10 minutes with British Snowboarder Ben Kilner

By Jennie Excell

Quick Facts:

Name:

Ben Kilner

Job:

Pro Snowboarder

Age:

Started snowboarding:

9 years old

Where:

Glenshee, Scotland

Favourite resort:

Mammoth Mountain, California

Goals for this season:

Getting to the Olympics

What have you been doing over the summer in preparation for the coming season?

I was in New Zealand for the opening round of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Half Pipe competition and spent a bit of time on the Hintertux glacier in Austria. I've basically just been training to get to Vancouver 2010, working hard in the gym, concentrating on Squat based work outs to build strength in my legs.

And what tricks are you working on?

The big trick for this year, the one you'll need to pull off to get anywhere in the Olympics, is the double cork.

It's a new trick that was invented by David Benedek last year and that the likes of Shaun White are throwing down now. So I'm working on that.

We're looking forward to seeing you compete at the London Freeze. It's obviously a massive deal for British snowsports to hold an FIS snowboarding comp in the UK. How important is the event to you as a British snowboarder?

The freeze is great for British snowboarding and really puts the sport in the public eye, growing interest even amongst people that don't snowboard or ski. This is great for sponsorship and builds the profiles of British riders. It's also a lot of fun to ride in front of a home crowd.

What changes have you seen in the British snowboarding scene since you've been involved?

Snowboarding still isn't as popular here as it is in Europe or the US, although it has grown a lot. The market is rapidly expanding and more and more riders are coming onto the scene. The quality is brilliant now, it's definitely improved.


Ben catching up with Freeze fans on Freeze Connect	Ben in Cardrona, NZ, where he came 20th in the Men's Halfpipe

What are the best and worst bits of your job as a pro snowboarder?

I'd say travelling is both the best and the worst. It's great getting to constantly see new places and meet new people. But the many hours spent in airports, on buses and planes is not so much fun.

How much time would you say you spent away from home?

About 250 days of the year

And how does that impact on your home life?

It is difficult at times, especially now all my friends have gone to university so they're not all in one place when I come home. It is hard to stay in touch with everyone as I find I have two worlds with different friends in each of them. My home friends are very supportive though and I do make the effort to visit them when I'm in the UK - they just can't really believe that I stuck to it and followed through with what I really wanted to do. And, yes, Facebook definitely helps!

Do you have any plans to pick up your studies at all?

Yes, I'm still very aware of the importance of learning other skills. I plan to take some courses in two years time when things on the snowboarding side are quieter. I'd like to get qualified in either sports science or graphic design so as to be able to continue my career in snowsports once I stop competing.

And finally - what advice would you give to Brits wanting to get into snowsports?

Get down to a snow dome - there are 6 snow domes in the UK so there's bound to be one close to where you live. And they're better than the dry slopes for giving you an experience of what it really feels like to ride real mountains.

The FSO4 FREEZE Sponsored by LG is a three day music and snowsports event starting on 30th October at London's iconic Battersea power station. Check out Freeze Connect to keep up to date on Freeze news and hear more from Ben Kilner.

Read more about the FSO4 FREEZE Sponsored by LG here.