Ben Kilner and Kate Foster triumph at the 3Star 2011 British Halfpipe Championship
The 3Star British Halfpipe Championship wrapped up on Friday, March 25, at Laax snowboarding and skiing resort in Switzerland. After an exhibition of world class riding and tricks by an extremely talented line up of riders in both the male and female fields,
it was Britain’s Ben Kilner and Kate Foster who took home the gold medal after landing the most impressive runs of the day.
The weather on the day of the contest was pretty warm, which caused the pipe to slush-up as the day progressed. However, that did not cause any decline in the level of riding and runs with huge methods, Mctwists and Haakon flips kept coming regularly.
The female riders took on the halfpipe first. The young and extremely talented riders were determined to capitalise on the opportunity provided by the event to show off their skills and become a British Champion. An added incentive was the coveted Swatch
Ticket to Ride (TTR) Tour Ranking points on offer.
The oldest and most experienced of the rider in the women’s field, 25-year-old Foster, was expected to be the most formidable competitors and one to look out for. She did justice to her repute and the hype that surrounded her by sealing the fate of the women’s
halfpipe battle after landing a run that consisted of a huge japan air, a front 360 and a back 360. This run and the resulting score remained unbeatable throughout the course of the contest, earning her the gold medal.
Kate Foster quoted: “It’s really nice here at the Brits, in the World Cups it’s a whole different kind of competition, but it’s just as nerve-wracking here when you drop into the pipe because you’ve got all your friends here so you still want to ride your
best”
Nathalie Silkstone, just 14 years of age, secured herself a spot on the podium after pulling of a sensational run. This run consisted of Indies, methods, frontside 360, a cab 3, and a backside alley oops. The run was deemed as the second most impressive
run of the day by the judges and got Silkstone the silver medal.
Beckey Menday took home the bronze after throwing down a run that included a front 360, back 360, Indy nose, mute and stalefish grabs. The run and style clearly showed that the young lady will making quite an impact in the halfpipe discipline in the near
future.
In the men’s field, Britain’s most successful Olympian, Kilner lived up to his repute as he prevailed in the competition to take home the gold medal. He sealed the fate of the match with a sensational run that included a colossal method, front 720, front
900, and finished off with a Haakon. In his victory run, he threw down a japan air and dedicated it to the victims of earthquake in Japan.
Ben Kilner quoted: “I absolutely love competing here, the Olympics has been a great comp for my career but here it’s just great for British snowboarding so it’s great to come every year. I just come out here and give it my all. It’s an amazing place to
come and show off all your tricks you’ve learnt throughout the year.”
After looking impressive throughout the week during practice sessions, Dom Harrington brought the form to the halfpipe on Friday and landed an extremely impressive first run to secure the silver medal. This run included a huge McTwist, front 720, a techy
haakon flip, and both spaghetti and mute board grabs.
Dan Wakeman, a former Olympian, rounded out the podium after landing a huge tail-grab, front 720, Haakon and his signature cripplers in his run.
The climax of today’s contest marked the end of 2011 British Snowboarding Championships. The Championships united kids, rookies, top pros and Olympians to compete in the various disciplines, such as Halfpipe, Snowboardcross, Big Air and Slopestyle, celebrating
everything that is great about UK snowboarding.
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