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Bankes rules in Russia, Major strikes gold, while Lillehammer gears up for World Championships

A golden weekend saw Charlotte Bankes top back-to-back World Cup podiums, while Billy Major took gold in Germany. The Freestyle squad saw impressive results for Katie Ormerod and Kirsty Muir in the US, while in Norway final preparations are underway for the World Para Snow Sports Championships.

Charlotte Bankes’ run of outstanding form continued this weekend with a brace of World Cup victories in Krasnoyarsk. The reigning Snowboard Cross world champion notched her second and third World Cup gold medals of the season, and her fourth podium in five races, with a pair of dominant displays. Both races saw her hold off France’s Chloe Trespeuch in second place, with American Lindsey Jacobellis taking bronze on both occasions, and she now stands 99 points clear in the overall World Cup standings. Maisie Potter took 31^st and 25^th spots in the two races, while in the men’s competition, 20-year-old Huw Nightingale recorded an encouraging 25^th place in Sunday’s race, his highest World Cup finish in his four WC level solo events to date.

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In Mammoth, USA, Katie Ormerod’s Olympic preparations continued with fourth place in the Slopestyle World Cup, her highest WC placing since taking third in Calgary World Cup in February 2020. Her score of 72.32 was enough to hold off Hailey Langland in fifth, with Japan’s Kokomo Murase taking third spot. In the Freeski competition, Kirsty Muir notched another top-10 finish coming in fifth in an extremely strong field. The result gives the 17-year-old back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time in her WC career, while Connie Brogden continued her return to competitive action with an encouraging top-20 spot, finishing up in 16^th place in Slopestyle and 23^rd in Halfpipe, with Katie Summerhayes taking 13^th place in Slopestyle.

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Sticking in Mammoth, Chris McCormick banked another top-20 finish with 19^th place in Freeski Slopestyle, with Tyler Harding coming in 23^rd. James Woods saw both his runs end in crashes, leaving him outside the WC points positions. Sam Ward finished 31^st in Freeski Halfpipe, with Sam Gaskin taking 33^rd spot in the same event.

In Alpine, Billy Major grabbed a pair of Europa Cup podiums with silver and gold in Berchtesgaden, Germany. In the first of the two races, Laurie Taylor was leading the field by a significant margin going into the turn, but was unfortunate to crash out on his second run.

Today's GOLDEN streak continues for GB Snowsport, with @BillyMajorSki beating yesterday's silver and topping the podium at the @fisalpine Berchtesgaden Europa Cup!

Amazing work from last season's Europa Cup winner – great job Billy!! 🥈🥇

📷: @GEPApictures pic.twitter.com/Zppef4n5ia

— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) January 8, 2022

In Adelboden, Dave Ryding experienced a tough day’s racing at the site of his return to Alpine WC podiums last year. Well-placed after a solid first run, his second run saw him straddle a gate to record a DNF. Charlie Guest, meanwhile, continued her fine run of World Cup form with another top-20 finish, this time securing 18^th place in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, just slightly over 0.5s outside of the top-10.

Mani Cooper took silver in the Nordic Combined Austria Cup by winning the mass-start Cross Country, and in Moguls, the high point of back-to-back World Cups in Tremblant, Canada, was a 22^nd place finish for Makayla Gerken Schofield on a weekend that also saw Leonie Gerkan Schofield, Will Feneley, and Skyler Nunn bank top-30 spots.

Huge congratulations to Mani Cooper who won 🥈 in the Nordic Combined Austria Cup today by winning the mass start Cross-Country!

Just in time for a new kit drop, too! Congratulations Mani! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/nBon3inWkN

— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) January 8, 2022

In Norway, preparations are now well underway for the World Para Snow Sports Championships in Lillehammer, where British hopes for success are pinned on the largest ever British squad attending the competition. Events get underway on Wednesday 13 January.

The weekly GB Snowsport results summary is presented in association with Snow+Rock

Header Image: Charlotte Bankes on the podium at Krasnoyarsk World Cup. Photo Credit: Alekseev Semyon