Winter Games 2022  at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cadrona Alpine Ski Resort

Check out Alpine Ski Racing (both speed and tech events) on Coronet Peak, Freeride World Qualifiers at the Remarkables Ski Field, and Park & Pipe and Slopestyle & Halfpipe at Cardrona Alpine Ski Resort in August this year

Queenstown, New Zealand is the perfect destination for an action-packed winter weekend or a longer holiday, and staying with us at Spinnaker Bay Apartments makes your trip down south comfortable and stress-free. With its ski fields, natural sights and adrenaline-pumping activities, it has an adventure for everyone. So #ComeStay&Play with us in one of our winterised lakeside apartments at Spinnaker Bay this winter and enjoy two exceptional ski fields within a stone's throw from your accommodation.

This year in August and September 20222, Queenstown and Wanaka Ski Fields in New Zealand will again host the Southern Hemisphere's largest snow sports event in 2022! Winter Games NZ will take place in Queenstown and Wanaka from 27 August to 11 September. New Zealand's best snow athletes, will be joined by leading world athletes for two weeks of competition and invitational events.

Winter Games NZ 2022 features a number of competitions, including Alpine (both speed and tech events), Slopestyle & Halfpipe, Freeride World Qualifiers, and Park & Pipe events.

Read on to find out about these impressive and free-to-watch events!

Alpine - ANC’s 

22 - 29th August 2022 Coronet Peak, Queenstown

• Slalom (SL) - 22nd & 23rd September

• Super G (SG) - 27th September

• Giant Slalom (GS) - 28th & 29th September

Starting with SL, competitors will gain a combined time after two runs on the same course, although with different sets each time. SL features the tightest turning radiuses over more condensed courses and with ‘taller single pole gates’, requiring speed and rhythm. It’s fast and fun and easy to watch from the bottom of the T-Bar at Coronet Peak.

GS, or Giant Slalom, is considered the most skilful of the alpine disciplines requiring an enormous amount of strength, control, skill and ability. Athletes ski through 56–70 (for men) and 46–58 (for women) alternating blue and red panelled gates, where the speed and applied turning forces are much higher than SL. Again, the athletes compete to have the lowest combined times of the two combined runs.

The alpine Super-G event at the 2022 Winter Games NZ on Coronet Peak, New Zealand is all about speed! Starting at the top of the M1 and finishing down by Hiedes Hut, the athletes must ski a course marked by double-panelled gates, with a radius set of between 15m and 28m. It's less technical but faster and the athletes only get one chance to get it right!

FIS ANC Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle

2-3 September - Cardrona Alpine Resort

The Cardrona Slopestyle event attracts the highest levels of international competitors who showcase their phenomenal technical and aerial skills with two runs down a course filled with obstacles, jumps and rails while executing difficult spins & flips. Points are awarded against six criteria: amplitude, trick difficulty, execution, variation, style, and combination. Qualification runs are completed on the 2nd of September and the finals will run on the 3rd of September. Watching both snowboarding and skiing Slopestyle is scary fun and often heart-stopping. The Winter Games Slopestyle traditionally hosts many future Olympians and world champions which makes for spectacular viewing. And Cardrona Alpine Resort in the Cardrona Valley, New Zealand is only an hours drive from Spinnaker Bay Apartments in Queenstown NZ - so an easy commute for a great day out.

Freeride

3rd & 4th September - The Remarkables Ski Area

• 3rd September: The North Face Frontier FWQ 2* 

• 4th September: The North Face Frontier FWQ 4*

The North Face Frontier is a series of two competitions that make up the freeride section of the Winter Games NZ. Freeride involves skiers and snowboarding picking a path down an untouched off-piste mountain face, scoring points for line choice, fluidity, technique, control, and tricks, which they do on natural features such as rocky cliffs and wind-lips.

The 2* event will consist mainly of Kiwis who are hungry to score a spot in the more prestigious 4* event, but there will be competitors from all over the world vying for a chance to showcase their skills.

This event takes place in Shadow Basin at The Remarkables. There are always great tricks to watch, with loud music and good vibes as the riders encourage each other to push themselves. Pack a picnic and catch the action!

The following day, The North Face Frontier 4* event takes place. It is the first competition of the 2023 Northern Hemisphere season, and only the top 10-25 riders from each category can compete. Athletes hale from all 4 corners of the globe, and they must pick fast, technical, and exposed lines between the cliff faces of the Alta Chutes. It's a tough competition, and only the best riders can win.

This event is a crucial stepping-stone for many top Kiwi freeriders on the Freeride World Tour and gives our young athletes a chance to shine on home turf. It's super fun and exciting event to watch which draws vocal crowds. Both of these days a free to watch and easy to access from lifts so stop by and enjoy the show!

Park and Pipe

4, 10th & 11th September - Cardrona Alpine Resort

FIS ANC Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe Finals 

4th September

Watch the world's best winter athletes as they soar through the air and perform amazing tricks in Cardrona's 22-foot halfpipe. Skiers and snowboarders will have two runs, with five or six tricks combined to achieve scores for progression, variety, amplitude, difficulty, and execution. The halfpipe finals are an impressive must-watch, and it's easily accessible on foot from the Cardrona base building.

STOMP Big Air & Park Jam

10th & 11th September, Cardrona Alpine Ski Resort

Cardrona's big air jump each year hosts an invitational event that some of the world's best cork experts attend. This year, the riding level is expected to be exceptionally high, with the return of international competitors, including Olympic and X Games medalists. The event offers breathtaking views of the Cardrona Valley and features top local names such as Queenstown's Tiarn Collins and Cool Wakushima.

This Park Jam is an invitational rail jam held at Cardrona on a purpose-built rail garden. The world’s best ‘jibbers’ throw down technical, creative and stylish manoeuvres on world-class features combining snow and metal to show us their most creative riding.

The Winter Games NZ events are easy to access and free to watch. So get into the mountains to enjoy the showcase of young Snowsports talent and cheer on the next generation of alpine, freeride and freestyle skiing. See you up there!

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