Snowboarding: Open attracts 200 competitors

More than 200 athletes from 17 countries have converged on Wanaka for the sixth annual Burton New Zealand Snowboarding Open.

The six-venue global open series, which offers the most lucrative cumulative prize purse in snow sports - $US900,000 ($NZ1.2 million) - will begin with the slopestyle and halfpipe competitions.

The New Zealand Open has a $NZ50,000 prize pool.

Last year, Wanaka snowboarder Mitchell Brown became the first New Zealander to walk away with the top cash prize when he won the NZ Open.

This year he is rated eighth in the men's standings and will defend his title against a strong field that includes the 2007 global series winner, Peetu Piironien, of Finland.

Top female entrants include 2002 Olympic gold medallist Kelly Clark, back-to-back X Games gold medallist Jamie Anderson (both of the United States) and New Zealand Olympian Juliane Bray, of Wanaka.

The US has the largest contingent of competitors (55), followed by Japan (42) and New Zealand (29).

Half-pipe practice begins today from 9am, with prequalifiers starting at 10am.

Slopestyle practice begins at 11am.

Tomorrow, practice starts at 8am, with the slopestyle competition scheduled to begin at 9.50am.

Friday is slopestyle semifinals and finals day, with practice beginning at 8am and competition starting at 9.15am.

There will also be a quarterpipe jam invitation competition from 6pm.

The NZ Open concludes on Saturday with the halfpipe competition, with judging starting at 9.30am.

Sunday has been set aside as the bad weather lay day.

 

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