White (22) is in Wanaka and spent Wednesday afternoon practising on Cardrona's Olympic standard halfpipe - an event in which he won gold in at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
New Zealand snowboarding coach Tom Willmott said White was getting "by far" the biggest air off the halfpipe lip, practising alongside other snowboarders.
White's entry in the Burton half pipe event will be the first time he has contested a major New Zealand snowsports competition.
The lanky, long-haired White is no stranger to New Zealand, having previously visited skifields and back-country mountains for promotional filming.
He was last in Wanaka for a photo shoot at Snow Park NZ in May 2008.
Nick-named the "flying tomato," because of his long ginger locks, White is considered one of the best of Burton's elite professional snowboarders.
He has won a record 14 medals at the Winter X-Games since 2002, and was the first to win four years in a row in the slopestyle competition.
White's visit to Wanaka is a break away from his traditional northern summer pursuit of competing on the lucrative pro-skateboarding circuit.
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