The New Zealand athletes made the most of the home advantage, claiming seven of the 12 medal spots.
First out of the gates were the women snowboarders, with 13 competitors in the hunt for medals. Conditions were hard and fast but France’s Noemie Equy was up to the challenge and stepped up from her second-place finish in yesterday’s 2-star event to claim the win in her first competition.
It was a close finish between New Zealand athletes Max King and Mitchell Davern in the men’s snowboard category with King claiming the top spot on 87.67 points to Davern’s 85.
The 15-strong women’s ski field came out charging, pushing themselves in the challenging terrain and difficult conditions.
New Zealand’s Jessie Violet prevailed, going bigger on her tricks and stomping the landing on her backflip.
The men put on a heart-stopping display of fast, technical skiing, hunting out the exposed terrain.
Saving the best for last, it came down to the last two riders of the day to decide the win. Last year’s winner Blake Marshall landed a big backflip off the wind lip at the bottom of the course for an impressive score of 92 points, enough for second place.
Fynn Powell backed up his win in yesterday’s two-star event with a stunning run which earned him a score of 95.33 points. The judges described his run as almost flawless.
"I’m feeling so great," he said.
"I’ve always loved this event and I’m overwhelmed to be able to put my run down today."
— Staff reporter
