OLYMPIAN BEN KILNER HITS CHILL FACTORE
LOCALS RIDE WITH SNOWBOARDING STAR AT CHILL FACTORe
The North West’s premier visitor attraction, Chill Factore, hosted an exclusive ‘Freestyle with the Stars Day’ on Thursday 3rd November to celebrate the start of the 2016/2017 snow sports season.
Visitors at the Manchester-based leisure destination were wowed by Britain's first ever World Cup men’s halfpipe bronze medallist, Ben Kilner, as he showcased his world-class tips, tricks and flips for visitors at Chill Factore.
The two-time Olympic athlete wasn’t the only one to master the freestyle park, he was joined by eight lucky competition winners, who got exclusive access to Ben in a private coaching session.
Freestyle beginner, Anne-Marie, said: “My son and I had a great time at Chill Factore with Ben. He was awesome and very patient with me as a newbie. I was glad to be pushed out of my comfort zone and land some new tricks!”
A passionate snowboarder since the age of 9, Ben also hit the slopes with three rising freestyle stars including; 2014 Chill FactoreEnglish Slopestyle Champion, Lewis Hopkinson (age 10); 2014 British and Scottish Slopestyle Champion, Mia Brookes (age 11); and 2014 Chill Factore English Boardercross Champion, Nate Hopkinson (age 13), who all got the chance to brush up their skills alongside the Olympian.
Currently on track for the 2018 Winter Olympics and having competed world-wide on the half-pipe, slopestyle and big air disciplines, Ben was on optimum form to give his top tips to snowboarders of all abilities.
Ben comments: “It was great to experience the freestyle park at Chill Factore and ride alongside others who share my passion for snowboarding. Being able to pass on my knowledge and advise riders of various riding ability, from beginners to Olympic hopefuls, was a great way to get people excited and prepared for 2016/2017 season!
“The facilities at Chill Factore provided an ideal setting to practice different freestyle techniques and it was a fun afternoon filled with impressive snowboarding action from Chill Factore visitors. Thank you to Chill Factore for inviting me along and I’ll be sure to drop in the next time I’m in the North West!”