Freeze Festival London – snowboarder Dom Harington interview

Half-pipe snowboarding champion prepares to tackle the notorious Big Air Jump at Battersea Power Station

Multiple award-winner Dom Harington will be flying the flag for British snowboarding again at this year's Relentless Energy Drink Freeze Festival (28–29 October 2011), set once again amid the majestic urban landscape of London’s Battersea Power Station. We caught up with him a few weeks ago to see how he was feeling about the whole shebang, and to try and get a sense of what it’s like to stand at the top of the gargantuan 32-metre kicker – the Big Air Jump.

The passion to prepare

“I’m looking forward to it, as it's such a cool thing to be able to ride that jump in those surroundings,” he positively beams when we track him down. “Last year all my family came to watch, which is cool as normally I’m abroad snowboarding, and it's difficult for them to get to see it all,” he states enthusiastically.

"It's such a cool thing to be able to ride that jump in those surroundings."

In preparation, Dom embarked on a road trip to Austria with fellow team GB riders Billy Morgan and Jo Howard to enjoy some valuable practice time. Unfortunately he lost his passport a day before departure, and decided to try his luck by crossing the border with a photocopy. Risky business.

“The initial plan was to hide under the board bags,” he laughs. “But then I didn't want to risk getting arrested for being a smuggled immigrant or whatever! In the end I sat in the front of the van ready to try and get through with a photocopy of my passport. Luckily nobody actually asked to see it the whole way, so I made it to Mayrhofen!” Clearly, it was meant to be.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

Dom’s modesty has to be admired, coming to the surface as we ask him about his feelings about tackling the Big Air Jump at Freeze. “My kicker skills aren't really up to scratch, so there were a few tricks I wanted to get before Freeze. Mainly the backside double cork 10.

“My plan was to go through all my backside spins up to 9s,” he continues. “I started off with a straight air, followed by a 360, then on the 540 attempt I scuffed on the take-off and crashed into the knuckle! It feels like I’ve broken my foot, so I’ve been chilling down in the valley since then. I've been on the ibuprofen and ice packs non-stop so hoping to carry on the plan in a few days!”

Thankfully his foot has healed up well since then, suggesting nothing more than a sprain – and he’s back on top form, ready for the big showdown.

Not for the faint-hearted

"When you’re at the top of the drop-in, you’re obviously nervous."

Let’s face it – staring down at a 32-metre jump from a 17-metre drop in isn’t an option some of the more accomplished snowboarders would even contemplate, let alone willingly attempt. There’s an element of perverse curiosity for a spectator or budding snowboarder, whether it’s watching live at Battersea or on TV – but it’s a whole different kettle of fish when you’re actually up there, towering over the crowds and the river. Dom gives us an insight to what goes through his mind when he’s staring down at the jump from the top of the drop-in.

“When you’re at the top of the drop-in, you’re obviously nervous. Either because it's windy and it's blowing the scaffolding, or purely because you’re about to ride down the sketchy, steep slope into a trick you’re not too sure about!” Nerves of steel, focus and above all immense skill are needed to conquer such a feat.

The need for speed

One of the most quoted sayings in snowboarding is: “Speed is your friend”. Dom tells it as it is: “The speed is a big issue on the first day of riding [at Freeze] on these jumps because it takes a day for the snow to get icy and fast. It’s a bit different doing tricks on this jump to doing them on the mountain; you need to have good control all the way down the run-in so you don't lose the valuable speed you need.”

"It’s a bit different doing tricks on this jump to doing them on the mountain"

There’s a bit of an unwritten rule for some snowboarders – and that is to always straight-air a jump before attempting any other tricks, so as to get a feel for the jump and its dynamics without any added complications. We asked Dom if this works for him. “I definitely prefer having a straight-air first go so that I get a feel for the jump, but I know that a lot of riders here will be so good that they will throw a seven or more first go. Also a lot of the world cup riders compete at these type of comps quite a lot, so they will just rock up and kill it straight away!”

The Big Air mindset

We finish our attempt to put Dom in a Freeze frame of mind by asking how exactly it feels when you’re at the top of the jump, with friends, colleagues, fans and press all looking on in anticipation. Nerves or excitement? Naturally for someone who loves what he does so much, it’s the latter. “I love being there, it's so sick,” he says casually. “You can see the whole of the London skyline and I love looking down on the crowd. Plus all the TV cameras and stuff just makes me stoked to be snowboarding in that position.”

We’ll be throwing all our support behind Dom and the rest of the Relentless Energy Drink-sponsored riders. Don’t miss out on the action – click here to find out more details.