside boardslide on the top rail followed by a boardslide to fakie on the kinked rail and frontside wall ride. Over the kickers Laura stomped a huge straight air over the big kicker, a stylish nose grab and Indy over the bottom big kicker.

Second place and the silver medal went to 12 year old Katie Ormerod who stepped it up and landed a solid run including a backside noseslide all the way down the box, followed by a boardslide on the up box, backside switch up on the kinked box and frontside wall ride. Over the kickers Katie stomped a big method over the medium kicker, followed by a backside 360 Indy and nose grab over the bottom medium kicker. Stefani Nurding finished in third place with a 50-50 on the top rail, 50-50 to boardslide on the up box, nose slide on the kinked box and frontside wall ride. Her kicker line included a backside 360 and nose grab over the medium kickers.

Laura Berry quoted: “I'm really stoked to have won because I've been injured loads this season. My collarbone’s in two pieces and I had some problems with my arteries, so I was in hospital before the start of the season. I just made sure I was solid. Knowing that I only had one run, I just made it a bit safe. Now, I'm just going to cruise around, have some fun, try and learn some new stuff. I'll definitely come back next year and try and defend the title”.


Katie Ormerod

High winds forced an early end to the full slopestyle run, with judges making the call to shorten the course to the top rail section for the men’s Animal Slopestyle Championships. In true British spirit riders embraced the new format and threw down some well honed rail riding skills from across all of the age categories.

Jamie Nicholls, who had been riding strong all week, added the 2010 Animal Slopestyle title to his already impressive collection with a winning switch run. Jamie’s run included a cab boardslide, switch up, 270 out, switch boardslide on the c-box, switch 50-50 switch front-flip on the box rail and finishing with a cab wall ride. Declan Power, threw down a super smooth run to take second place with a frontside 180 switch up on the first rail, a super clean and stylish boardslide on c-rail followed by 180 switch up on the kinked box and backside lipslide on the top of the wall ride to finish. Third place went to Chris Kightley with a super solid, clean and consistent run including a frontside boardslide on the rail, boardslide on the c-box, followed by a boardslide to fakie on the kinked box and big frontside wall ride.

Jamie Nicholls quoted: “It feels pretty good to have won. The standard was really good this year. And I won the halfpipe yesterday, too, so I'm pretty stoked! My best trick was probably a 270 on 450 out on the box to that massive drop-off, that was cool, and the switch front-flip as well was also good. I'm out there to get podiums now, on European events. I've been getting closer this season at some big competition. So hopefully, next season it'll all happen.”


Declan Power

Animal British Slopestyle Championship Results
Women
1st – Laura Berry
2nd – Katie Ormerod
3rd – Stefani Nurding
Men
1st – Jamie Nicholls
2nd – Declan Power
3rd – Chris Kightley

Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2010 daily webcasts at www.brits10.com, where you will be able to review the Snowboard and Freeski action and après from the previous day’s competition.

The BRITS, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Giro :Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock, Garmin, Eristoff& Red Bull Demo partners: DC, Salomon, Ride, K2, Line, and Volkl skis. Media partners Whitelines,Dark Summer, Spiked, Extreme Sports Channel, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk, Skiclub.co.uk,and Natives.co.uk. Destination partners: Switzerland Tourism and Laax

The BRITS, Laax, Switzerland, 21st – 28th March 2010

The third day of the BRITS saw some explosive action from all age categories in the SNO!zone Snowboard Halfpipe Championships but the podium spots ultimately went to Team GB riders, Kate Foster and Jamie Nicholls, with Nicholls throwing down a super clean run that featured a backside 9 – a trick he learned in practise today.

