Brit snowboarder strikes gold - but will watch Olympics on TV

BRITISH snowboarder Jenny Jones has beaten the best in her sport yet again - but she won't be competing at next month's Winter Olympics.

GOLDEN REPEAT: Jenny Jones retained the X Games slopestyle title she won last year with a storming victory in Aspen (Getty Images)

Jones became the first Briton to win consecutive gold medals at the X Games in Aspen when she retained her Slopestyle title.

The 29-year old from Bristol is arguably Britain's most successful snow sport athlete, although she remains virtually unknown.

In slopestyle, riders navigate a course that is pitted with rails, bumps and jumps and are judged on the difficulty and execution of their tricks.

“I cant believe it, I’m so stoked to have won,” she said.

“This time all the top girls were in it, the weather was great and even my folks came over from the UK to watch.” 

Despite a swollen knee, picked up during the qualifiers, Jones held off the challenge of pre-race favourites Jamie Anderson and Janna Meyen-Weatherby, who were both absent when she won last year.

Olympic men's halfpipe champion Shaun White warmed up for Vancouver by taking X Games gold while Lindsey Jacobellis, a chief rival for Britain's Zoe Gillings in snowboard cross, also took a podium top spot.