It was a rainy start to the opening event of the 2008 British Snow Tour in Halifax over the weekend, but spirits weren’t dampened as over 70 of the UK’s top snowboarders and freeskiers, charged the kickers and threw down technical rail tricks during the Quiksilver Big Air Championships and Rail Jam. The Schools Tour Team also proved to be a big hit in Halifax with over 200 enthusiastic kids taking part in the FREE beginner lessons, courtesy of the Quiksilver lesson academies.

Quiksilver Snowboard Big Air Championships
The Quiksilver Rail Jam kicked off Saturdays competition with the local snowboarding contingency AKA, the “AKA crew” out in force and setting the standards. Local’s Matt Macwhirter and Jamie Nicholls bagged the top spots during the men’s rail jam, spinning 450’s onto the box. In the women’s rail jam Lynsey Ashdown cleaned the kink rail with a stylish boardslide to fakie to take the women’s title, whilst a special shout out goes to the younger riders including Will Smith and Tom Hunt for some creative Jackson’s and frontflips onto the box.

Photos by dopeshots.com

In the afternoon’s Quiksilver Big Air Championships the top eight men and four women went through to the head to head two run finals. Andy Nudds was riding super strong all day and threw down a massive frontside 900, which was easily the biggest trick of the day. Nudds crashed out on a huge 720 during the semi finals, leaving Danny McCormick’s stylish backside 900 to take him through to the final round. Jamie Nicholls stomped a textbook 900 and cab underflip 720 to knock Ben Knox out of the semi finals, making it a McCormick and Nicholls final. McCormick dropped in first and over rotated on a 900, scuffing the landing, leaving local ripper Jamie Nicholls to clean up and take the Quiksilver Big Air title with a 900 and perfectly landed backside 720. In the women’s final youngster Katie Ormerod firmly secured her spot as the ‘one to watch’ taking the women’s 2008 Quiksilver Big Air Championship title after she nailed a smooth 540, whilst Liz Osborn and Lynsey Ashdown finished in second and third respectively.

Men’s over 16’s
1st – Matt MacWhirter – Halifax
2nd – Andy Nudds – Halifax
3rd – Wayne Taylor – Halifax

Men’s under 16’s
1st – Jamie Nicholls – Bradford
2nd – Lannig Canu – Barnet
3rd – Will Smith – Bradford

Women
1st – Lynsey Ashdown – Manchester
2nd – Rhianna Nuttall – Rossendale
3rd – Katie Ormerod – Bradford

Quiksilver Big Air Results

Men
1st – Jamie Nicholls – Bradford
2nd – Danny McCormick – Glasgow
3rd – Ben Knox – Crouch End

Women
1st – Katie Ormerod – Bradford
2nd – Liz Osborne – Cambridge
3rd – Lynsey Ashdown – Manchester