Hotter won the women’s ski title at the North Face Frontier 2-star event on Sunday.
She had finished third in the 4-star competition the previous day.
Judges rewarded her for confident skiing and showing excellent technique and control. After she hit a cliff feature that no-one else had tackled that day, commentators referred to the "Jess Hotter cliff" for the rest of the competition.
"I’m pretty stoked with how my run went, all in all," Hotter said.
"It’s hard to get through the rocks to where you want to go at the moment, but I managed to do everything I wanted to in my run so I’m happy."
British skier Harriet Lucas, the 4-star winner, again demonstrated aggressive technique and impressed the judges when she hit a mandatory drop in the top chute straight on, finishing second.
Spain’s Carmela Olmo was third.
With a hefty field of 50 competitors in the men’s ski category, the stakes were high.
Snow coverage was much sparser than in previous years, so the athletes needed to be savvy about their line choices.
Joshua Bull (USA) won the title after finishing third last year.
Bull showed good technique with strong turns before spinning tricks every way possible — including right and left 360s, a front flip and off-axis backflip — down the rest of the venue.
"I was stoked to put it to my feet," Bull said.
"I came in super excited and a little nervous, but it all worked and I’m hyped."
Taupo skier Lach Powell (NZ) again showed his mastery of the Alta Chutes to finish second, scoring well for air, style and strong technique, and fellow Kiwi skier Ethan McLean was third.
Canadian Jaimie Figueira, back for her fifth attempt and no stranger to the podium, won the women’s snowboard division.
"It was pretty spicy up the top, icy and rocky up there," Figueira said.
"I was hoping to get through it just as fast as I could, and once I was in the main chute, I had some good flow and momentum."
Stefania Canclini (Italy) was second and Angelina Stratton (Australia) second.
Last to drop was the men’s snowboard category with 4-star winner Vaughan Hardwick claiming victory again.
Earning 97.33 from a possible 100 points, there was not much to fault in the Australian’s run, which included stylish front and backside 360s and a backflip off the wind lip to finish.
"I’m really happy to have a good run again and doing well is a bonus," Hardwick said.
"I got a couple of tricks in and made it down safely so I’m happy."
Wellington snowboarder James Thompson was second, ahead of Japan’s Haruki Takeuchi.
— Allied Media
