KILNER AND ORMEROD WIN GOLD AT BRITS HALFPIPE
Thick cloud greeted the riders at the top of Laax's superpipe this morning as The BRITS day 3 began.
After a morning of delays, and hundreds of laps of the nearby mini-halfpipe, the weather finally broke and allowed competition to begin in the early afternoon. Once runs got underway, the pipe was in perfect condition, allowing Olympian Ben Kilner and slopestyle champion Katie Ormerod to put together incredible runs and take the overall titles.
Due to the delays, as well as regular spells of thick cloud, each rider only had one run to lay down their overall score. That was no problem for seasoned competitor, and the UK's foremost pipe talent, Ben Kilner. Ben took the top spot with a huge run that started with the highest air of the day; a perfectly tweaked method. He continued with back-to-back 720s in a run that made jaws drop. Second place went to Scotsman Jamie Trinder. The only rider to drop in switch; he started with a massive Haakon flip, and continued with huge inverted tricks right down the pipe. The bronze medal went to newly crowned slopestyle champion Rowan Coultas, whose style and technicality meant an addition to his and GB Park and Pipe's medal haul.
In his usual good spirits, Ben commented “Laax did an amazing job shaping the pipe. I was very surprised at this time of the year when it's harder. The guys had a lot of fun, even though the conditions were tough. It was a great day's shred”
In the women's contest, the new slopestyle champion Katie Ormerod was first to drop, and she locked up a second title in just a few hits of the pipe. A huge frontside roastbeef on her first hit set the scene for an amazing run which sealed Ormerod’s second gold of the week. Maisie Hill took the second spot with a run that had the judges talking well into après. Every grab imaginable and unparalleled amplitude amongst the women's field meant that Maisie's was a standout run, especially as she is still just 15 years old. Third place went to Cerys Allen, whose neck must now be aching from the medal collection she has racked up over the course of this week in her age group and overall competitions.
Double gold winner Ormerod stated: “I'm really stoked to win the British halfpipe champs. I never really ride halfpipe but I was having so much fun today, the pipe was perfect and I'm really happy to have won.”
As with all the contests this week, the younger categories had a great showing and were very competitive. The under 12 male's were particularly close, with just fractions of points separating the top 3. Liam Tynan's super technical run was just enough to win out from Lewis Hopkinson's bags of style – his indy nosebone being a particular favourite amongst the judges – and Koby Cook's near perfect blend of amplitude and difficulty.
British Snowboard Halfpipe Championships Results
Men Women
1st – Ben Kilner 1st – Katie Ormerod
2nd – Jamie Trinder 2nd – Maisie Hill
3rd – Rowan Coultas 3rd – Cerys Allen
Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2016 picture galleries at www.facebook.com/britsfestival, where you will be able to check out the Snowboard and Freeski action from the previous day’s competition.
The BRITS would not be possible without its highly supportive Partners: LAAX, Swiss International Air Lines, Switzerland Tourism, Swiss Travel System and British Ski & Snowboard (BSS).