The LG London Big Air officially announced

Snowsport GB has officially announced that the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup will start its northern hemisphere season with a World Cup Big Air in the heart of London.

The LG London Big Air will take place on Saturday October 25 at Battersea Power Station, on the banks of the River Thames in London, and will be the headline event of a fantastic new winter sports festival, Free Sports On 4 Freeze, which will run October 23 to 26 at Battersea Power Station.

The LG London Big Air will be staged on a specially constructed ramp, with real snow, and will attract the world's best snowboarders, including a number of the British Snowboard Team.

British No.1 Men's Snowboarder, Dan Wakeham is delighted with the news that Britain will host a World Cup Snowboard competition for the first time ever. Dan said "It is amazing news about the London Big Air, and I really look forward to competing against the world's best in front of a home crowd. This is a huge boost as I begin my preparations for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010."

This is a superb development for Snowsport GB, and Mark Simmers, CEO of Snowsport GB said: "To stage a Snowboard World Cup in the UK for the first time, is a massive boost for the sport, and will bring a huge amount of profile to our British Snowboard athletes when they compete at home against the world's best. I must thank the International Ski Federation (FIS) for helping Snowsport GB to bring about the inaugural staging of the LG London Big Air."

In addition to the central event, the LG London Big Air, Free Sports On 4 Freeze will include a 7,000 plus music auditorium featuring live bands, an Alpine Village with a wide range of interactive entertainment for all visitors, and a number of other competitions and displays on the huge snow ramp at Battersea Power Station.

Marcel Looze, Snowboard Director of the FIS, said, "This is exactly the way we would like to go with the organisation of our LG FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air events. Great sports events held in urban surroundings combined with lifestyle elements such as music, gaming and fashion, but most importantly events where everybody has fun. The best riders in the world competing on a huge and exciting ramp with spectators who will be entertained in a multitude of ways."

The main media partner for the LG Freeze will be Channel 4 Television, who will be broadcasting the event in the UK, and the television pictures of the LG London Big Air will be distributed globally by the FIS.

Tickets for the festival go on sale shortly