BBC Winter Sports Journalist, Anna Thompson highlights the amazing slopestyle athletes the UK currently have, including Jenny Jones and Jamie Nicholls and Ed Leigh thinks the inclusion of both the ski and snowboard slopestyle in the 2014 Winter Olympics is not just a pipe dream!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/annathompson/2010/02/slopestyle_to_make_debut_in_so.html

Check out the BRITS 2010 feature from the Mirror.co.uk, its never to chilly for an alpine gathering: http://bit.ly/9gip3v

Jamie Nicholls continued his top form yesterday during the Burton European Opens Slopestyle Semi-Finals, finishing in an impressive 10th place overall and making it through to the finals.

Good work Jamie!

The mens finals will be taking place on Friday 15th January.

UK rippers Jamie Nicholls and Amiee Fuller have both qualified through to the Burton European Open Slopestyle Semi-Finals. Over 40 men and 50 women competed with only the top 18 men and 13 women advancing through the semi-finals where they will meet invited top-riders like last year’s BEO slopestyle winner Lisa Wiik and Swatch TTR World Champion 08/09 Peetu Piiroinen.

Today the men’s slopestyle semi-final is scheduled with the women’s semi-finals taking place on Thursday.

Slopestyle Qualification Men Results

1.     Jeromel Luka SLO FORUM 81.33

2.     Ciancaleoni Giorgio ITA BURTON 73.00

3.     Lipsanen Janne FIN RIPCURL 72.83

4.     Paumola Ville FIN QUIKSILVER 72.67

5.     Ryan Sean USA FORUM 71.00

6.     Tiller Sondre NOR DC SHOE CO USA 70.50

7.     Hast Miikka FIN PROTEST 70.17

8.     Morgan Ethan GER FORUM 69.67

9.     Uotila Ville FIN ATOMIC 69.33

10.  Nordgaard Trym NOR QUIKSILVER 69.17

11.  Arvidsson Nils SWE RIPCURL 69.00

12.  Sørensen Paal NOR QUIKSILVER 68.83

13.  Braaten Gjermund NOR OAKLEY 68.50

14.  Nicholls Jamie GBR QUIKSILVER 67.00

15.  Tonteri Roope FIN BURTON 66.00

16.  McMorris Mark CAN ONEILL 62.33

17.  Backstrom Kevin SWE BURTON 62.00

18.  Neraker Simmen NOR 32 SNOWBOARD 61.83

Slopestyle Qualfication Women Results

1.      Walker Ty USA ROXY 79.33

2.      Rukajärvi Enni FIN ROXY 78.00

3.      Somaini Carla SUI NEVER SUMMER 70.67

4.      Fuller Aimee GBR ROXY 67.50

5.      van Gils Charlotte NED K2 63.17

6.      Karlinski Jordie USA NIKITA 61.17

7.      Nadig Helen SUI ZIMTSTERN 60.67

8.     Van Der Pouw Britte NED ROXY 59.00

9.     Alekhina Elena RUS Roxy 58.83

10.   Sadlowski Diana POL CONTRACT 56.67

11.   Zabranska Lucie CZE ROXY 56.33

12.  Pribosic Urska SLO ELAN 55.67

13.  Ramholt Tina SUI HORSEFEATHER 54.83

If you can’t make it to Laax, you can watch the finals live on www.GO211.com:

Soulsports are managing the snow production and slope management at the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup event here in Battersea, London. We had a great contest that was broadcast live on Eurosport at 5pm, unfortunately none of the Brits made the final 10 but Soulsports athlete Ben Kilner representing LG produced the best result with a 14th place overall.

London Freeze Slope

[Official Event Release]
Birthday child Stefan Gimpl victorious in season’s first big air competition / 15,000 spectators in London

What a day for Stefan Gimpl: The Austrian snowboard veteran not only celebrated his career’s seventh World Cup triumph by taking Gold with 52.7 points at the season’s first big air competition of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup. The rider from the Salzburg countryside also made himself a fantastic birthday present. Aged 30 now and in front of 15,000 spectators at Battersea Power Station in London, the World Cup title defender relegated Switzerland’s Gian-Luca Cavigelli (50.5) and Domen Bizjak from Slovenia (49.7) to the second and third rank respectively. Matevz Pristavec (SLO, 49.7) had to settle for fourth finishing also with 49.7 points.

