So we’re pretty damn excited about this year’s Brits, which is returning to France for the first time in nearly a decade, setting up shop in Tignes for the week of March 23rd to 30th. Of course being the party-loving nation that we are – and damn proud of it – the parties at our premiere snowboard event are pretty much as important as the snowboarding. The organisers have already announced some banging musical line-ups for the evening sessions but that’s not all. Oh no, there’s going to be some excellent apres action happening throughout the week too.

Things will be getting off to a (hopefully) banging start with the Whitelines Rail Jam. To celebrate the return of the Brits to French soil, we’ve decided to re-kindle our age-old rivalry with ze Froggies and stage it as a UK vs. France team event. An open jam session will allow riders to show off their skills before two country captains pick teams to go head to head in a penalty shoot-out-style final. Think of it as a re-run of Waterloo or Agincourt, but with more snow and (hopefully) less blood.

Of course, we’re hoping our brave boys will thrash the locals, but if they fail to, there will be a chance for revenge later in the week with Friday night’s Airtime Team Challenge. Taking its inspiration from the classic Orange-sponsored event at the 2006 Brits, this will be an invitational Big Air held right in the centre of Val Claret. And yes, it’ll be UK vs. France again.

The week will also see the welcome return of sledgercross (introduced to much amusement at last year’s Brits). Think boardercross, with the same full-contact, no-holds-barred racing rules, but on tiny plastic sledges. There’ll also be a reggae piste-side BBQ, and a demo village where riders can test the latest kit from brands like Bataleon, Lobster, Signal and Jones absolutely free. Oh, and we’re not sure we’re supposed to reveal this but rumour has it that one of the big evening parties will be held up at the top of the funiculaire, with the illuminated glacier as a backdrop for the bands and DJs. How cool would that be?

Basically, the week is shaping up to be one hell of a good time, whichever way you look at it – whether you want to shred til yer dead or rave the night away or both, it’s on like Donkey Kong. Week-long tickets including seven nights accommodation, a six day lift pass, a festival wristband and a beanie (made specially for the event by Funi) are still going for the frankly ridiculously low price of £279. Get yours at the-brits.com and we’ll see you out there!