On November 29, riders will have the chance to win a complete new set-up and tickets to compete in the UK’s biggest snowboarding event this season – the Brits.

The event aims to give up and coming UK talent the chance to shine and the Snowdome crew is creating a combination of rails, kickers and a wall for riders to show off their skills and catch the eye of the judges.

One guy and one girl will win a Santa Cruz snowboard and bindings, Santa Cruz outerwear, Vans boots, tickets to compete in the Brits in Laax in March 2009 (flights and transfers not included), Skull Candy headphones, subscriptions to Whitelines and Cooler magazine respectively and a pair of Electric goggles each.

There’ll also be plenty of spot prizes and every competitor will get a Santa Cruz goodie bag.

Jay Stephenson will be there to holler and guide you through the course as well as Santa Cruz’s very own Jo Howard and Brits winner and Olympic rider Kate Foster bust out some tricks to get you pumping and then join the judging panel from Whitelines Snowboard Magazine and Cooler.

Buy your tickets to the event directly from Tamworth SnowDome at www.snowdome.co.uk or call: 08448 000011

Adults £32 (members £22.40) Juniors £21 (members £14.70). The event runs 10pm-1.30am

Find them on Facebook by searching for: Santa Cruz Rookie Rider Clash

Check out the new season’s Santa Cruz goods at www.santacruzsnowboards.com

The Burton AM Tour, one of Europe's largest amateur freestyle snowboarding contest series, has launched into its fourth season. This winter, the tour will shake twelve resorts in twelve different countries.

The Swatch TTR 2-star events give young riders born 1989 or later the chance to show their freestyle skills and put themselves on the map of European snowboarding. With the new main sponsor Volvo Cars the contest series will step up the quality and maintain the unique atmosphere of the past years.

The first three stops of the tour will be indoor events, the first taking place on November 15 in Bispingen, Northern Germany. All 2009 stops will see sunlight, starting on January 24 in Flachauwinkl, Austria.

The tour stop winners will receive a guaranteed starting slot for the slopestyle competition at the Burton European Open (BEO) in Laax, Switzerland, and prizes from tour sponsors Burton, RED, and Anon. The overall tour winners will be crowned at the last stop on the glacier of Val Senales (Italy) on March 28. They will receive a Burton European Open package, consisting of starting slot and full board accomodation.

 Last year's overall winners were Stefan Ackeret (1989/SUI/Junior Boys), Laura Berry (1988/UK/Junior Girls), Tim-Kevin Ravnjak (1996/SLO/Kid Boys) and Enya Beutler (1993/SUI/Kid Girls). They all showed an insane level of riding over the entire past season. Like the tour stop winners they will seize their chance and compete in this winter's BEO in January 2009.

A regular podcast will keep you posted about the tour. It will feature tons of riding and impressions from the stops. Subscription and download under www.burtonamtour.com

Burton AM Tour Calendar 2008/09

15/11/2008 Bispingen (GER)

22/11/2008 Castleford (GBR)

06/12/2008 Landgraaf (NED)

24/01/2009 Flachauwinkl (AUT)

31/01/2009 Adelboden-Lenk (SUI)

07/02/2009 Grandvalira (AND)

14/02/2009 Bialka Tatrzanska (POL)

28/02/2009 Tandådalen (SWE)

07/03/2009 Sappee (FIN)

14/03/2009 Zolotaya Dolina (RUS)

21/03/2009 Avoriaz (FRA)

28/03/2009 Val Senales (ITA)

The British Snowboard and Freeski Tour heads to Milton Keynes, SNO!zone on Saturday September 27 to host the Quiksilver Big Air Championships.

Stopping off at two local schools along the way the on September 25 and 26, the Tour continues its quest to inspire more newcomers, give away 100 free lessons, offer free demo testing and display some the best snowboarding and freeskiing in the UK.    

This is the first 2-STAR TTR Big Air Championship Event to take place in Milton Keynes and over the past three weeks SNO!zone have been busy stockpiling snow in preparation for the event. The 9m all snow jump is being hand crafted as we speak and promises to elevate riders including; Jack Shackleton, James Carr and 2008 Freeski Slopestyle Champion, James Webb to new heights.

