The wait was well worth it for British skier James Woods in yesterday's slopestyle final of the New Zealand Freeski Open at Cardrona yesterday.
Woods and the 11 other finalists had been left waiting since Friday's qualifiers to complete the final, as cold temperatures and poor visibility ruled out competition on Saturday and Sunday.
Woods qualified second behind Wanaka local Jossi Wells, but hit the slopes in style yesterday, recording a score of 92.75 on his first run.
Wells produced a first run of 89.75 to keep the heat on and Switzerland's Elias Ambühl was sitting third on 84.50.
Wells edged closer to record 91.50 on his second run, putting the pressure firmly on Woods going into the final ride.
Ambühl recorded a smart 86.75 in his second run, including two linked double 1260s, but he stumbled on his third run to end his title hopes and had to settle for third.
Wells came out chasing the top spot in his final round, attacking the top rail section and making creative use of four features when all the other competitors used only three. His stylish final run gave him his top score of the day of 92.50.
However, Woods held firm in first, upping the technicality of his rail tricks and wrapping up with three huge hits off the jumps to score 94.00, and grab the title.
Finn Bilous was the best of the rest of the New Zealanders, finishing fourth.