Conditions held well throughout the day meaning the pipe stayed in great condition throughout. In the women’s finals, Kate Foster, who qualified in first position following her consistently strong runs in the qualifiers, set the standard and walked away with the gold and the 2010 SNO!zone British Halfpipe Championship Title. Her winning run included a huge frontside air to backside mute, a smooth frontside 360, to cab 360, frontside 360 and stylish stalefish. Stefani Nurding took second place with a selection of big front and backside airs and back to back 360’s, whilst third place went to Ivy Taylor who nailed a smooth and solid run.

Kate Foster quoted: "I just tried to get a bit of amplitude today. I love the Brits it's been a great week and I'm really happy I just got a gold medal."


Kate Foster

Strong performances from several of the youngsters saw, Lewis Courtier-Jones from the kid’s age category and Cody Hierons, Jamie Nicholls and Henry Shackleton from the youth age category make it through to the top 12 men final, giving them the chance to compete with the big guns – an experience an event like the BRITS can only create.

The men’s final was an exciting performance showcasing how international the standard is amongst the British men. Jamie Nicholls proved his riding skills to be world class and his ability to learn new tricks phenomenal in the men’s final when he threw down a super clean run, including a big backside 900 – a trick he’d only learned during practice. Jamie’s run which included a massive frontside air, backside 900 and back to back 7’s synched him the gold and the 2010 SNO!zone British Halfpipe Championship Title.

Second place went to Dom Harington, who qualified through to the final in top spot. Dom’s run, was technical, stylish and consistently big and included a backside 900, frontside 720, Haakon flip and backside rodeo. Sam Cullum, riding just three months after shattering his pelvis, impressively finished in third after he landed a smooth and clean run.

Jamie Nicholls quoted: "I wasn't going to compete but I rode the pipe in practice and it felt pretty good I thought I might as well give it a shot. I learnt that run today which was pretty funny - because I never thought I'd be able to do that in the pipe cause I don't really ride the pipe. I was wearing Ben Kilner's Olympic jacket so I think that's where the luck came from."


Dan Wakeham

SNO!zone British Halfpipe Championship Results
Men
1st – Jamie Nicholls
2nd – Dom Harrington
3rd – Sam Cullum

Women
1st – Kate Foster
2nd –Stefani Nurding
3rd – Ivy Taylor

Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2010 daily webcasts at www.brits10.com, where you will be able to review the Snowboard and Freeski action and après from the previous day’s competition.

Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2010 daily webcasts at www.brits10.com, where you will be able to review the Snowboard and Freeski action and après from the previous day’s competition.

The BRITS, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Giro :Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock, Garmin, Eristoff& Red Bull Demo partners: DC, Salomon, Ride, K2, Line, and Volkl skis. Media partners Whitelines,Dark Summer, Spiked, Extreme Sports Channel, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk, Skiclub.co.uk,and Natives.co.uk. Destination partners: Switzerland Tourism and Laax

The BRITS, Laax, Switzerland, 21st - 28th March 2010

Blue skies welcomed in the second day of snowboard competition and the Giro British Big Air Championships at the BRITS with newcomers Billy Morgan and Katie Blundell taking the 2010 Giro British Big Air Championship Titles.

During the men's qualification rounds a selection of stylish 7s, 9s, corked 10s and double front-flips were being thrown down showcasing just how high the current standard of UK snowboarding is.

Only 12 spots in the final were up for grabs and it was Billy Morgan who was crowned the 2010 British Giro Big Air Champion, his first ever BRITS win, after landing a super technical double corked 1080. Jamie Nicholls who had qualified through to the final in top spot finished in a very close second after riding super strong all day and also landing a double corked 1080. Third place went to Scott Penman with a double front flip, with a special mention also going to Nelson Pratt who missed out on a podium placing by just 1 decimal point after he stomped a stylish frontside 900.

Videos of all three winning runs from the men's final are on the SCUK Facebook page.



Billy Morgan quoted: "I landed pretty clean so I was pretty happy, I came sixth last year as I just couldn't land my tricks but this time I've done less partying, spent more time on the hill and just done a lot more training so I think I was a lot more focused this time."

