The Whitelines Rail Jam is returning to the Brits this week, out in Tignes. We’ll be hosting a special edition of the comp on Wednesday (March 27th) at 4.30pm next to the Tichot lift in Tignes Val Claret.

As this is the first time for nearly a decade that the Brits has been held in France, we thought we’d celebrate by adding a bit of a twist to the normal format.

We’re going to be pitching the best British riders against the best local French shredders – think of it as a re-run of Waterloo or the Battle of Agincourt – with the emphasis on the ‘core’.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

There’ll be a 45 minute jam session on a selection of rad rails. This is open to everyone, UK pros, French locals, seasonnaires, whoever.

After the 45 minutes is up, the judges will pick two team captains – one English, one French. The captains will need to be not only sick riders, but also cunning strategists. The snowboarding equivalents of Wellington and Napoleon.

They’ll pick five more riders – school playground style – to join them in representing their country.

Think of it as a re-run of Waterloo or the Battle of Agincourt – with the emphasis on the ‘core’.

These teams of six will then go head-to-head in pairs over two rounds. The rider who lands the best trick in each pair wins a point for his country.

The Brits will drop first in round one, the French first in round two. And the captains will have to choose who faces off against who. That’s where the tactics come in.

If the French rider has just thrown down a cab 270 hardway, do you put your best rider against him to try and beat it? Or do you keep your powder dry, and save your best talent for a round you KNOW he can win…

While we’re hoping to avoid the out-and-out bloodshed that has characterised Anglo-French battles in the past, we’re predicting that the competition will be fierce. After all, we can’t have the French winning at The Brits can we? Hell no!