Animal Slopestyle Champs Wraps Tour up in Style!

The Animal Slopestyle Championships at Castleford SNO!zone wrapped up the 2009 British Snow Tour in style on Saturday 3rd October. The creative slopestyle course, which included a selection of rails, boxes, kickers and elevated pipe jibs set the stage as over 160 of the UK’s top freestylers battled it out in one of the closest and highest levels of competitions seen on UK snow!

Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships
The Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships kicked off the day’s competition and the standard of riding was immense. Over 85 riders, 25 of them impressively coming from the women’s category hit the slope and linked together impressive and super technical runs making it a tough call to narrow the field for the finals for the judges.

It was extremely tight during the women’s qualification round, with the top four spots through to the final being increased to six after fourth place was tied between three riders. Lynsey Ashdown, who had been riding consistently well all day and qualified in first place, was victorious and walked away with the 2009 Animal Slopestyle Championship title. Lynsey’s winning run included a 50-50 180 out on the top rail, to switch boardslide on the middle rail, followed by a smooth frontside 360 over the kicker and cab 270 on the bottom box. Second place went to Helen Fox who charged the course and linked together a frontside lipslide on the top rail, a switch frontside boardslide on the middle rail and big method over the kicker. Sophie Nicholls, who has really stepped it up during this year’s British Snow Tour events, finished in third place with a smooth frontside lipslide on the top rail, to switch boardslide on the middle rail and an impressive 270 on the box.

In the men’s final Andy Nudds, Stu Edwards and Jack Shackleton where amongst the riders pushing the limits and raising the bar with incredibly tech rail tricks, big 540’s and cab 720’s being thrown down. Younger rider and Castleford local Tom Hunt, who had been killing it all day and impressed all with his consistent riding was crowned the 2009 Men’s Animal Slopestyle Champion. Tom’s impressive run included a 50–50 backside pivot cab 180 out on the top rail, to gap switch noseslide 180 out on the middle rail, to cab 720 mute over the kicker and a cab 180 to front blunt on the bottom gas pipe. A very close second place went to fellow Castleford rider, Jamie Nicholls who nailed a clean and stylish run that included a frontside blunt pivot 270, tap cab 180 out on the top rail, to 50-50 frontside 180 on the middle rail, to cab 720 melon over the kicker, to frontside blunt cab 360 out on the bottom gas pipe. John Weatherly finished in third place with a frontside blunt 270 out on the top rail, a gap frontside boardslide on the middle rail, to cab 270 off on the elevated pipe and a 180 on cab 360 off on the bottom gas pipe.

Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championship Results:
Men
1st – Tom Hunt – Leeds
2nd – Jamie Nicholls – Bradford
3rd – John Weatherly – Chester 3

Women
1st – Lynsey Ashdown – Manchester
2nd – Helen Fox – London
rd – Sophie Nicholls – Bradford

The inspirational schools tour team also ended their quest in Castleford after inspiring a further 100 beginners to come along to the event and have a lesson. The team will be hanging up their lunch boxes and letting the high fives hang loose until next year after successfully spreading the word to over 6,000 school pupils this summer and introducing over 500 kids to try skiing or snowboarding for the first time courtesy of the Animal and Trespass Learner Academies.

To check out the photos and video footage from the Animal Slopestyle Championships in Castleford or any of the previous events and to keep up to date with the British Snow Tour Invitational Championships, which is taking place on Friday 23rd October at the Metro Ski & Snowboard Show in London go to: www.britishsnowtour.com.

The British Snow Tour and Schools Tour programme would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors: Animal, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Snow+Rock. Demo partners: DC, Ride, K2, Line and Volkl Ski’s. Media partners: Whitelines, Dark Summer, Skiclub.co.uk, Natives.co.uk, Metrosnow.co.uk, Extreme Sports Channel, Spiked and Snowboardclub.co.uk.