London, UK – Following the start of the 2011 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup season for alpine riders with the indoor parallel slalom at SnowWorld Landgraaf in The Netherlands, it’s now time for a week full of freestyle snowboarding with two events on the calendar.nOn Saturday, London will for the third consecutive year host a World Cup big air competition as part of the London Freeze winter sports festival held adjacent to the British capital’s famed Battersea Power Station. Then next Wednesday and Thursday, the halfpipe stylists will come together at Saas-Fee’s Freestyle-Park Allalin in Switzerland for the first pipe showdown of the new winter.

The two events mark the first opportunity this season to collect points for the newly designated “Snowboard Freestyle” Overall World Cup. Beginning this season, separate snowboard cups will be awarded for alpine and freestyle riders, with the freestyle crown comprised of halfpipe, big air and slopestyle disciplines.

As in recent years, the area adjacent to the Battersea Power Station’s iconic towers will be transformed into a huge ski resort with a giant ramp 32 meters high and 100 meters long covered with real snow. Although last year’s victor in London and Big Air World Cup title champion, Stefan Gimpl of Austria, announced his retirement from the circuit this week, top riders including Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov and Gian-Luca Cavigelli, Olympic Halfpipe runner-up Peetu Piiroinen and Roope Tonteri of Finland, are all hoping for the largest share of the London prize purse.Norway’s talented Staale Sandbech and Gjermund Braaten, Air & Style king Marko Grilc of Slovenia, and Seb Toutant and Mark McMorris of Canada will also be hitting the giant kicker.

While the shredders can expect huge cheering crowds in London, Saas-Fee has its own surprises in store for approximately 100 riders who will gather next week from all over the world in the Swiss resort’s new “Allalin 360” park. The new park design includes a completely resized halfpipe, now sporting 22 foots walls along its enter length, which has been expanded by an additional 30 to 40 meters. Next week’s competition will be the sole World Cup halfpipe contest to take place prior to the 9th FIS Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Spain.