Ward, Atkin secure ski halfpipe titles
HEAVY snowfall meant yesterday’s halfpipe at the New Zealand Freestyle Open at Cardrona Alpine Resort had to be modified to a straight tworun final.
The podium placings went to those who could put the weather challenge aside and still pull a solid run out of the trick bag.
In the men’s ski division, the top three men all spun 900s despite the tricky conditions.
Briton Sam Ward stomped a bigcork ninetail grab out of the start gate and maintained his amplitude with big spins on both walls of the pipe for the win.
‘‘I was looking for redemption after falling on the first hit in the slopestyle,’’ he explained.
‘‘I just tried to push through the weather today. I adapted my run and changed up which tricks I did on which hits. I think landing bothway 900s was a highlight.’’
South Korean Kangbok Lee was second and Briton Sam Gashin was third.
A young Kiwi contingent laid down some solid runs to finish in the middle of the pack. Gustav Legnavsky (12) was fifth, Max McDonald (14) sixth and Luca Harrington (14) seventh.
In the women’s event, Zoe Atkin put her nerves aside and boosted out of the pipe on her first trick.
‘‘I just decided I had nothing to lose,’’ she said.
‘‘I really liked my first hit. It was higher than I thought and I got really excited.
‘‘I’m really excited. I didn’t expect it [the win] at all.’’
South Korean Yujin Jang was second and Briton Kirsty Muir claimed her second podium finish of the competition, adding bronze in halfpipe to bronze in Wednesday’s slopestyle.
South Korea took a clean sweep of the men’s and women’s snowboard podiums.
Kwang Ki Lee was the clear winner in the men’s field and the only rider to stomp a clean second run in heavy snowfall.
Leejun Kweon was second and JoonSik Lee third.
Zephyr Lovelock (13) was the best of the New Zealanders.
Minju Lee was delighted by her win in women’s snowboard, albeit only against one other competitor.
Nayoon Lee was second.