It might be the height of summer, but the announcement that London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host Britain’s biggest-ever snowsports and music event this November means the countdown to winter has officially begun.
From the creators of Boardmasters, Freeze Big Air will host the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air and International Ski Invitational on Saturday 14th November.
The Freeze Big Air event will form part of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded major events programme and see over 60 of the world’s best male and female snowboarders and skiers descend on the capital’s iconic Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to take on a huge real snow jump measuring 120m x 41m - that’s 15 metres longer than the Wembley Stadium pitch - created out of 360 tonnes of snow.
With British Olympic bronze medallist Jenny Jones confirmed as the official event ambassador and British Olympian Jamie Nicholls competing alongside a field of world-class snowboarders and skiers, Freeze Big Air will bring together the most-talented snowboard and ski athletes in the world to compete on British soil.
And, with Snowboard Big Air now set to be an official Olympic event, Jenny Jones is confident that Freeze Big Air will become one of the most important annual Olympic Big Air qualifiers on the calendar in the lead up to the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.
“The news that Snowboard Big Air will be an Olympic discipline in 2018 is huge for British snowboarding and skiing” said Jenny. “British riders like Billy Morgan and Katie Ormerod are real medal prospects in 2018. And the fact that we’ll be able to see the best riders in the world battling it out in the middle of London will be an amazing start to each winter. I can’t wait!”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “The Freeze Big Air Festival is clear proof that anything is possible at the magnificent Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We have already hosted a plethora of world class sporting events and can now add Olympic-level snowboarding to that incredible mix. I am delighted that London will be showcasing the spectacular talents of some of the world’s leading winter athletes in such a unique setting. It promises to be an extraordinary day that adds to our reputation as the world’s number one sporting city.”
For Dave Edwards, Chief Executive of event partner and national governing body British Ski and Snowboard, the announcement of Freeze Big Air is fantastic news for snowsports in the UK.
“Our British athletes helped to showcase halfpipe and slopestyle competitions at the Sochi Winter Olympics,” said Edwards. “Now, we are able to provide many of those outstanding athletes, and the next generation of British world class competitors, with an opportunity to demonstrate their talents in a World Cup event on home snow! We are honoured to be allowed to host what is likely to be the first World Cup Big Air competition to take place following the announcement that the event is to be included in the Olympic programme in 2018.”
And Simon Morton, Director of Major Events at UK Sport and event partner said: “Hosting a Big Air World Cup in London is a massive boost for winter sport in Great Britain; showcasing some of the world’s most exciting winter sport athletes on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will add even more variety to the wealth of world class sport the British public can enjoy on home soil. With Snowboard Big Air now confirmed as a new discipline at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, this is a great opportunity for the British public to get behind our National Lottery funded athletes as they prepare.”
Early bird tickets are on sale now - for a limited time only - at £37.50 from freezebigair.com