Quiksilver British Big Air Championships Schedule: Saturday September 27, Milton Keynes SNO!zone
•    9am - 3:30pm:    Quiksilver Snowboard Big Air Championships
•    12noon – 7:30pm: Quiksilver Freeski Big Air Championships
•    12noon - 4pm:     Free Beginner Ski & Snowboard Lessons with the Quiksilver Snowboard Academy
•    7pm - 10pm:    Free Demo testing, courtesy of K2, Ride and DC snowboards and Line and K2 skis

The competition is based on open entry for all abilities and ages. To compete, all riders must pre register online. So to secure your spot to compete, check out further information about the free lessons, demo kit and the Utah Saints gig that SNO!zone are hosting after the Quiksilver Championship Event go to: www.britishsnowtour.com
 

The crew at Mountain High have been busy spending and building this summer.

Rolling off last year's success, the resort has made more than $1.5 million in capital investments for the upcoming winter.

With an eye toward improving the guest experience, Mountain High has completely remodelled Big Pines Lodge, increased snowmaking capacity by up to 40%, introduced new tubing lanes, added two park-specific snowcats, and increased Sports School offerings.

The Faultine Terrain Park benefits from more than $800,000 investment in two new grooming machines to perfect the park’s 100 acres of terrain every night.

"Besides adding new snowcats, we completed an arsenal of rider-friendly features this summer,” said Justin Montoya, Faultline Terrain Park Manager.

“Mid-level riders can build their skills on the jibs while advanced riders can use them to dial in more technical tricks,"
 
Faultline doubled its production budget this season and is introducing a variety of new boxes and rails to its collection of more than 100 features. New features include a 20' doublewide flat rail, 20'x1'x4' box, rainbow box, and jump box.

Also keep an eye out for more natural features like log jibs and the completely huge 20'x20' wallride in the Playground area of Mountain High West. The wallride is made using Skatelite topsheet material that slides better and delivers a more consistent riding surface.
 
The Big Pines base lodge has been gutted and renovated with a new kitchen and retail area installed. New items on the menu include select Italian dishes, Asian cuisine, and an expanded selection of healthy grab-and-go sandwiches and salads. Packaging made from recycled materials is also being introduced.

In the third of a four year program retrofitting its entire fleet of air-water snow guns, Mountain High installed 25 new top-of-the-line Ratnik snowmaking nozzles and plan to increase their snow-making capacity by 40% this season. The new system uses less energy, making more environmental savings.

 
Three new tubing lanes have been added to North Pole Tubing Park at Mountain High North. Now with 12 lanes, two moving carpets, and custom tubes, North Pole Tubing Park is the largest tubing park in Southern California. In addition to the on-snow improvements, a new outdoor BBQ and indoor cafeteria offer hungry adventurers a variety of snacks and hot meals. Perfect for families and friends who may not ski or snowboard, North Pole Tubing Park offers a fun and inexpensive way for everyone to enjoy the snow.

 
Mountain High's Winter Sports School has introduced a new Learning Center at Mountain High East that now offers lessons for both children and adults on weekends. A new magic carpet has been installed allowing first-timers easy access to the newly expanded beginner area.

This is a great way to start before progressing to the lifts or the family terrain park located off Discovery Chair. A new building structure filled with top-of-the-line equipment from Burton and Head complete the Sports School experience.

Mountain High revamps its rental fleet on an annual basis and this season over $130,000 has been invested in Head skis, Burton snowboards, and Head snowboard boots that utilize the speedy BOA system.

All six rental locations have lockers, complimentary board checks, and staff available to answer questions and assist in the rental process. To keep riding affordable, rental pricing has also remained the same as last season.

Mountain High is Southern California's closest winter resort located 75 minutes from Los Angeles and Orange County. For full details visit  http://mthigh.com
 

Online competitor registration is now open for the first-ever Burton Canadian Open, taking place from December 1 to 7,  at the Calgary Olympic Development Association's (CODA) Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta.

CODA has been providing world-class sport facilities for Olympic development for 20 years and Canada Olympic Park is home to the exact duplicate of the halfpipe that will be built for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The third stop on the 2008/2009 Burton Global Open Series and a Swatch TTR 5Star event, the Canadian Open will include slopestyle and halfpipe competitions, offering riders the chance to earn a piece of the $50,000 USD prize purse and gain valuable points towards Burton Global Open Series championship titles and the Swatch Ticket To Ride World Tour championship titles.

Here's how to register to compete:

Head to www.opensnowboarding.com, go to the Canadian Open homepage and click on Registration in order to register online for the Registration Waitlist.

Registration will be open until October 20, 2008. If they receive more registrations per format than the number of pre-qualification spots available, riders will be selected from the Registration Waitlist based on their BGOS standings/results and their TTR standings/results, with priority given to the riders with the best standings/results.

