Lake Wanaka, New Zealand – Lake Wanaka-area ski fields will again take center stage this winter by hosting a full calendar of national and international ski and snowboard events.n“Lake Wanaka’s ski areas are making their mark as premier event hosts, attracting international and national events to the region,” explains James Helmore, General Manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism. “Staging a variety of events in Wanaka provides a fantastic opportunity for our domestic athletes to compete against some of the world’s best and for spectators to catch some of the action and enjoy the world-class facilities.”
Young snowboarders and skiers from across the world will descend on Wanaka from the 19th to 31st of August for the 2010 FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Junior World Championships. This is the first time an International Ski Federation (FIS) World Championship will be staged in New Zealand, and also marks the first time snowboarding and freestyle skiing will share the same stage in a World Championship. The event is to be staged at all three Wanaka ski areas: Cardrona, Treble Cone and Snow Park NZ.
Cardrona Alpine Resort will again host the Burton New Zealand Open August 10-14, attracting many of the best names in the snowboarding world to battle it out on the slopestyle course and in the halfpipe. The halfpipe action continues for the FIS Halfpipe World Cup on September 5, also at Cardrona, following a highly successful event last year.
Along with the major international competitions, Wanaka’s mountains will host a variety of national and local competitions for snow sports athletes of all ages and abilities. The Cardrona Kids Cup, a fun slopestyle event, kicks off the local events calendar on July 10th, followed by the Junior Slopestyle competition at Snow Park NZ. The NZ University Snow Games is set to take place at the end of August, bringing students from across the New Zealand to the Southern Lakes region.
The mature skiers will take to the slopes of Cardrona and Treble Cone for the Ski Masters for Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super G events September 5-9. The more daring athletes should mark the Racers Edge Big Air competition in their diary. Taking place on selected Fridays throughout the season, this event promises some spectacular action on Treble Cone’s newly built jump.
The less mainstream snow sports don’t miss out this season. Telemark skiing will grace the slopes of Treble Cone for the Telemarker Takeover, September 25th, while Snow Farm NZ will host a biathlon series, cross country sprint and long distance races as well as a winter triathlon.