Snowboard big air World Cup comes to London

London is to play host to a snowboard big air World Cup competition this winter, the first time such an event has been held in the UK.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) event will bring 60 of the world's top snowsports athletes to the capital to compete at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.

Freeze Big Air 2015, which takes place on November 14, will also involve an international ski invitational – a pro competition that will see 12 of the best freestyle skiers go head to head on huge kickers.

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It will be Britain's biggest competitive snowsports event to date, involving the construction of a giant jump made out of 360 tonnes of snow, which at 120m from start to finish is longer than Wembley Stadium. Freeze was previously a smaller event held in Battersea Park.

^{Freeze will be Britain's biggest competitive snow sports event (Photo: Oliver Kraus)}

With snowboard big air now confirmed to debut as an Winter Olympic event at Pyeongchang 2018, Freeze provides an opportunity for athletes to showcase what they can do and see competitors in action.

Jenny Jones, the British snowboarder who won bronze in the slopestyle event at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, is excited to see the big air discipline given Olympic status. “It's huge for British snowboarding and skiing,” she said.

“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.”

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Mayor of London Boris Johnson is also backing the event: “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.”

The FIS snowboard big air World Cup and international ski invitational will form part of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded major events programme. The Freeze event will also offer a festival environment with mountain food and live music.

Tickets start at £37.50. For more information, visit freezebigair.com