The BRITS are Back in the Alps
1st April 2025 | Jane Peel, Mayrhofen, Austria
Last modified on April 4th, 2025
For the first time in six years, the British Snowboard & Freeski Championships are being held in the Alps. After a break during the Covid pandemic followed by a couple of years in the UK, The BRITS are in Mayrhofen in Austria this week and PlanetSKI is there.
Last year the Championships were held indoors at the Tamworth Snowdome.
The year before the riders descended on Cairngorm Mountain in Scotland.
Before Covid, they were at Laax in Switzerland for 9 years.
Now, they are back on the big mountains of Europe, at a new resort in a new country.
The kickers, rails and boarder cross courses are at Penken Park, an impressive looking snowpark 1,000 metres or so above the town of Mayrhofen itself.
Competition got under way on Monday but, as is often the case in such environments, the weather has caused disruption to the planned schedule.
There’s been heavy snowfall over a 48-hour period and poor visibility.
See more on the snow in our rolling report:
Heavy snow at The BRITS. Image © PlanetSKI
Heavy snow at The BRITS. Image © PlanetSKI
The weather forced a delay to the Slopestyle competitions.
Slopestyle is now planned for Wednesday with Big Air on Thursday and a Rail Jam on Friday.
But both Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross have taken place and the first medals have been awarded.
The BRITS Snowboard Cross. Image © Craig Robinson
The BRITS Snowboard Cross. Image © Craig Robinson
The BRITS Ski Cross. Image © Craig Robinson
The competitors at The BRITS are all ages with some as young as 6.
The BRITS Snowboard Cross Under-12 Girls medallists. Image © Craig Robinson
The BRITS have always been the big event where youngsters can get an early taste of competition, often going on to achieve greatness.
In 2018, we were in Laax to report on two rising stars of freestyle, a certain Mia Brookes (then 11) and Kirsty Muir (then 13).
Mia Brookes at 11 & Kirsty Muir at 13 at The BRITS in Laax in 2018. Image © PlanetSKI
Both are now superstars of GB Snowsport and World Cup winners (among many other achievements).
Watch out for our separate report coming soon on some of the brightest young talents here in Mayrhofen in 2025.
Who knows? Perhaps the PlanetSKI magic charm will work on them too and they’ll follow Mia and Kirsty onto global podiums in the coming years.
One of the organisers of The BRITS is Stu Brass.
He says a lot of new faces have come on the scene since The BRITS were last in the Alps.
Stu Brass. Image © PlanetSKI
“We saw a huge influx last summer, at the indoor event, of Under-12s competing, which is really encouraging, so we’re just trying to convince them to start competing more in the mountains,” he says.
Numbers in 2025 are down on previous years, probably because it’s the first alpine-based Champs since 2019.
Stu is hoping more will enter in 2026 when they plan to be back in Mayrhofen.
He says the Park setup here is really good, the welcome from the Mayrhofen team has been great and – crucially – it’s more affordable than many of the other resorts in France and Switzerland where they’ve been in the past.
“It’s the National Championships but we cater for everyone: the Olympian down to someone that can get down a freestyle course,” he says.
“We’ve got a small line, a medium line and a big line in the Slopestyle, for example, so it’s just relaying that to a new audience that we do cater for that aspiring 8-year-old.
“We’ve got some as young as 6 and 7 competing and it’s just giving them that competition experience without the pressure and, by the time they get to Mia’s age, they’re already comfortable in those pressured situations, or it becomes slightly more natural.”
Ski Cross competitors at The BRITS. Image © PlanetSKI
It’s not all about the kids, though.
There are ‘Masters’ and ‘Legends’ categories, which see many of the youngsters’ parents persuaded – or perhaps bullied – into donning a bib – more usually in the Ski or Snowboard Cross events.
“Why not get involved? Most people can get down the course in some fashion in the Cross events and we encourage it. It sets an example,” Stu says.
The BRITS continue all this week.
If you’re in Mayrhofen, why not come over to Penken Park and show your support.
MAIN PHOTO © Craig Robinson
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