Competitors at the national junior freeski and snowboarding championships were given an international masterclass at Cardrona yesterday.
Top United States freeskier Taylor Seaton (19), a gold medal winner at the recent Winter Games, dominated the under-19 field to win the premier junior halfpipe title, while Italian freeskier Ariana Tricomi won the under-19 female equivalent.
The pair were a step above the top-placed New Zealand competitors, Matt Soundy (Queenstown), who finished third, and Mikey Austin (Wanaka), the under-19 female runner-up.
Benjamin Comber, of Christchurch, won the under-19 snowboard slopestyle event in a tough field of junior professional and amateur snowboarders.
Queenstown skier Matt Johnston showed his speed to win the under-19 parallel giant slalom race, while Taylor Smith, who skis for the Cardrona High Performance Centre, was first in the under-19 female event.
