It’s that time of year again – the British Snowboard Championships have come once again to Laax, and Whitelines is out here in the thick of it, covering all the action, soaking up the atmosphere and sinking a few beers at the after parties. OK, so sometimes more than a few beers, but that’s all part of the fun at The Brits really isn’t it?

Yesterday saw the snowboarding events kick off with the Trespass Boardercross Championships, taking place for the first time on Laax’s new permanent, purpose-built course. A good number of riders rocked up to put the new track to the test and the general verdict was summed up by one shredder who declared it “fookin’ ace!” It certainly seemed to be running quickly, and fast times were being clocked up all over the shop, helped no doubt by the brilliant sunshine, which made the visibility excellent.

With multiple age categories competing, there were people flying through the banked turns all afternoon. We witnessed plenty of thrills, and more than a few spills, but thankfully nothing serious. And definitely no pills or bellyaches – at least not that we saw. In the women’s final, Maisie Potter managed to edge ahead of last year’s winner Kate Foster and Sarah Mariott to claim the gold.

The men’s final saw a good number of the GB Snowboardcross team competing, including Jim ‘Jumbo’ Foster, the team’s coach. In the end his experience was enough to bag him third place, with one of his charges, Kyle Wise, finishing second. But it was Thomas Bankes who won – his second straight victory in the discipline after he and his sister rocked up as virtual unknowns and cleared up at last year’s event.

Keep your eyes peeled for video highlights, as well as our report on today’s half pipe final and all the action from the rest of the week on whitelines.com.

TRESPASS BRITISH SNOWBOARDCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012 – RESULTS

Women
1st – Maisie Potter
2nd – Kate Foster
3rd – Sarah Marriott