New Zealand’s Southern Alps are white, pristine and ready to welcome international snow sport athletes to the 2019 Winter Games held in Queenstown, Wanaka and Naseby.
The 2019 Winter Games will be the seventh edition, and the second of a new schedule which sees this international snow sport event rolled out yearly. The Games – from 23 August to 7 September – have become the highlight of the southern hemisphere ski season calendar, offering world-class competition and high-energy spectator sports in one of New Zealand’s most popular adventure destinations.
The centrepiece of the Games is the FIS World Cup Snowboard Big Air and FIS World Cup Freestyle Ski Halfpipe, as well as Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe and Slopestyle FIS Australia New Zealand Cups (ANCs).
The Games are proud to attract six out of the top 10 athletes in each of the World Cup disciplines and predict a talented field of internationals for the ANC competitions.
Some of the world’s best names are confirming their entries for the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air and the FIS Freeski World Cup Halfpipe. And after the aerial acrobatics of the competitors have wowed the crowds, it would be a shame not to test out the country’s best slopes for yourself.
Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Snow Farm and The Remarkables will stay open to the public during the Games. All four ski areas are close to Queenstown and Wanaka, and each has slopes to suit all ability levels.
For the more adventurous, the Southern Alps has some of the best heli-skiing in the world, with an incredible backdrop of rugged landscapes and natural beauty.
