Scots on top at the Brits

April 8, 2009 on 12:08 pm | In Snowboarding |

I have just been at the British Snowboard and Free Ski Champs in Laax in Switzerland. The week was a busy one, with two different events held on each day, one ski and one snowboard.

The week was also a very successful one for the Scottish entrants in the contest and for the Spey Valley in particular. Bachory’s own Ben Kilner had a great Championships after competing on the World Cup Tour all season in preparation for next years Winter Olympics.

Ben won the men’s half pipe title in front of fellow GB team mates Dom Harrington and Dan Wakeham. Lesley McKenna made the halfpipe a double victory for the Scots winning the ladies halfpipe in front of fellow GB Team Ladies Kate Foster and Laura Hill.

Clare Hughes kept the dies up for Scotland in the ski halfpipe comp coming in a very credible 3rd place. Ben Kilner jumped on the podium again in the slopestyle comp coming in 3rd place and kept it rolling by winning the all out speed event of the Red Bull Home Run on the last day, for the second year in a row!

Lesley was also on the podium in the boarder X comp, coming in close behind the World number 5, Zoe Gillings to take second place while Clare Hughes claimed 2nd place in the skier Big Air. 

In the other age categories the Scots also held strong. Stevie Trolland won the masters boarder X comp and Andrew Forewood  won the junior boarder X and slopestyle events with Abi  Dempster riding in to third place in the youth ladies slopestyle event.

Angus Leith also put out a strong performance in the pipe and slopestyle, just missing out on the medals in the pipe while Calum Andean had a big of a mishap in the boarder X on the first day and had to sit the rest of the week out as a spectator.

The Scottish riders are now heading home to ride in the Highlander Event on Cairngorm this coming weekend and in the Vans Dawn of the Shred comp the following weekend, also on Cairngorm. The conditions on Cairngorm look really good for this time of year and everyone is looking forward to a great couple of weeks riding at home.  

Lesley McKenna
http://www.chunkyknit.com
Professional snowboarder, film maker and ambassador for Visitscotland. All sorts of outdoor sports from skiing to mountain biking and now mixes her time on the Snowboard World Cup Tour with time in Scotland doing these sports.