On or before October 27, you will be notified by email if your registration has been successful and that your entry for the Canadian Open Halfpipe and/or Slopestyle Pre-Qualifiers is confirmed. At that time, your credit card will be charged a non-refundable $75CAD per discipline as applicable.

If your name is not selected, you will automatically be added to the waitlist (which shall be selected at random). Top pros will receive special invites to compete. For complete details/rules on the registration process, visit the Canadian Open homepage on www.opensnowboarding.com

On October 11, pro snowboarder Vera Janssen and the Icelandic clothing company Nikita are organizing an open air snowboard jam outside of the gates of the Jever Indoor Ski-Hall in Neuss, Germany.

Registration begins at noon and the jam session will start at 1pm.

The Nikita Battle of the Babes is open for female snowboarders of all ages and skill levels and will enable the indoor snowboard scene of the flatland areas of Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands to enjoy a fun afternoon with "No ceiling, no boys, no pressure" and hopefully create some new snowboard friendships among the girls.

The Ski-Hall Neuss is supplying 12 cubic tons of snow as well as a box, on which the ladies will be showing and trying different spins and slides.  The main focus will be on the exchange of tips for better riding, trying of new spins and slides, and of course lots of fun.

The jam format comes from skateboarding and is as unusual as the lifestyle itself.  The ladies will be playing a game of Skate: one rider shows a trick and all others need to copy it. Whoever does not land the trick, gains a letter. First an S, then a K, A, T, and finally an E. Each girl who has the word SKATE complete gets eliminated - the last lady standing wins.

Before the Skate game as well as afterwards, Vera Janssen will be joining the sessions and giving tips and tricks. There will be prizes from Nikita, Nixon, Osiris, Atomic, Dragon, Suenos and Deeluxe.

Spectators are more than welcome and may cheer for the ladies while enjoying cool drinks and a BBQ. The participation is free.

The days are growing shorter, and soon they will turn white. In January, they will be filled with confetti, streamers and candles as The Burton European Open (BEO) Snowboarding Championships, the fourth event of the Burton Global Open Series 08/09, will celebrate its birthday in Laax, Switzerland from January 9-16, 2009. 
 
Ever since it was born in 1998, the BEO has treated guests to world-class snowboarding competitions featuring creative themes like 'Airlines' and 'Casino', which are a part of every aspect of the event - from the slopestyle course features to the late-night parties.

Guests of the 2009 BEO's big birthday bash can expect many treats, including some of the season's most exciting halfpipe and slopestyle competitions, legendary parties and maybe even an extra special party favor – an epic Laax powder day. Laax's designers, shapers and managers will do their best to give the BEO the perfect birthday outfit for its big day.
 
Top riders, amateurs and youth riders from all over the world will battle for important BGOS championship points and 6Star TTR Ranking Points.

Shaun White, Kevin Pearce, Nicolas Müller, Peetu Piiroinen, Jamie Anderson and Mikkel Bang plan to come celebrate with the BEO. In total, More than 400 riders will come to the birthday
bash with big bags of tricks for the halfpipe and slopestyle competitions on Crap Sogn Gion at LAAX. Finalists will fight for the biggest piece of the US $125,000 prize-money cake.
 
The BEO kicks off with the junior competition on January 9 and 10, followed by the men's and women's slopestyle finals on January 15 and the halfpipe finals on January 16.

And if you can't make it to LAAX for the big BEO birthday celebration, you can watch all the action on Go211.com.

For more information on the 10th anniversary of the Burton European Open in LAAX, head to www.opensnowboarding.com

The Brits celebrates its 20th birthday in 2009 and will be returning to Laax, Switzerland from March 28 to April 4 2009 for another week of partying and contest action.

Born back in 1989 at Sheffield Ski Village, the Brits has since dropped in on 14 alpine resorts, played host to internationally acclaimed DJ’s and artists, crowned over 130 British Champions and delivered more than its fair share of sun-burn along the way.

“The Brits is Glastonbury meets the FA Cup final on snow, and that's one hell of a recipe for entertainment," said BBC Ski Sunday presenter, ED Leigh.

Stretched across Laax’s mountains, pristine snowparks, new hotels, bars and nightclubs, the Brits 2009 will see more great live bands, acoustic sets, unforgettable parties, home run style antics and inspirational world-class riding.

