Rocco Jamieson (18) won the first stop of the 2024 FIS Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Snowboard Slopestyle series at the Remarkables Ski Area yesterday (Saturday, August 17). 

Rocco put down two solid runs, standing out from the rest of the field with his progressive jump and rail tricks to take the win with a score of 88.67, six points clear of second place.

“It feels really amazing to take the win here … at home in New Zealand, it feels really nice,” Rocco said.

“I tried to do creative tricks that no one else was doing, I did a double sloth roll pullback which I don’t think anyone else did, I wanted to add a little of my own flavour to the run.”

Wenlong Yang (China) finished second and Oliver Martin (USA) rounded out the men’s snowboard podium in third.

Wānaka freeskier Finley Melville Ives (18) secured a podium finish, taking second place in the men’s freeski category.

Finley put down the single most technical trick of the men’s freeski competition, a double corked 1260 mute grab, and was pleased to take home the silver medal in what he described as a very competitive field.

Kai Martin (Australia) took the win with a technically sound run that was very well executed and Ruka Ito (Japan) finished in third.

The event saw 95 athletes from eleven countries competing in the first Slopestyle Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) event of the 2024 season, with the points counting towards the overall ANC series. 

The Kiwi or Australian winner of the series will be granted a personal FIS World Cup start for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere season, a hugely valuable opportunity for those athletes with their eyes set on the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The next stop for the 2024 ANC series will be a premium-level event, with additional points up for grabs, as part of the 2024 Winter Games NZ programme. The snowboarders will compete in the first ANC halfpipe event of the season, with the freeskiers taking on the slopestyle course from August 26 at Cardrona Alpine Resort.