During the women's competition Amiee Fuller was leading the way and setting the standard, qualifying through to the six women final in top spot with a huge stylish laid out back-flip. Amiee unfortunately crashed out in the final and the title was left wide open for newcomer, Katie Blundell, who scooped up her first ever BRITS gold and the 2010 Giro British Big Air Title after she landed a huge, solid straight air over the big kicker. Second place with a stylish nose grab went to Sophie Addison, with Rebecca Cullum finishing in third with a straight air tweaked tail grab over the big kicker.



Katie Blundell quoted: "I just can't believe I've won the standard was really high today and it's only my fourth or fifth competition. I've been in America for the last three months and literally ridden every day except for three days so I think that's definitely helped.Ó

Giro British Big Air Championship Results
Men
1st Billy Morgan
2nd Jamie Nicholls
3rd Scott Penman

Women
1st Katie Blundell
2nd Sophie Addison
3rd Rebecca Cullum

Don't forget to check out the BRITS 2010 daily webcasts at www.brits10.com, where you will be able to review the Snowboard and Freeski action and apr�s from the previous day's competition.

The BRITS, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Giro :Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock, Garmin, Eristoff& Red Bull Demo partners: DC, Salomon, Ride, K2, Line, and Volkl skis. Media partners Whitelines,Dark Summer, Spiked, Extreme Sports Channel, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk, Skiclub.co.uk,and Natives.co.uk. Destination partners: Switzerland Tourism and Laax

Check out Billy Morgan's and Jamie Nicholls' double-corked 1080s plus Scott Penman's double front-flips. The winning three runs of the Giro Big Air.

The BRITS, Laax, Switzerland, 21st – 28th March 2010

The first day of the British Snowboard Championships kicked off in style when the Trespass British Snowboardcross took place in perfect spring like conditions that saw a double family victory from newcomers Thomas and Charlotte Bankes, who both dominated all day with super fast runs that were peppered with Olympic influences.

Around a hundred competitors gathered to battle it out on the new improved course in Laax. The men’s contest saw some very close rounds with strong runs from the likes of Simon Brown, Nelson Pratt, Tim McGregor and last year’s winner James Foster.

The course got progressively faster as the day went on and the final was a very close match that saw some really solid runs with big airs on the final jump, showboating and shifties. Ultimately, newcomer Thomas Bankes, who held the fastest time in qualifiers, managed to keep his lead and claimed first place and his first BRITS gold medal. Last year’s winner James Foster from Sussex finished a close second followed by Scotsman Tim McGregor in third place. “I wasn’t expecting to win because there are a lot of good riders here. The standard is really good so I’m happy to win. I’m definitely coming back next year for Team GB,” said Thomas of his win.



The women’s final saw some exciting runs with a notable Olympic influence in winner Charlotte Bankes’ riding which saw her pulling the nose of her board up to edge that little bit faster over the finish line. Charlotte, aged 19, had been riding super fast all day and posted some of the fastest times in both men and women, “I’m quite pleased to have won because I’m quite young to be competing with the big ones. I didn’t really think I’d win because I’m a kid so it’s quite hard. I feel like I’ve improved quite a lot – last year I was falling a lot but this year I’ve got better,” said Charlotte.



Trespass British Snowboardcross Results
Men
1st – Thomas Bankes
2nd – James Foster
3rd – Tim McGregor

Women
1st – Charlotte Bankes
2nd – Ivy Taylor
3rd – Kate Foster

Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2010 daily webcasts at www.brits10.com, where you will be able to review the Snowboard and Freeski action and après from the previous day’s competition.

