Almost every competitor arrived at the course covered in snow and with a huge grin on their face. After the park shapers cleaned up the beautifully constructed rail garden, Matt McCormick and Sabrina Burnham put on a masterclass to become Bangers and Cash champions of 2016.

Bossing the men's contest from start to finish was Scotsman Matt McCormick. The GB Park and Pipe athlete stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field, especially in the finals. Hiking up the hill to get as much speed as he could into the double kink down-rail, he gapped all the way to the final section with a huge backside lipslide. He followed that up with a gap 50-50 to 360, and looked in the zone all day. Second place went to Matt Corry, whose antics on the flat to down transfer setup throughout the jam were enough to sweep up the silver. Bronze went to Harry Waite, who at just 15 years old is now a certain one to watch. Harry and his brother George both qualified for the 6 man final, and rode incredibly well, but in the end it was Harry's huge gap to back board on the double kink that put him ahead, and onto the podium.

Fresh off the podium, McCormick commented “I'm stoked obviously! It was a bit snowy and stuff, so pretty hard, but it was really fun. The setup was sick, the transfer feature was great, and you don't see a double kink that often in rail jams”

The women's competition was also dominated by one rider – Sabrina Burnham. Her perfect front-boards, and backside boardslide through the double kink rail amazed the judges, and she was at the top of their score sheets all day. Cerys Allen scooped yet more medals, winning the under 16 category and grabbing silver in the overall. Her high speed, aggressive riding was appreciated by the judges; an outrageously fast 50-50 gap 50-50 on the transfer feature was a highlight. Third place went to crowd favourite Maisie Hill, who closed out the contest with attempts at a crazy backflip onto the down box. Although she was unsuccessful in landing it cleanly, all the riders and spectators loved her bravery, and the judges loved the rest of her riding, awarding her with a bronze medal.

Stoked on her win, Sabrina said, “I really enjoyed it. I was happy it snowed over night so it was a little bit softer. The set up was really fun because of the variety of features, and it was great hiking and shredding with the other girls.”

The younger generation was also out in force and enjoying Snowpark Laax's handwork. Thirteen year old Luca Mai Lane Hopkins and nine year old Amber Fennell had a friendly competition in the qualifiers seeing who could stomp the best trick with just one foot strapped in. Two creative young riders, ready to take up Sabrina Burnham's place at the top of rail jam podiums in years to come.

British Rail Championships Results

Men                                                                      Women

1^st – Matt McCormick                                     1^st –  Sabrina Burnham

2^nd – Matt Corry                                                2^nd –  Cerys Allen

3^rd – Harry Waite                                              3^rd – Maisie Hill

Don’t forget to check out the BRITS 2016 picture galleries at www.facebook.com/britsfestival, where you will be able to check out the Snowboard and Freeski action from the previous day’s competition.

The BRITS would not be possible without its highly supportive Partners: LAAX, Swiss International Air Lines, Switzerland Tourism, Swiss Travel System and British Ski & Snowboard (BSS).