Jamie Nicholls © FIS-Oliver Kraus

That this day turned out like written in a storybook was due to the great experience of several years being on tour as a snowboard pro. Not the young guns with their “Backside 1260’s” (Ulrik Badertscher, NOR) or “Frontside 1260’s” (Janne Korpi, FIN) took all the credit but Gimpl with his matchless style of making the tricks look so easy and stick them smoothly on the landing hill – although the 30-years-old had to struggle with his shaky legs right before the final attempt. “I was very nervous up there although actually nothing could have gone wrong as I was lucky over the last years living on the sunny side of life. It seems that someone is meaning well for me.”

Namely that good, that the World Cup leader was able to stomp a “Frontside 1080” at first, his “so far best in my whole life” and later on a “Cab 900” after the spectator crowd had serenaded him “Happy birthday”. “This was an amazing experience. Although I still can’t believe the result as I wasn’t expecting to win today.”

Stefan Gimpl © FIS-Oliver Kraus

With this statement Gimpl was driving at the fact that the whole starter field answered expectations with a high level riding including some of the more than 50 riders from 12 countries showcasing even more difficult tricks than the later on winner – however, not as smooth and stylish like Gimpl did. One of them was Gian-Luca Cavigelli. The Swiss talent who never had finished a World Cup in the top-10 before jumped on the podium for the first time ever after he had thrown in a massive “Backside 1080 Double Cork” and a “Backside Rodeo 720”. “I’m pretty stoked with the result as I have been on the snowboard for only two months so far” the 21-years-old who tore his left ACL a year ago said after his comeback.

And also third-ranked Domen Bizjak was more than happy after his “Switch Backside 900” and “Frontside 900” earned him his career’s first podium finish. The 24-years-old who had have three fourth ranks so far stated: “I never expected this. But today, everything went fine.”

Ben Kilner © FIS-Oliver Kraus

The British Snowboard Team produced some great results with LG Freeze ambassador Ben Kilner finishing 14th, Nate Kern 20th, Jamie Nicholls 27th, and Jack Shackelton in 47th position.

Soulsports have secured the roles of Slope Preperation, Slope Management and Contest Management at this year’s event in Battersea, London which will host several competitions including the FIS World Snowboard Cup and the International Freeze Ski event.

Below is the official Press Release:

FSO4 FREEZE SNOWSPORTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS TO BATTERSEA
• Battersea Power Station hosts festival from 30th October – 1st November
• 32m snow jump with 17m drop to be re-created using 500 tonnes of real snow
• Orbital and Friendly Fires to headline
• Over 200 world class competitors from across the globe expected to attend
• FIS sanctioned World Cup snowboard event returns to London
• International Freeskie Event
• Battle of Britain Ski and Snowboard events
• Freeze Grind Rail comps and USA vs Europe competitions added to event line-up
• Tickets now on sale

The UK’s biggest ever winter sports and music festival, Freesports on 4 FREEZE sponsored by LG, is returning to London following the phenomenal success of last year’s event.
Once again, Battersea Power Station will be transformed into an international competition standard snowboarding and freeski venue to host world class skiers and snowboarders from around the world.
The inaugural event in 2008 drew huge crowds to the South London site and the event sold out all 10,000 tickets on the Saturday for the World Cup event.

The 32m high ski-jump will accompany the iconic towers of Battersea Power Station on the London skyline once again with 500 tonnes of real snow being produced and packed onto the slope to transform the site into a winter sports village. The big air jump will form the central hub of the competition and will return as the biggest ever created in the UK. The overall length from the top of the jump to the landing strip will be 110m, with a 17m table top drop from which competitors from around the globe will be showcasing their talents.

The festival will kick off on the Friday with a Battle of Britain ski and snowboard contest with the best of British talent battling it out for the title of top dog in the UK. Brit Olympic snowboard hopefuls Ben Kilner and Dom Harrington will be jostling for the top spot, before focusing on the World Cup event later in the weekend.