The BRITS, which is part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Giro :Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock, Garmin, Eristoff& Red Bull Demo partners: DC, Salomon, Ride, K2, Line, and Volkl skis. Media partners Whitelines,Dark Summer, Spiked, Extreme Sports Channel, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk, Skiclub.co.uk,and Natives.co.uk. Destination partners: Switzerland Tourism and Laax

Peetu PiiroinenCrowned Swatch TTR World Champion 2010

Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN) and Kelly Clark (USA) won today’s US Open halfpipe finals, where thousands of fans enjoyed some of the most progressive riding in halfpipe history. Today’s win marked a historic moment for Kelly Clark, who is now the only woman in US Open history to win four halfpipe titles. Kazu’s win was also a landmark as it was his first time winning a US Open title.

“It was so great to win here, especially because my good friends Mikkel Bang and Charles Reid also won titles, which made my win feel even better,” said Kazuhiro Kokubo.

In addition to the coveted US Open halfpipe crowns, three major titles were also awarded today, including a new Volvo to top US Open male and female overall riders Ulrik Badertscher (NOR) and Jamie Anderson (USA). Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) was on the podium for three different awards, taking home a total of $103,250 in winnings today alone. He won the $3000 Kodak Best Trick award for his Cab 1080 double cork, the $50,000 men’s Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) title, the $50,000 men’s Swatch TTR World Tour Championship title, plus $250 for his 12th place halfpipe finish. Fellow Finnish rider Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) won the women’s 2010 BGOS championship title and a $50,000 check. And for the first time, second and third place BGOS ranked riders took home $30,000 and $20,000 respectively.

“This is so special and overwhelming – I’m the first guy who has won both the BGOS and TTR titles twice,” said 2010 Olympic silver medalist Peetu Piiroinen. “I’ve had an incredible season.”

The women’s halfpipe contest was dominated by the Americans, who swept the podium. Kelly Clark secured her fourth US Open halfpipe title with her first run, earning an unbeatable 94.17 with her signature style and huge airs. Her run started with a huge frontside air, a backside 540 mute grab, a frontside 720, and a Cab 720 mute, finishing with a frontside corked 900, which also earned her the $3,000 Totino’s Highest Air Award. Coming in second place was Kaitlyn Farrington (USA) with a strong run that included back-to-back 720s. Ellery Hollingsworth (USA) rounded out the women’s halfpipe podium with her third place finish and also earned the Kodak Best Trick for her Michalchuk.

“It’s amazing that it’s my fourth US Open halfpipe title,” said Kelly Clark. “It’s so great to come home after such a long season and win here.”

Double corks were the trick of the day in the men’s halfpipe competition, with podium winners throwing down double corks in every run. First Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) stepped it up with a mind-blowing run that included a backside 1260 double cork in the middle of his run. Then Louie Vito (USA) topped Iouri by nailing three double corks in his first run, taking the lead by a mere fraction of a point. But it was Kazuhiro Kokubo’s signature smooth style that put him on the top spot of the US Open halfpipe podium for the first time, with a run that included a frontside 900 melon, his crowd-favorite McTwist Chicken Wing trick followed by three 1080s. 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago (USA) won the Totino’s Highest Air award.

Tomorrow, the juniors take to the adult-sized halfpipe where boys and girls 13-years-old and under will compete in the US Open Junior Jam.

Be sure to watch the US Open on ABC on March 27 at 5:00 pm EST and 3:00 pm PST.
Follow live updates from the event on twitter @BurtonSnowboard

High-res photos from the US Open are available at:
www.opensnowboarding.com in the Press section of the US Open website
Username: bgospress
Password: bgospress
Photo Credit: Shem Roose

For more information on the US Open, head to www.opensnowboarding.com.

Burton would like to thank GO211, Stratton Mountain Resort, Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, Volvo, AMP Energy, Paul Mitchell, Nature Valley, Totino’s, Kodak, Shiseido, SteelSeries and Corona for their support of the 2010 US Open. For more information on the US Open, head to www.opensnowboarding.com.

About the Burton Global Open Series
The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders’ needs over the years. With events held in New Zealand, Europe, Canada and the United States, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe. For more information, visit www.opensnowboarding.com


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