BRITS 2008

The BRITS is the culminating event in the British Snowboard Tour and is as much about the party as the competition. Held in Laax for the past 3 seasons with one of the best parks in Europe it should be another cracker.

Last day at the Brits

Posted Tue 08 Apr 2008 at 10:52GMT By Steve Dowle
Related pages: British Snowboard Tour :: Dom Harington and Kate Foster Take BRITS halfpipe :: Laax :: The Brits 2008

Mens slopestyle, BRITS 2008, Laax
Photo: Steve Dowle, WSG

In an apparent suicide bid, at the end of the slopestyle Ryan Davis decides to end it all by throwing himself off the top of the cable-car station ...

Ryan Davis, cable car station drop, Laax - BRITS 2008
Photo: Steve Dowle, WSG

Halfpipe finals

Posted Thu 03 Apr 2008 at 18:48GMT By Steve Dowle
Related pages: British Snowboard Tour :: Dom Harington and Kate Foster Take BRITS halfpipe :: Laax :: The Brits 2008

It was far from ideal conditions in Laax for watching the halfpipe competition, never mind competing in it, but after i arrived just in time to jump in the gondola and catch the finals of the mens & womens halfpipe competition. Fairplay to them all, as they were going massive out of the pipe completely ignoring the fact you could hardly see you hand in front of your face in the driving snow.

BRITS 2008 halfpipe finals

Day Two

Posted Mon 31 Mar 2008 at 18:13GMT By Liz Haycroft
Related pages: British Snowboard Tour :: Laax :: The Brits 2008

Day Two started off a little slower, after a long night in the bar (Kovak came back for a encore show, and I swear their tunes were even more catchy on second listening). I didn’t miss much though, as the boardercross entrants were still qualifying, while the halfpipe skiers were struggling with a relatively slow and sticky ride. After a quick lunch overlooking the park, I ventured over to see the carnage that is the boardercross.

Almost 90 riders had battled it out while I was still enjoying the sunshine, and after a nasty accident in the girls’ youth finals which stopped racing for almost 20 mins, the results were in. Boardercross is tough. Entrants race hard & fast & it’s not uncommon to see little ones wiping each other out. In the women’s division, strong favourite Zoe Gillings proved her strength, with Ivy Taylor and Lesley McKenna coming in behind. The Men’s title was taken by James Foster, while Michael Arrowsmith and George Springfield brought home second and third.

Tonight’s entertainment includes Tenants Supermen, a Welsh collective who apparently use an ancient Casio and useless knowledge of popular culture to create fresh tunes for the Brits massive. It should be good.

Tune for the Day? Joy Division’s She’s Lost Control, because those boardercross girls are crazy! laax boardercross08

Day One, aka My First..

Posted Sun 30 Mar 2008 at 18:04GMT By Liz Haycroft
Related pages: British Snowboard Tour :: Laax :: The Brits 2008

laax 30mar08-2

Day One of the Brits saw the beginning of many firsts – time on Swiss snow, ride in a cable car then onto a drag lift, and even a cheeky little hike up a mountain in search of some untouched snow. It also gave me the chance to experience the unique art of European queueing (they don’t) and more importantly, gave me a look at British apres culture.

After a bluebird day that somehow included a crazy wind storm (note to self: don’t get blown onto a long run on the backside of the mountain, with flat, sticky snow), by 5pm everyone had converged onto the Crap Bar where the beer was flowing and the band was just getting started.

Brighton’s Kovak, an electro rock pop five-piece, said they had been on the slopes all day, but judging by their freshly-ironed shirts and the vocalist’s tights and dress ensemble, I didn’t believe them. Plus, all five were jumping around like it was a headline gig at a major club, which was all very impressive when it was still daylight and they were playing in the corner of a bar to a crowd of riders relaxing after their first day on the slopes.

Tune for the Day: Kovak’s Death in the Disco. Funky disco beats, strong guitars, tight drumming and a catchy hook means no question, this beats Sophie Ellis Bextor for my murder-themed club song of choice.

Road to the Brits

Posted Sat 29 Mar 2008 at 17:33GMT By Liz Haycroft
Related pages: British Snowboard Tour :: Laax :: The Brits 2008

laax1

The route from London to Laax through Friedenschafen allowed me to take in four countries in one day, as well as experience the wonder of a rural German airport. There’s a Goodyear blimp beside ancient military planes, alongside a line of private jets. To the other side is a group of fathers cheering on their sons (in a controlled, Germanic fashion) as they speed around a go-kart track – and this is before I even got off the plane.

The Swiss-Austrian border police cast their eyes right over myself & the two 16-year-olds ski girls in my taxi (both bound for a week of unaccompanied Brits partying and snow), deciding instead to question the dark-skinned Mauritian kid who looked a long way from home. Considering I’d come all the way from Australia, however, means I may have just beaten him.

There were another seven boys in the taxi behind, all Brits & all without a clue of where they were staying. I could only hope their fellow countrymen were a little more organized, as something like 350 British snowboarders & skiers were set to hit Laax for the week, not including the numerous press, sponsors & whomever else comes along for the ride.

The town of Laax is quite small, with apartment complexes overlooking the main gondola, a scattering of hotels, and the infamous Riders Palace just a short walk away. The Palace deserves the respect it’s received – the front entrance and bar is so freaking cool, with big ol’ posters advertising recent/upcoming gigs (the latest was Norway’s Turbonegro, which isn’t bad for a resort show.) I quite wanted to steal one as a souvenir, only to realize the staff actually encourage it, which proves the quality of good design & how well the people at Riders know their guests. (We’re thieves and music lovers, obviously.)

As for the late-season snow, it’s relatively fresh and there’s still plenty of it. There was a definite sense of excitement in the air as the week began, and with mid-week snow in the forecast , things can only get better.

Tune for the day: Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here 1. because the simple intro made me feel all funny when it came on as I basked in the sun by the Crap Bar, where everyone heads at the end of the day, and 2. because I do.