British Ski and Snowboard has today announced the GB Park and Pipe team for both ski and snowboard for the 2017/18 season.
The GB Park and Pipe Snowboard team is made up of two women and six men, all looking to build on a hugely successful season in 2016/17. For the women, Katie Ormerod will be looking to continue her form into this winter following three World Cup podiums and an X Games bronze medal last season. She is joined by Aimee Fuller, who will be hoping to build upon her two fourth places in last season's World Cups as she looks towards her second Winter Olympics.
For the men, snowboarders Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls will be aiming for their second Winter Olympics, whilst Rowan Coultas and Matt McCormick will be hoping that they can perform at the start of the season to be considered for selection to Team GB. They are joined in the GB Park and Pipe Snowboard Team by two of the country's rising snowboard stars Henry Shackleton and Fin Bremner.
The World Cup season kicks off for the Park and Pipe snowboarders on the 3rd September when the team will head to Cardrona, New Zealand to tackle the first Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup. The start of the Snowboard Big Air World Cup circuit in Europe begins on 4th November with the first competition taking place in Copenhagen.
For the GB Park and Pipe skiers, seven women and seven men make up the team. Those concentrating on Ski Slopestyle, and for some athletes Big Air, will be Katie Summerhayes, Izzy Atkin, Madi Rowlands and Anna Vincenti. For the men James Woods, who was in brilliant form last season, winning an X Games gold in Big Air, will be joined by Tyler Harding, Cal Sandieson and Mike Rowlands.
In Ski Halfpipe, leading the charge towards PyeongChang 2018 for the men will be Murray Buchan, Pete Speight and Alexander Glavatsky-Yeadon. For the women, Rowan Cheshire, who started to come back into world-class form last season is joined by Madi Rowlands (who also competes in Slopestyle) and Molly Summerhayes.
The first Ski Slopestyle World Cup takes place on 26th/27th August in Cardrona, New Zealand followed by a Ski Halfpipe World Cup on 31st August/ 1st September. World Cup action begins in Europe in November with a Ski Big Air World Cup on 3rd November in Copenhagen, a Ski Slopestyle World Cup in Stubai on 25th/26th November then the first Halfpipe World Cup in Copper Mountain on 8th December.
GB Park and Pipe Programme Manager Lesley McKenna commented ahead of the forthcoming season: "This season will be another exciting and busy one for the GB Park and Pipe team. We have been working hard both on snow and off snow all summer, and we can't wait to get out to the Southern Hemisphere to put in even more on-snow training ahead of the start of the European winter. We feel in a strong position and ready for the challenges that an Olympic season will bring. We are also indebted, as always, to UK Sport and the National Lottery for supporting our vision for GB Park and Pipe and British snowsports."
GB Park and Pipe Team 2017/18:
Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air
• Jamie Nichols*
• Billy Morgan*
• Rowan Coultas*
• Matt McCormick
• Henry Shackleton
• Fin Bremner
• Katie Ormerod*
• Aimee Fuller*
Ski Slopestyle/ Big Air (N.B. Ski Big Air is not an Olympic discipline)
• James Woods*
• Tyler Harding*
• Cal Sandieson
• Mike Rowlands
• Izzy Atkin*
• Katie Summerhayes*
• Madi Rowlands*
• Anna Vincenti*
Ski Halfpipe
• Murray Buchan*
• Peter Speight*
• Alexander Glavatsky-Yeadon
• Rowan Cheshire*
• Madi Rowlands*
• Molly Summerhayes
* UK Sport/ National Lottery funded athletes
British Ski and Snowboard is backed by Principal Sponsor Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company. British athletes are also supported by the British Snowsports Fund (www.bssnf.uk), a scheme which allows ski and snowboard fans to give a small donation to support our elite teams and younger athletes via one of the Fund's industry partners, for example when buying a holiday or purchasing kit.