Global snow sports elite on track for Wanaka

Invitations are out for one of New Zealand’s most-anticipated snow sports events - the eighth annual Burton New Zealand Open.

New Zealand is the first stop for the prestigious international snowboarding competition - and the event marks the start of the Burton Global Open Series and TTR World Tour for the 2010/2011 season.

The world’s snowboarding elite will again congregate at the Cardrona Valley near Wanaka, where they will show off their talents in a series of gruelling challenges.

Hundreds of spectators and holidaymakers are expected to watch the event at Cardrona, where it will be open for viewing to the public.

Cardrona ready to host
Cardrona event manager Reuben Yeoman says that the South Island ski field is looking forward to hosting the event for the second year running.

"The team at Cardrona is 100 percent behind this event, and their commitment to snowboarding was evident last year. The combined effort is providing riders with the facilities and formats they require to perform at their best, and it’s great to be a part of such a progressive event and global series."

The Burton NZ Open offers prize money of $50,000, which will be divided equally between the men and women’s slopestyle and halfpipe categories. Official training for the event starts on 10 August, followed by an opening party at Lonestar in Wanaka.

Pre-qualifiers and qualifiers start on 11 August. Invited riders are seeded directly to the semifinals stage, which starts on August 13. The event concludes with the halfpipe semifinals and finals on 14 August.

Top names at Open
International riders are turning up in droves for the 2010 Burton NZ Open, including defending women’s slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson and defending halfpipe champion Kelly Clark, both from the US.

Other famous international names rising up to the challenge include Canadians Charles Reid, Mark Sollors and Mark McMorris; Japanese rippers Kazuhiro Kokubo, Ryo Aono, Daisuke Murakami and Kohei Kudo; Norwegians Tore Holvik, Stale Sandbech and Gjermund Braaten; and Americans Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg, Jack Mitrani and Louie Vitto.

Some of the women confirmed are Kjersti Buaas and Lin Haug (Norway), Enni Rukajarvi (Finland), Rana Okada (Japan) and Elizabeth Beerman (USA).

Kiwis Stef Zeestraten and Shelly Gotlieb are also tipped to be strong contenders in the slopestyle section of the competition.

Cardrona - Wanaka
Wanaka - in the South Island’s southern lakes region, and styled as the world’s first ‘Lifestyle Reserve’ - is a year-round outdoor playground.

The Cardrona Valley - with the ski resorts of Treble Cone, Cardrona, SnowFarm and SnowPark - is recognised as one of New Zealand’s premier ski destinations. The resorts have stunning lake and mountain views, all within easy reach of Wanaka.

This season Australasia’s first internationally-certified downhill course opened at the Cardrona Ski Resort.

The FIS-certified ‘Goldrush’ course is phase one of a NZ$3m upgrade that will add 150 hectares of new slopes and increase snow-making capacity.

Other new developments for 2010 include the Valley View quad chairlift, a 40m tunnel and additional car parking to cope with visitor capacity.

Cardrona field manager Gary Husband says the ski resort is always looking for ways to improve the snow experience for its fans.

"A lot of advanced off-piste skiing will be available with the addition of the new chairlift, and it also allows us to run downhill races that are certified to International Ski Federation standards."