British Slopestyle Snowboard Championships Results & Review 2018

COCKRELL DOUBLES UP AS ALLEN LANDS MAIDEN OVERALL BRITISH TITLE
British Snowboard & Freestyle Ski Championships 2018, LAAX, Switzerland

 

The third and penultimate day of competition at The BRITS 2018 defied weather reports yet again, and as the clouds rose, the stage was set for an amazing British Slopestyle Championship.

Dominating the kickers and rails of the pristine Laax Snowpark were perennial BRITS favourites Cerys Allen and Billy Cockrell, who added the Slopestyle title to the Big Air he won 24 hours previously.

With just the occasional stoppage for rolling clouds, the two-run qualifiers went off without a hitch before six women and 12 men prepared for an almighty Super Final. As finishing touches were made to the kickers, the wind speed began to rise, and the temperature dropped, meaning speeds into the already enormous run-ins rose, and riders began to fly deep into the landings. It was time to go big or go home!

Totally at home in all conditions throughout the day was new big air champ Billy Cockrell, who didn’t put an edge wrong from practice to his winning run. His only small fault of the day proved inconsequential, as his first Super Final run was more than enough to seal his second 2018 title. The towering double cork 1080 from Big Air was the centerpiece of the run of a worthy champion.

Judge Jamie Keeble was impressed with Cockrell’s progression: “From not making the podium last year, to dominating this year, it shows how hard Billy has worked this season.” Behind Billy on the podium were Harry Waite and Josh Cook who put on an incredible show of style and could only be split by a solitary point.

When asked if he could make it 3-for-3 on freestyle events this year, Cockrell was content with his haul: “Two golds, that’s enough, no pipe tomorrow!”, and had this to say about his efforts today: “Today was cab 5, backed dub 10, front 7; the back dub 10 was in the Big Air as well, I’ve been working on that for a while. It was pretty windy at the end but it was good fun. I’ll probably have to come back next year now and defend the titles!”

In the women’s contest, Cerys Allen headed into the Super Final with a healthy lead over the rest of the field, and continued to shine despite the wind to get her first overall gold after yesterday’s near miss in the Big Air.

Allen’s clean rails and lofty 360 tailgrab were the highlights of a run packed with style and amplitude, and she took a deserved British title. As others faltered, Masie Hill and Sophie Smith laid down tidy runs to pick up silver and bronze respectively. Hill’s massive backflip in her final run put a smile on the faces of all in the crowd and cemented a space on her third overall podium in as many days.

On a high after her win Cerys commented: “It was so fun – such a good course, and it was really fun getting to ride with all of my friends who live up and down the country. Just having a really good time! I was spinning off the medium line, spinning back 3s and front 3s; I was really happy, it was a good run. There was a bit of wind, and the light was a little bit flat at times, but everyone’s in the same boat and we all need to push through together.”

 

British Slopestyle Championships – Snowboard Results

Men                                                                Women

1st – Billy Cockrell                                         1st – Cerys Allen

2nd – Harry Waite                                         2nd – Maisie Hill

3rd – Josh Cook                                             3rd – Sophie Smith

 

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