Snowboarding: NZ impresses rookie as great ski venue

If he was not one of the world's best rookie snowboarders, Garrett Warnick would still be in the classroom with his high school buddies back in California.

The 17-year-old has made headway in his first professional year, finishing an impressive second place in January at the Burton AM series at home mountain Mammoth, and a third two weeks later in the same series at Park City in the United States.

This week Warnick will come head to head with the best of the snowboarding fraternity, something he feels is a milestone in his fledgling career.

"I've never travelled with a team and I definitely feel I've achieved a lot to be here."

Warnick arrived last week to compete in the Billabong slopestyle event at Cardrona and gained 22nd place over the weekend.

This is Warnick's second visit to New Zealand in three years and the modest young athlete said he was "excited to compete with some pros".

The junior first started riding in 2000, which to most of us seems like only a few years ago, but some basic maths would show Warnick was only 6 when he took to the slopes, leading to a career in boarding.

He said the best thing about waking up back home was knowing he could walk out the door and up the mountain because many others couldn't even dream of it.

Comparing Queenstown's mountains with those of the US Mammoths and Snow Parks, Warnick said they met the standard and more.

"The snow is really good here. They do a good job and there is a lot of diversity here. It's good.""New Zealand seems a pretty good ski destination." Warnick said away from the mountains he liked to keep on board, opting for the surf in the summer and his skateboard on the pavement.

He said his best achievement was winning the triple air at Mt High and his favourite trick is the intimidating backflip.

Warnick is hoping to improve on his world ranking and said this week's Burton Open was one great way to start his competitive year.

"It's very exciting. I'm expecting there is going to be some really good jumps and snowboarders."

• More than 240 international athletes have arrived in Wanaka for five days of competition at the Burton Open, before competing in the Winter Games from Saturday. Competition started with slopestyle qualifying rounds yesterday, and today the action shifts to the half pipe for more qualifying rounds.

The snowboarders return to the slopestyle course for semifinals tomorrow. Slopestyle finals and women's halfpipe semifinals have been scheduled for Friday.

Saturday has been set aside for the women's halfpipe finals and the men's halfpipe semifinals and finals.