The LG London Big Air event, part of the FIS LG Snowboard World Cup, will take place on the Saturday, forming the main competition for snowboarders. All riders taking part can score crucial ratings points in their quest to become World Champions, whilst also improving their chances to qualify for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Last year’s winner Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) will be returning to defend his title, along with Scotty Lago (US) who hopes to retain his Best Trick trophy.
The International Freestyle Ski event over Saturday and Sunday will feature some of the world’s most accomplished skiers, with multiple Winter X Games Gold Medal winner Tanner Hall (US) returning for a second year, along with Simon Dumont (US) and UK hopeful Paddy Graham, all of whom will be competing for the £10,000 prize fund.

This year’s festival will also see a brand new addition to its sporting line up, with the Freeze Grind competition giving the ski and snowboard competitors a chance to display their skills on rails at the base of the slope.

Finally, the festival will close with a battle of the continents, with USA taking on Europe in a snowboard contest on Sunday which is guaranteed to get the audience’s pulses racing.
Along with a stellar line-up of winter sports action, there will be music acts taking to the stage across the weekend to entertain the après-ski revelers after the on-piste action comes to a close. Electronic outfit Orbital have been confirmed for Friday and Friendly Fires will headline Sunday’s music line-up. Other acts confirmed include Pendulum DJ set and Chase and Status Further acts will be confirmed nearer the time. The main music tent has been extended from last year to hold a massive 15,000 capacity crowd.

Andrew Topham, Events Director at Big Freeze Limited, the event producers commented: “We are delighted to be returning to Battersea Power Station in 2009. 2008 was a special event for us and you can expect ’09 to eclipse that! The LG World Cup is a very important International Series and we are thrilled for London to be a part of that once more. Big Freeze will be working very closely with its partners to create the ultimate inner city snow and music festival.”

Marcel Looze, Snowboard Race Director at the sport’s official global body FIS commented: “Research showed that enjoyment of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air was high with most wanting to come back or recommend a friend. The very special location at Battersea, the enthusiastic crowd and great performance of the riders made the first LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air in London a success. FIS is proud to have London in the Calendar 2009/2010 again and give the audience another opportunity to watch World Class athletes without having to travel thousands of miles. We trust Sports Vision supported by the British Ski and Snowboard Association are able to create a great show again.”

Ben Kilner, UK Olympic hopeful said: “I’m really excited to be sponsored by LG, their involvement in the FIS Snowboarding World Cup has really helped to grow the sport & FSO4 FREEZE sponsored by LG is looking like it¹ll be a great event again this year. I¹m looking forward to taking on the World¹s best snowboarders, which will be great preparation for me in the lead up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, especially in front of a home crowd!”

Paul Meadows, head of brand marketing at LG Electronics UK & Ireland comments: “Freesports on 4 Freeze and the Big Air established themselves as iconic events last year and LG is delighted to be sponsoring both events for the second year running. Bringing freesports, music and the latest mobile technology such as social networking handsets together at the iconic Battersea power station, this year¹s event promises to be bigger and even more spectacular. We’re sure that everyone who attends will have a truly memorable time, taking in the buzz and excitement of live action and music together with their friends and family.”

Fans wishing to attend the event are advised to visit www.londonfreeze.com for further ticket information.

Tickets are priced at £35 for a day pass, £85 for a season pass (3 days), with a child’s day ticket at £15 and a child’s season ticket at £35.
www.londonfreeze.com

Hi guys,

The Westbeach Snowflex Series had its finale at the weekend in the rather odd little town of Noeux Les Mines in north-eastern France. Friday was open for practice so spent the afternoon getting used to being back “on the brush”. The slope was acheingly slow to ride, as sadly it doesnt seem to be used all that often but thanks to the efforts of Wayne Taylor and the others, it got a little faster over the weekend. My buddies Andy Nudds and Mike Austin rode really well and finished 1st and joint 2nd respectively in the slopstyle - nice work boys!

