British halfpipe champion Ben Kilner has called for a raise in the profile of winter sports in Britain after crashing out of the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air event in Battersea.

The 21-year old just missed out on the final at Battersea Power Station after finishing ninth in his heat with the top five going through.

And although he admitted the event in South London was a step in the right direction, the Banchory snowboarder insisted there was too much media attention on London 2012 with February’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver only three months away.