Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships 2008

The Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships kicked off the day’s competition, with over 85 riders vying for a spot through to the top eight men and five women final. The standard of riding was incredibly high with local SNO!zone team riders, Jamie Nicholls, Laura Hill and Simon Foster leading the way.

The Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships

The Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championships kicked off the day’s competition, with over 85 riders vying for a spot through to the top eight men and five women final. The standard of riding was incredibly high with local SNO!zone team riders, Jamie Nicholls, Laura Hill and Simon Foster leading the way. In the women’s final Laura Hill finished in top spot to take the 2008 Animal Slopestyle Championship title. Laura linked together a fluid and technical run including a 50-50 180 out on the top rail, switch boardslide on the box and a stylish tail bonk over the drum. Lynsey Ashdown, who had been riding super strong all day finished in second place with a smooth noseslide on the rail and frontside 360 over the jump. Third place went to Jules Chappell after she impressively gapped to 50-50 the down box and cleaned the wall ride.

In the men’s competition it was a tuff call for the judges, with only decimal points separating the top eight and top three podium spots. Technical and creative rail tricks were being thrown down including, a cab 180 to 270 over the kinked box, from “Little T” and a backflip to 50-50 on the gap down box from Michael Mullarkey. Local rider Jonny Russell raised the bar with some inspirational riding and walked away with the 2008 Animal Slopestyle Championship title for the second year in a row. Russell nailed a backside 270 lipslide on the down rail, to big gap 270 noseslide on the kinked rail, to cheeky 540 bonk over the drum and a sweet backside 180 to switch 50-50 on the wall ride. Jamie Nicholls came in a very close second with a faultless and text book run including a cab 270 on, off on the flat down box a lofty backside 720 over the jump and a smooth as silk crooked nosepress 270 out on the wall ride. Milton Keynes rider, Steve Revill finished in third place after he mixed up a selection of technical rail riding and floaty backflips over the jump.

Animal Snowboard Slopestyle Championship Results

Men
1st – Jonny Russell, Sheffield
2nd – Jamie Nicholls, Bradford
3rd – Steve Revill, Milton Keynes

Women
1st – Laura Hill, Leeds
2nd – Lynsey Ashdown, Manchester
3rd – Jules Chappell, Leighton Buzzard

To check out the pictures and video footage from the Animal Slopestyle Championships, where you’ll also be able to get timings for the next event on the British Snow Tour calendar, the Quiksilver Big Air Championships at Milton Keynes SNO!zone, Saturday 27th September, go to: www.britishsnowtour.com The British Snow Tour and Schools Tour programme would not be possible without its highly supportive sponsors:Animal, Quiksilver, Trespass, SNO!zone, Cushe, Suso, TSA and Ellis Brigham. Demo partners: Ride, K2, Line, Clif, and DC. Media partners Whitelines, Extreme.com, Metrosnow.co.uk,Snowboardclub.co.uk and Skiclub.co.uk