The chinese downhill proved to be a super fun event! competitors could choose to gun it downhill as fast as possible to clinch victory, or grab as many prizes as they could whilst they were being thrown at us on the way down. I opted to go 1-footed to save time, possibly a risky strategy but it seemed to pay off when i found myself in the lead near the bottom, only to be pipped to the post by Lewis Sonvico as he came storming past!

The Team event was also a real highlight and definately makes the Snowflex Series one of the funnest events to be a part of! Creavitity and comedy were the order of the day and Myself, Andy Nudds, Matt MacWhirter, Will Smith and Charlie Smith formed “Team Westbeach/AKA snowskate”. We decided to strap our boards together to form a “raft” on which we recreated the jamaican bobsleigh team in cool runnings and climbed aboard before hooning it downhill! amazing fun!!! Hoping to see some photos of that one soon!

Will definately be back there next year!

Andy Webb

In each of the four disciplines Sunday, glowing audiences bore witness to the making of the
following «freestyle.champ» title holders: snowboarder Eero Ettala (FIN), freeskier Sammy
Carlson (USA), FMX pilot Dany Torres (ESP) and skateboarder Jean-Paul Ronchetti (GBR). A
grand total of 47,000 visitors, 3 straight days of awesome weather, kickin’ live concerts and
rousing freestyle action transformed Zurich’s Landiwiese this weekend into an unrivaled
freestyle arena.

It would be hard to top the incredible contest action, top athletes, excellent sounds of rapper Stress,
Phenomden and The Vibes as well as the great atmosphere and perfect weather soaked up by visitors
over the past three days at Zurich’s Landiwiese. Visitors kicked back and became one with Label
World’s mellow scene as they joined in the fun prize games and activities offered at exhibitor stands.
«The success of the event confirms the strength of our concept», remarked the contented OC President
Erwin Flury. «Visitors are really drawn to the great mix of freestyle action, world-class athletes, powerful
live concerts and top trends at Label World.»

YouTube round up of the best action

«freestyle.champ»
It was first-things-first as the finalists in snowboarding, freeskiing, FMX biking and skateboarding got
things going in Sunday’s finals. Everyone showed up with an impressive bag of tricks and an incredible
appetite for landing a spot at the top as they took each other on. Then things got down to the wire as the
four best athletes in each category fought for the 2009 «freestyle.champ» title in the Superfinal. All of
the Superfinals in each of the four disciplines were over within an hour’s time, delivering a powerful
finish to an unbeatable weekend - aired live on SF zwei to boot!

Just 16 and already a win at the Vert Ramp
Sandro Dias was the favorite heading into Sunday’s skateboarding contests. No wonder: the guy left
audiences speechless with his soaring jumps at the Vert ramp. But he couldn’t quite manage to keep up
his peak performance in the Superfinal, falling when he attempted a 900. Paul-Luc Ronchetti, the 16
year old Brit, seized the opportunity, sending himself straight to the top by landing the title with his 720
and soaring 540 Varial. Both Jürgen Horrwath from Berlin and Sandro Dias were forced to take
backseat at 3rd and 4th. «I’m really proud of myself for managing to beat my childhood idol, Sandro
Dias!», beamed the winner Ronchetti. Daniel Mayer from the USA took 2nd place.

Close contest in freeskiing
The freeskiing champ was decided in a breathtaking show. It was only by one point that Sammy Carlson
beat Swiss kid Elias Ambühl to score 1st. Although both managed to thrill audiences with extremely
difficult jumps, the judges were forced to choose between the two. They took Carlson’s Double Cork
1080 over Ambühl’s Switch Double Cork 1080. It was ultimately this American freeskier’s style that won
judges over and landed him the «freestyle.champ» title. «Winning was a real confidence booster. Look
out X-Games, here I come!», said Carlson. Andreas Hatveit from Norway took 3rd while the Swede
glamour boy, Jon Olsson came in 4th.

FMX Dirt Jump in Spanish hands
In Sunday’s finals were Daisuke Suzuki (JPN), Charles Pagès (FRA), Dany Torres from Spain and Mat
Rebeaud from the French part of Switzerland. Rebeaud was the audience’s favorite heading into the
contest. He gave a consistent performance all weekend long while Pagès got increasingly better,
managing to eventually even pull off a Double Seatback Back Flip. However, topping both of these guys
was Dany Torres, who maintained a peak performance throughout, ever ready with a new variation. It
was his repertoire of back flip combos like the Lazyboy and Cliffhanger that won him the
«freestyle.champ» title. «It was cool to beat out Pagès and win today,» exclaimed the Spaniard. «I’m
definitely getting back to Zurich!»

