Wānaka athletes feature among the nominees for the 2024 Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards Night, announced on Thursday (September 26) by Snow Sports NZ. 

The celebration - presented by Sidekick - will be held on Friday October 11 at Coronet Peak.

Four local skiers have been nominated for the Freeskier of the Year: Finley Melville Ives, Luca Harrington, Luke Harrold, and Nico Porteous. The fifth nominee is Ruby Star Andrews of Queenstown.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Rocco Jamieson of Wānaka have been nominated for Snowboarder of the Year along with Tiarn Collins of Queenstown.

Ben Richards and Finn Bilous of Wānaka have been nominated for Freerider of the Year, as well as Fynn Powell of Taupō and Jessie Violet of Wellington.

Campbell Melville Ives and Rocco Jamieson of Wānaka and Luke Harrold of Lake Hāwea have been nominated for the Breakthrough Season category, with Brooke Hansen of Queenstown.

Nominees for Coach of the Year include Daniel Bogue, Hamish McDougall and Mitch Brown of Wānaka, along with Nils Coberger and Tim Cafe of Queenstown.

And Thomas Hart of Cardrona/Treble Cone has been nominated for Instructor of the Year, joining Corina Tweedie (Pure Turoa), Frank Wylie (Coronet Peak), Gabriella Cumming (Whakapapa), and Kain McWaters (The Remarkables).

The Masters of the Year, Alpine Ski Racer of the Year and the Adaptive Athlete of the Year will be announced on the night, along with the Snow Sports New Zealand Overall Athlete of the Year. 

The awards encompass a 12-month timeframe, which includes the 2023/24 Northern Hemisphere winter season and the 2024 New Zealand winter season.

Snow Sports NZ said the organisation is looking forward to celebrating the achievements of Kiwi athletes with our snow sports community next month. Tickets are available on the Snow Sports NZ website. 

PHOTO: Supplied