Back at the start of the month, a sprightly bunch of some of the UK’s best rail snowboarders and skiers assembled in front of a packed house at the London Ski & Snowboard Show at Earls Court to ride the Battle of the Brits; a showcase event for the snowboarding and music extravaganza that is the Brits proper out in Tignes this March. The organisers had invited some of the UK’s most renowned freestyle riders to compete, including triple corking, London Freeze Big Air winning Billy Morgan, fellow Freeze rider Cody Hierons, rail rippers Nathan Onions and Gaz Andrews and dryslope whizz-kid Danny McCormick.

After a short and sweet warm up, riders went straight into a harsh S.K.A.T.E. style format with each rider given three tricks of increasing difficulty and the weakest being knocked out after each. Eventually it was Billy Morgan, Nate Onions and Cody Hierons who landed enough of their tricks to survive the knockout stages and were left to battle it out in the finals. However, no one could better the unstoppable force that is Billy Morgan, who rode solidly enough all afternoon to walk away with top-honours, with a backside 180 on, cab 360 off on the meter high street rail. The biggest cheer of the night was for Danny McCormick, who pulled out every mainstream spectator’s favourite trick: a frontflip transfer on the box feature.

Remember that the main Brits event is set to go down on the week of the 23rd to 30h of March in Tignes and with week packages starting from £279, with seven nights accommodation, six day liftpass, festival wristband and an official BRITS Funi beanie included in the price, it may very well be the cheapest (and most fun) snowboard holiday you’ve ever been on. For more deets check out www.the-brits.com