FIS Junior World Championships prepares

Mon 16 August 10

Over 300 of the world’s elite junior snow sports athletes will arrive in Lake Wanaka this week to compete in the inaugural FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Junior World Championships which runs from 19-31 August.

FIS Junior World Championships prepares

FIS Junior World Championships prepares ©

Over 300 of the world’s elite junior snow sports athletes will arrive in Lake Wanaka in New Zealand this week to compete in the inaugural FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Junior World Championships which runs from 19-31 August.

There will be 4 people representing the UK - Alex Nordquist, James Barrow and Thomas Bankes will all compete in the snowboard cross and Lewis Courtier-Jones will be competing in the Slopestyle and Halfpipe events
 
Marking the first time a FIS World Championship has taken place in the Southern Hemisphere and the first time the sports of freeskiing and snowboarding have combined at World Championship level, the event has attracted a high calibre field that includes many ranked in the top 20 in the world, despite their young age.
 
Heading the New Zealand team is current world number one, freeskier Jossi Wells of Wanaka. He is joined by Olympic snowboarder, Rebecca Sinclair and 36 other young New Zealand hopefuls keen to earn valuable experience against an international field on their home turf.
 
Competition will be tough with athletes such as Fanny Smith of Switzerland who is ranked #5 in the world for ski cross and USA’s Hannah Haupt, also fifth in the world but for freeski halfpipe, confirmed. 
 
The USA has sent a 40-strong team of athletes plus support staff while 33 Canadian athletes have also made the long journey to the southern snow. Other countries represented are: Sweden (4), Switzerland (23), Norway (15), Chile (1), Poland (3), Bulgaria (2), Netherlands (7), Czech Republic (11), Germany (11), Philippines (1), Japan (22), Belgium (6), Andorra (1), Russia (23), Austria (10), Great Britain (4), Slovakia (12), Australia (26), Ukraine (3), Greece (2), Italy (6), Korea (16), Finland (7), Spain (3).
 
A Parade of Nations through Wanaka town centre will launch the championships at 5.00pm on Friday 20 August, followed by a powhiri and official welcome by Dean Gosper of the Federation International de Ski (FIS) as well as Championships Patron Juliane Bray.
 
All the on-snow action in the 2010 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard Junior World Championships will take place from 21 to 31 August at Cardrona Alpine Resort and Snow Park NZ, Lake Wanaka featuring the following nine disciplines – snowboard slopestyle, snowboard cross, snowboard halfpipe, snowboard parallel slalom and giant slalom, snowboard big air, freeski slopestyle, ski cross and freeski halfpipe.
 
For further information, visit www.juniorworldsnz.co.nz

Next Story

Silverton Mountain increases lift capacity

Silverton Mountain increases lift capacity

Wed 18 August 10, Silverton Mountain, USA

No new lift, but they've squeezed an extra 50% more chairs onto the only chairlift for the 2010/11 season.

Huge August Snowfall in Swiss Alps, Argentina & NZ

Huge August Snowfall in Swiss Alps, Argentina & NZ

Wed 18 August 10, Zermatt, Switzerland

Powder alarms for Cervinia, Saas Fee and Zermatt with up to 45cm of snow in 24 hours. Burton New Zealand Open Halfpipe finals in New Zealand. Snow keeps falling in Australia. Up to a foot (30cm) of new snow in Argentina. Mt Hutt, New Zealand Snow Depth hits Two Metres after 19cm Fall So Far Today.

Slopestyle kicks off the Junior World Champions

Slopestyle kicks off the Junior World Champions

Sat 21 August 10, Snowpark, New Zealand

Snow sports history was made today with the crowning of the first ever snowboard slopestyle junior world champions. Staale Sanbech (17) of Norway and Enni Rukajarvi (20) of Finland

TrebleCone hosts Racers Edge-Volkl Big Air

TrebleCone hosts Racers Edge-Volkl Big Air

Mon 23 August 10, Treble Cone, New Zealand

– A high-calibre field of skiers and snowboarders turned out for the Racers Edge-Volkl Big Air on Saturday, to take on the 40ft big air jump in the Saddle Basin of Treble Cone.

Major changes at The Canyons for 2010/11

Major changes at The Canyons for 2010/11

Mon 23 August 10, The Canyons, USA

two new state-of-the-art lifts, a new direct-connect gondola, expanded terrain and vastly improved snowmaking capabilities head the major investment and phase 1 of a whole new redevelopment of the resort

Cardrona, New Zealand

Snowboard Guide rating 7 out of 10 “Okay all round resort”

FIS Snowboard Junior Championships 2010

19-31 August 10

The event, scheduled for 19-31 August, marks the first time a FIS World Championship will be staged in New Zealand, and also marks the first time that snowboarding and freestyle skiing will share the same stage in a World Championship.

Advertisement