southern alps : 9 videos

Cardrona Alpine Resort was the host for the final sports challenge at the Obsidian 2020, the Park Jam. The athletes threw down some amazing tricks to wow the spectators on a bluebird day. The men’s ski was the biggest category and at the end of the semi-finals it was hard for the judges to pick only three to go through. It ended up with Finn Bilous grabbing first, Jackson Wells in second and Beau-James Wells rounding out in third. It was a similar story for the men’s snowboard category w...

With best conditions, the Obsidian Freeride competition on the WTF face in the Minaret Range near Lake Wanaka took place. The heli-access venue tested the 21 athletes, with Janina Kuzma showing her experience in the women’s category. The 2014 Halfpipe veteran from the Sochi Olympics and the Freeride World Tour veteran was strong and smooth on the face in difficult conditions. Ronan Thompson was first in the European and Oceania Junior Freeride World Tour in 2019 and he was one of the few sn...

The Big Air Tournament of Obsidian 2020 is in the books. Team Jossi took out the top spot in each of the three categories today, with Nico Porteous, Margaux Hackett and Carlos Garcia Knight’s strong performances. This would normally have meant they were at the top of the overall standings for the day, but Team Kuzma strategically played their Joker card on the Big Air event. This card allows the team to gain double points on the day they use it. This pushed them infront with 160 points, to Te...

The Big Air Tournament of Obsidian 2020 is in the books. Team Jossi took out the top spot in each of the three categories today, with Nico Porteous, Margaux Hackett and Carlos Garcia Knight’s strong performances. This would normally have meant they were at the top of the overall standings for the day, but Team Kuzma strategically played their Joker card on the Big Air event. This card allows the team to gain double points on the day they use it. This pushed them infront with 160 points, to Te...

Winter Games NZ is the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest snow sports event. Traditionally it welcomes the world’s best skiers and snowboarders to compete in the opening of the FIS Park and Pipe World Cup season and The North Face Frontier, a Freeride World Qualifying Tour 4* & 2* event. This year that can’t happen, so rather than let the event lapse Winter Games NZ will run Obsidian. Obsidian is an epic new mixed Team Challenge event for the Winter Games NZ 2020, set across New Zealand’s Southern...

KIWIS PREVAIL IN EPIC PIONEER MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE New Zealand’s James Williamson and Scott Lyttle (Team Watson & Sons Manuka Honey) took out the 2017 Pioneer Mountain Bike Stage race, holding off the fast finishing Spaniards Tomi Misser and Ibon Sugasti (Imparables) on the final stage into Queenstown today while Nina McVicar (Nelson) and Reta Trotman (Christchurch) in team Hirepool took out the women’s honours. In a race that has already established itself as amongst the best in the worl...

SPANISH LEGEND LOVING HIS PIONEER EXPERIENCE In the world of downhill mountain bike racing, indeed in the world of mountain bike racing full stop, there are few with the careers to match that of Spaniard Tomi Misser. He is a little bit of mountain biking royalty, and he is loving his time here in New Zealand riding The Pioneer Stage Mountain Bike Race. Misser and Imparables partner Ibon Zugasti shared the overall stage win with Team Watson & Son Manuka Honey (James Williamson and Scott...

There was drama and excitement aplenty on stage two of The Pioneer as the Mountain Bike Stage race took the 338 riders over the 106km course from Geraldine to Fairlie on another blistering hot day in the Central South Island. Line honours were contested by three teams in a sprint finish, with the win going to Imparables riders Ibon Zugasi and Tommi Misser (ESP) as they nudged out Kiwis James Williamson and Scott Lyttle (Watson & Son Manuka Honey), with Oamaru brothers Tim and Kris Rush (Al...

This is my winning run from The North Face Frontier FWQ 4* freeride comp in New Zealand in August 2016. This year was the first time the comp has run as a four star rated event, so people were throwing down some pretty cool stuff! I actually changed my plan half way through the run as the cliff I was planning to hit scared the shit out of me as I got closer to it, so I went to plan B for the bottom section. It was a great day and I am stoked to see such a highly rated event run in NZ!...