Profile - Thomas Bankes

Tom first started snowboarding aged 5 in the French Alps. He loved anything to do with going downhill and snow so naturally loved it. He started competing in 2009 and since then he has competed all around Europe in the European Cups.

In 2010, Tom became the British champion which was a really good result. He decided to join the British Snowboard Cross team to push his level further

Over the 2010/2011 season he progressed a lot. He competed in the World Championships, qualified for the World Cup and achieved a podium finish in a FIS event; the first ever British men's podium in a Snowboard Cross FIS event. In the last World Cup he qualified for the Finals. His qualification run was within 2% of the fastest time, a good performance for his third World Cup start.  The finals were the first to be carried out with a six man start and he finished 40^th.