A Finnish guy wins the snowboard contest
The Swiss had a strong chance for a win as Christian Haller and Iouri Podladtchikov headed into
Sunday’s Snowboarder Superfinal. Failed landings decided otherwise, however, knocking these two
athletes down to 3rd and 4th. A well-deserved victory went to the experienced rider from Helsinki and
2006 champ, Eero Ettala. He earned his «freestyle.champ» title with a Backside 1080 Mute as well as a
Switch Double Cork 1080, which he landed for the first time ever, putting his opponent, 17 year old
talent Sebastien Toutant in 2nd. No one managed to throw tricks as high and as wide as this Finnish
guy. «It’s incredible that I managed to land this trick. This will definitely not be the last time,» raved a
very happy Ettala.

Switzerland’s Podladtchikov crowned «crossover.champ»
The lit-up Landiwiese was basking in an incredible freestyle spirit Saturday night. Everything and
everyone was in place and awaiting the gladiators to make their entrance into the freestyle arena. And
these guys entered on fire, burning down the house as fans cheered them on to soaring heights in the
«Crossover Session». The crowds even enjoyed the one-time chance to play judge in the freestyle
arena. As in the previous year, during the show contests, all four disciplines were represented in the
Superfinal: Iouri Podladtchikov for snowboarding, 17 year old Swiss Elias Ambühl for freeskiing, new
proud father Dany Torres from Spain for FMXing and long-time audience favorite, Sandro Dias for
skateboarding. Although the Brazilian scored the «crossover.champ» title in 2006 and 2008, the
audience went with Podladtchikov this time around – they just couldn’t get over his perfect landing of the
Double Backside Rodeo.

Those who missed Europe’s largest freestyle sports event or those looking to experience freestyle.ch
Zurich 2009 once again, should turn on the TV Sunday, October 4, to SF zwei for all the highlights from
freestyle.ch Zurich 2009.

There’s more action coming up as the freestyle train takes off for Berlin. freestyle.berlin will premiere
from October 9 – 11 at Berlin Tempelhof Airport. More info available at: http://berlin.freestyle.ch.
More press photos and additional information available at: www.freestyle.ch.

Santa Cruz is celebrating its twentieth birthday in the Snowboard World and has decided to mark the occasion with a very special jam night this Friday night at Chill Factore - they will be bringing down a whole host of next year’s boards for people to demo.

Jo Howard, Pro Santa Cruz team rider, park designer and builder will be personally shaping the slope and features. Riders are invited to shred from 7pm, have a warm up and then into a jam session. The top male and female riders will each have 2 runs down the slope throwing down their best to get into the final. Judges pick the finalists and then they go head to head for podium places.

First prize is a Santa Cruz board with runner-up prizes including Santa Cruz merchandise, Whitelines mag subscriptions and Skull Candy headphones.

No registration needed arrive on the night! Chcek out the flyer below:

• Battersea Power Station hosts festival from 30th October – 1st November
• 32m snow jump with 17m drop to be re-created using 500 tonnes of real snow
• Orbital and Friendly Fires to headline
• Over 200 world class competitors from across the globe expected to attend
• FIS sanctioned World Cup snowboard event returns to London
• International Freeskie Event
• Battle of Britain Ski and Snowboard events
• Freeze Grind Rail comps and USA vs Europe competitions added to event line-up
• Tickets now on sale

The UK’s biggest ever winter sports and music festival, Freesports on 4 FREEZE sponsored by LG, is returning to London following the phenomenal success of last year’s event.
Once again, Battersea Power Station will be transformed into an international competition standard snowboarding and freeski venue to host world class skiers and snowboarders from around the world.
The inaugural event in 2008 drew huge crowds to the South London site and the event sold out all 10,000 tickets on the Saturday for the World Cup event.

