NZsnowboard.com

26th September 2006

Spring conditions prevail for a huge week of Freestyle for Juniors at The Remarkables.  For the first time, freestyle on snowboards and freestyle on skis share the slopes in national competition.

The New Zealand Snowboard Association (NZSBA) and the Free Ski Association of New Zealand (FSANZ) are holding their respective junior national competitions alongside each other.

The four day freestyle extravaganza kicks off today and runs through until Friday with Saturday as a postponement day.

Ski area manager Hamish McCrostie says it will be fantastic to see New Zealand?s top Junior Freestyle snowboarding and skiing athletes together for the first time.

?Freestyle is really dominating snowsports in the younger age groups.  As equipment and technology changes, the two disciplines are moving closer together.  Freestyle itself has become a culture of its own and our ski area facilities have evolved to accommodate this.  Whether the freestyler is riding a board or skis is becoming less and less important.?

Snowboard action over the four days is Giant Slalom through the gates and the Snow Boardercross head to head while skier action is in the Parklife Superpipe and in the Skier Cross course.

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Further information:
Hamish McCrostie      The Remarkables Ski Area Manager      03 442 4617
Graham Dunbar         NZSBA                    03 443 6931