Offering riders prestigious 3-STAR TTR World ranking points, the Brits unites kids, rookies, pros and Olympians to compete in the SNO!zone Halfpipe, Quiksilver Big Air, Animal Slopestyle and Trespass Snowboardcross / Skiercross disciplines. 

Packages are now availalable from £239 which include seven nights accommodation, six days lifts pass and your event pack and wristband, getting you deals and party access throughout
To book or find out more visit www.brits09.com

The British Urban Big Air National Championships is being held on 23 October 2008 at Battersea Power Station, London as part of the LG Freeze festival.

It’s now open for entries for riders around the world – it’s a blokes only affair though.

Here’s the lowdown on the event from Snowsport GB:

1. Entries
International Entries
International entries must be made by the appropriate National Association, on the FIS entry form, in accordance with the FIS quotas for National
Championships. Entries must be submitted to the Race Secretary by fax or email no later than 12 noon, Monday 13 October 2008.

British Entries
British entries should be made by email to susan@snowsportgb.com. Entries
must be received no later than Monday 13 October 2008.
Please include your full name, date of birth and FIS number on your email when submitting your entry.
All entrants must have a valid FIS licence in order to enter this competition.
British Competitors can apply for their FIS licence online see
www.snowsportgb.com/events for more information.

2. Race Secretary
Race Secretary
British Urban Big Air National Championships
Snowsport GB, Hillend, Biggar Road, Midlothian, EH10 7EF
Phone: +44 131 445 7676
susan@snowsportgb.com
www.snowsportgb.com/events

3. Registration & Notice Board
Registration will take place at the Race Office, located at Battersea Power
Station on Wednesday 22 October 2008.
The Official Notice Board will be located at the Race Office
British Urban Big Air
National
Championships
London, GBR
23 October 2008

4. Accommodation
Each team is responsible for their own accommodation for the competition.
Accommodation in London can be found at
http://www.visitlondon.com/accommodation/

5. Transportation
Each team is responsible for their own transportation. Information on the location of the venue and how to find it can be found at
http://www.londonfreeze.com/static.php?c=how_to_get_here
Transport Information for London http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

6. Bibs
All competitors must wear bibs at all official training, during the competition and at the award ceremony

7. Liability
All athletes, officials and members of National Associations who attend and participate in the event shall do so at their own risk. The Organising Committee, sponsors, suppliers, their agents, employees and volunteers, the FIS and Snowsport GB shall not be responsible for any losses or injuries incurred or suffered by any athlete, official or other person in conjunction with the organising and staging of the event.

8. Preliminary Programme (subject to change)
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Team Captain’s Meeting 20.00
Thursday 23 October 2008
Heat 1 training 10.00 – 11.15
Heat 1 qualification 11.15 – 12.30
Heat 2 training 12.45 – 14.00
Heat 2 qualification 14.00 – 15.15
Final Training 16.15- 16.45
Final 17.00 – 18.00
Prize Giving 18.30
 

The second leg of the Westbeach Snowflex series hit Halifax on September 13.

Whilst there were no cows at the top to watch there were 150+ spectators milling about throughout the day watching the skills of some of the UKʼs finest snowboarders and skiers.

The atmosphere was amazing, again bringing back the buzz of a good dry slope comp with the riders and skiers stepping up their game throughout the day.

Col Mytton attempted three double back flips to wow the crowd, and many of the skiers were pulling it out of the bag to make the competition a tough one to judge.

In snowboarding, Matt Mcwhirter took first  place with his steezy Rodeo 5 just pipping Andy Nudds to the post. Nuddsy just fell short with a hand down on his final frontside 10 of the day going massive off the renowned Halifax kicker. Taking third place was Sam Turnbull who pulled a sweet open 720, also going massive almost past the landing.

Katie Summerhayes showed how the ladies do it, going huge all day with 720ʼs which was no easy job when the sun came out, giving her a solid first place in the Under 16ʼs ladies ski.

Joe Tomlinson stood out in the menʼs ski category doing big inverted 7ʼs with Jamie Matthews skiing consistently enough to walk away with the amazing Fall-line magazine prize (look out for him in forth coming issues!)

Finally, the judges were impressed by Simon Cudlip who managed to knock himself out before the start of the comp, but pulled his confidence back enough to get himself through to the semi final at the end of the day, dedication to the cause.

The competition was a huge success, with some amazing riding. To check out the results in full along with pictures of the day (courtesy of Jools Smith) get yourself to: www.westbeach.com/snowflexseries

Nouex Les Mines is on October 18 with the chance to ride from the 16th! Register online to guarantee your place.