Freeze Slope/ Crowd

The 32m high ski-jump will accompany the iconic towers of Battersea Power Station on the London skyline once again with 500 tonnes of real snow being produced and packed onto the slope to transform the site into a winter sports village. The big air jump will form the central hub of the competition and will return as the biggest ever created in the UK. The overall length from the top of the jump to the landing strip will be 110m, with a 17m table top drop from which competitors from around the globe will be showcasing their talents.
The festival will kick off on the Friday with a Battle of Britain ski and snowboard contest with the best of British talent battling it out for the title of top dog in the UK. Brit Olympic snowboard hopefuls Ben Kilner and Dom Harrington will be jostling for the top spot, before focusing on the World Cup event later in the weekend.
The LG London Big Air event, part of the FIS LG Snowboard World Cup, will take place on the Saturday, forming the main competition for snowboarders. All riders taking part can score crucial ratings points in their quest to become World Champions, whilst also improving their chances to qualify for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Last year’s winner Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) will be returning to defend his title, along with Scotty Lago (US) who hopes to retain his Best Trick trophy.
The International Freestyle Ski event over Saturday and Sunday will feature some of the world’s most accomplished skiers, with multiple Winter X Games Gold Medal winner Tanner Hall (US) returning for a second year, along with Simon Dumont (US) and UK hopeful Paddy Graham, all of whom will be competing for the £10,000 prize fund.
This year’s festival will also see a brand new addition to its sporting line up, with the Freeze Grind competition giving the ski and snowboard competitors a chance to display their skills on rails at the base of the slope.
Finally, the festival will close with a battle of the continents, with USA taking on Europe in a snowboard contest on Sunday which is guaranteed to get the audience’s pulses racing.

Freeski Action

Along with a stellar line-up of winter sports action, there will be music acts taking to the stage across the weekend to entertain the après-ski revelers after the on-piste action comes to a close. Electronic outfit Orbital have been confirmed for Friday and Friendly Fires will headline Sunday’s music line-up. Other acts confirmed include Pendulum DJ set and Chase and Status Further acts will be confirmed nearer the time. The main music tent has been extended from last year to hold a massive 15,000 capacity crowd.
Andrew Topham, Events Director at Big Freeze Limited, the event producers commented: “We are delighted to be returning to Battersea Power Station in 2009. 2008 was a special event for us and you can expect ’09 to eclipse that! The LG World Cup is a very important International Series and we are thrilled for London to be a part of that once more. Big Freeze will be working very closely with its partners to create the ultimate inner city snow and music festival.”
Marcel Looze, Snowboard Race Director at the sport’s official global body FIS commented: “Research showed that enjoyment of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air was high with most wanting to come back or recommend a friend. The very special location at Battersea, the enthusiastic crowd and great performance of the riders made the first LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air in London a success. FIS is proud to have London in the Calendar 2009/2010 again and give the audience another opportunity to watch World Class athletes without having to travel thousands of miles. We trust Sports Vision supported by the British Ski and Snowboard Association are able to create a great show again.”

Ben Kilner, UK Olympic hopeful said: “I’m really excited to be sponsored by LG, their involvement in the FIS Snowboarding World Cup has really helped to grow the sport & FSO4 FREEZE sponsored by LG is looking like it¹ll be a great event again this year. I¹m looking forward to taking on the World¹s best snowboarders, which will be great preparation for me in the lead up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, especially in front of a home crowd!”

Paul Meadows, head of brand marketing at LG Electronics UK & Ireland comments: “Freesports on 4 Freeze and the Big Air established themselves as iconic events last year and LG is delighted to be sponsoring both events for the second year running. Bringing freesports, music and the latest mobile technology such as social networking handsets together at the iconic Battersea power station, this year¹s event promises to be bigger and even more spectacular. We’re sure that everyone who attends will have a truly memorable time, taking in the buzz and excitement of live action and music together with their friends and family.”
Fans wishing to attend the event are advised to visit www.londonfreeze.com for further ticket information.
Tickets are priced at £35 for a day pass, £85 for a season pass (3 days), with a child’s day ticket at £15 and a child’s season ticket at £35.