British skiing stars speak out

By Andy Brownstone
Newsbeat reporter in Laax, Switzerland

I am very, very frightened. I am standing at the top of a very steep 150m slope, at the end there is a jump that looks like it is on the very edge of the mountain.

I nervously adjust position, the crowd start cheering and I feel the sudden rush of adrenaline as a teenage girl flies past me down the slope.

There is a gasp as she takes off, spins in the air while grabbing her board, then disappears out of site.

I move away feeling a bit giddy, but there seems to be no fear involved for the competitors here at the British Snowboard and Freeski Championships.

Some of the kids taking part are as young as 12 and it looks like the UK is starting to make the rest of the world sit up and take notice.

UK freestyle skiers

Twenty-year-old Paddy Graham came 14th in the halfpipe in the European Open this year against some of the best free skiers around.

The artificial slopes mean our guys are getting better and better Betony Garner Ski Club of Great Britain

He said: "I started skiing on the dry slopes in Sheffield, now I'm skiing every day in the mountains and loving it.

"Quite a lot of people laugh when you say you're from England, they think it's funny that we're so good at skiing and snowboarding."

Paddy competes throughout the season, then to pay the bills, he works alongside the British Snow Tour organising competitions at artificial and indoor slopes in the UK.

He has also been involved in dishing out thousands of free ski lessons to school kids to try to get more of them into the sport, and hopefully mould the best into future champions.

Competitions take place at artificial and indoor slopes in the UK

Betony Garner from the Ski Club of Great Britain added: "The artificial slopes mean our guys are getting better and better, so the level of UK freeski and snowboarding is rising year on year.

"With the likes of Paddy Graham and Andy Bennet on the international circuits, it's just showing exactly how good we are."

Another British success is Zoe Gillings, a 22-year-old from the Isle of Man.

She is seventh in the world in Snowboard Cross.

She says if you want to get involved in winter sports, you should not let the fact that we live in a fairly flat and wet country get in the way.

She said: "If you've got the motivation to do it, even if you're from Britain, still go and do the sport you want to."