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SkiUnion checks out the London Freeze day 1

London Freeze got under way in awesome fashion yesterday, firstly with the Battle of Britain contest and then the Style Mix showdown. Not only was there some pretty sick skiing to be seen, but there was also some pretty tasty Music on offer too, with Pendulum and Orbital being pick of the crop..this might be why we didn’t get this update online last night…but you can rest assured that we had a good time!

Joe Tyler warms up infront of the iconic Battersea Power Staion before the Best of Britain comp gets underway.

In the Best of Britain competition, fifteen of the nation’s finest went head to head in order to try and claim the title and it ended up being an amazing showcase for UK freeskiing. Riders had two hits against eachother which eventually left the best eight to go head to head again, and then the last four who were all judged together. An extra twist was that the first and second placed riders would make up the final two places in the Style Mix with the leading internationals later in the evening.

James Machon with a cork 7 double nose grab. He was one of the top riders of the day, also pulling a 9 nose grab with a shifty. He was up against Paddy Graham in the last eight who was unbeatable with his double corked 1080.

Andy Matthew pulled one of the most styled tricks of the competition with this bio 9 high mute.

Paddy Graham was on fire, and seemed pretty much unstoppable after he stomped his double cork 1080 twice. This secured him first place and entry into the Style Mix. Second place went to James Woods with his double lincoln variation, and James Webb took third with his switch rodeo 9 mute. Other stand out performances came from the brothers Jamie and Andy Matthew, James Machon and Joe Tomlinson to name but a few.

James webb takes third with a switch rodeo 9 mute.

James Woods on his way to second place with a double lincoln loop.

Paddy Graham confirms that even if you want to win a British big-air competition...you have to have a double cork in your bag!

Jamie Mattew came a close fourth place, this is him pulling a nice 720 tail grab.

Paddy Graham had bagged himself an unassailable score in the first round of the final, allowing him to celebrate with a flat 3 Japan on his last jump and save his energy for the Style Mix.

A couple of hours after the Brits had had their moment, the crowds started congregating for the Style Mix session which included six top international riders (Casabon,Schiller,Harlaut(Oscar), Margets,Osada,Brown) and the two UK winners Paddy and Woodsy.

Oscar Harlaut getting used to the London jump in training.

Matt Margets lost out to homeboy Paddy Graham, but we look forward to seeing him in action on Sunday.

In the Semis, the home favorite Paddy Graham met Phil Casabon, but he decided on the crowd pleasing backflip to leave Casabon versus Bobby Brow in the final who had beaten Oscar Harlaut in his Semi. Bobby Brown eventually took the title with a faultless double cork 1080 mute.

Bobby Brown gets the Job done with a perfect double cork 1080

Later on Today sees a rail jam event for the skiers, and the main event is scheduled for Sunday. We’re stoked with what we’ve seen so far and can’t wait for more action!

Check back here for more updates, and click here for more infos on the event.

Battle of Britain results
Paddy Graham
James Woods
James Webb
Jamie Matthew
Joe Tomlinson
Ally Watson
Andy Matthew
James Machon
Jamie Lawson
Rob Taylor
Joe Hides
Joe Tyler
Josh Birch
Jullian Ball
Joe Webster

Style Mix Results
Bobby Brown
Phil Casabon
Oscar Harlaut
Paddy Graham

Text and Pictures:Pally Learmond

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