Cardrona Alpine Resort’s world-class slopestyle course and Olympic superpipe will provide a testing ground for New Zealand’s up and coming freeski and snowboard athletes when they compete in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Australia New Zealand Cup this month.
Held under the banner of the Cardrona Games, the ANC Cups will give New Zealand and international athletes a taste of top level competition as they prepare to step up to World Cup level events.
Some will be experiencing the FIS environment for the first time, while others like NZ Winter Youth Olympians Finn Bilous (Wanaka) and Tiarn Collins (Queenstown), will be looking to build on promising results already gained on the international stage.
“The purpose of these events is specifically to strengthen the development pathway for our younger athletes,” explains Snow Sports NZ Director of Coach and Sport Development, Adam Dooney.
“Cardrona is internationally recognised as providing some of the best park and pipe facilities anywhere in the world and attracts the world’s best athletes who come to train and compete. NZ athletes have a unique opportunity to experience the intensity of international competition in their own backyard.”
The ANC Cup events will include two freeski slopestyle, one snowboard slopestyle, one freeski halfpipe and one snowboard halfpipe over four days from 12-16 September. The slopestyle course for skiers and snowboarders comprises a mixture of rail and jump features. The superpipe is a U-shaped channel with 22ft high walls. In both disciplines competitors perform a series of jumps and aerial tricks and are awarded points based on trick execution, difficulty and amplitude (height gained in the air above the feature).
The Otago Community Trust donated $7,000 to assist Snow Sports NZ with the Slopestyle and Halfpipe Cups. We look forward to seeing our Otago athletes action.
