Queenstown, New Zealand – International freestyle sports celebrities will be launching into the night sky at the 11th annual Parklife Invitational being held in downtown Queenstown this Saturday.
Legendary freestylers and brothers Beau James and Jackson Wells will battle for top spot in the ski category, while international pro snowboarding Kiwis Nick Hyne and Nick Brown will go head-to-head in the annual winter rail jam event.
Local Queenstown freestyle skier Adie Lawrence will be returning to participate alongside fellow Kiwi Anna Willcox-Silfverberg and last year’s winner, Dutch skier Isabelle Hanssen. Confirmed female boarders include 2012 Parklife Invitational snowboard winner Orla Doolin from Ireland, Jen Brown from the UK and local lass Christy Prior.
Meanwhile, returning freestyle motocross champions Brenton Drager and Ryan Brown – some of the hottest FMX bikers in Australasia – are confirmed for a thrills-packed FMX demo guaranteed to get the crowd roaring.
Held at the Queenstown Rec grounds, the event is featuring a “who’s who” of skiers and boarders performing to the limits of their ability on a 32-stair handrail feature using snow trucked in from The Remarkables ski area nearby.
Ross Lawrence, general manager of The Remarkables, said that Saturday’s contest promises to be an “awesome” comp with categories for male and female skiers and boarders. Up to NZ$5,000 in cash and other prizes is up for grabs.
“These are big names on the international circuit who’ll be mixing it up right here on our doorstep,” Lawrence said. “This is the most renowned rail comp in New Zealand and a once-a-year opportunity for people to see all the action across three extreme sports disciplines in one night in a central location. It makes for great family entertainment which is why we’ll start early in the evening with Spike and Shred, who will make a rare trip down from the mountain to join in the fun.”
The Rail Jam starts with a qualifying round where each competitor laps the feature, aiming to sufficiently impress the judges to advance to the finals. The best male and female riders in each category will take it up another gear in their final runs in a bid to take home cash prizes and branded gear.
If the weather doesn’t come to the party there’s a rain date for Sunday night.
Lawrence added that FMX riders Drager and Brown were amped to be back in Queenstown to entertain the crowds before and in between snow freestyle heats.
“They’re so looking forward to showing off their talent for what’s shaping up to be a huge audience,” he said.
FMX manager Richard Stevenson, who organizes Nitro Circus events, said it was one of the few occasions that people could watch the high-energy showmanship of FMX in their own backyard, especially in mid-winter.
“This is typically a summer sport because it’s so weather dependent, but this weekend we’re pulling out all the stops for these guys to wow the crowds,” Stevenson said. “They’ll be executing some crazy tricks, flipping their 100kg dirt bikes 75 feet in the air, across snow and rails. It’s going to be pretty insane.”
Stevenson explained that FMX was hugely popular in Europe and Australia with increasingly high levels of daring.
“Here in New Zealand it’s a relatively new sport that’s been experienced by relatively few people, and probably not at the level that these guys are bringing,” he said.
Twenty-four-year-old Australian Brenton Drager won the renowned Precise Pro Open in 2012 and is one of Australia’s top riders making headlines internationally. His top trick is the Superflip Indy. Fellow 21-year-old Australian Ryan Brown is renowned for his switchblade flip, last year impressing audiences by completing a 110-foot flip at the Australian FMX Championships and pulling the Best Whip at the Australian & Underground FMX Championships.
A third FMX rider will be confirmed this week.
Beginning on Wednesday, the two-rail structure and FMX ramps will be assembled by The Remarkables ski area Terrain Park crew and snow will be brought in first thing on Saturday to be prepped for the big event that evening.
Gates open 4:30 p.m. and tickets are on sale all this week at the Queenstown Snow Centre. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and tickets cost NZ$5.
An official after-party will be held at The Find bar at 54 Shotover Street in Queenstown.