Wednesday 8 September - Maria Kuzma and Callum Goodwin take snowboard titles.
A stunning bluebird day greeted competitors on the first day of the Mother Snowboard Challenge and Export 33 Xtreme events at Whakapapa Ski Area.
Whakapapa’s Pinnacles saw New Zealand’s best Kiwi skiers and boarders take on top international talent who’ve travelled to New Zealand for these popular events.
Kiwis took out both the men’s and women’s titles of the Mother Snowboard Challenge. Maria Kuzma was the top woman, followed by Malin Lindroos (Finland) and Adeline Gervais of France.
The men’s competition was dominated by Kiwis with Callum Goodwin taking out first, and Jordan Decker and strong>Scotty Heale taking second and third respectively.
The first rounds of the Export 33 Xtreme skiing event were also held yesterday, and so far 17 year old Fabian Lentsch of Austria, and Kiwis Sam Smoothy and Geoff Small are looking good for the Men’s Open Ski finals which will continue on Saturday if the weather improves.
The story of the day goes to Swiss skier Romain Beffton who had a spectacular first run scoring an 8.9 to lead the competition after round one. On his second run he fell and broke his leg so will not be competing any further this week.
Mt Ruapehu's Nicola Eves is leading the women’s competition after the first two rounds, followed by Sophia Mitteregger (Austria)and Caroline Jeandet (Switzerland).
Thursday's low cloud prevented the next round of competition from getting underway. The comp has also been posponed today with rain showers and poor visability.
New Zealand’s biggest prize pool for extreme skiing and snowboarding is on offer this week - $10,000US alone for the Open Men’s Ski is up for grabs. The Export 33 Xtreme is a three-star qualification event for the Freeride World Tour.
Report issued from Snow Sports NZ.
