Although most FIS World Cup Tours won't kick off for several more months on European glaciers, the 2024/25 FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe season gets underway later this week before the end of August.
Men's qualifiers will get the ball rolling at the Cardrona slopestyle World Cup in New Zealand on Friday, 30 August. With women's qualifications and men's semifinals set to go down on Saturday, 31 August, and finals for both the women and men slated for Sunday, 01 September.
This weekend's competition marks the first time FIS Snowboard has been on the scene for World Cup competition in New Zealand since the pre-pandemic 2019/20 season.
Preliminary entries major international names including Eileen Gu (CHN), Alex Ferreira (USA), Marcus Kleveland (NOR) and Dusty Henricksen (USA) as well as local talent including Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Nico Porteous, Luke Harrold and Lucia Georgalli of New Zealand.
The Cardrona Parks crew have been busy building the Winter Games NZ courses, including Australasia's only full-length World Cup halfpipe.
"It's incredibly exciting to be back into the swing of major events at Cardrona, and welcoming some of the world's best back to our little corner of the world," says Cardrona and Treble Cone GM, Laura Hedley.
The current forecast is for one of the snowiest periods of the season to date in New Zealand going into the weekend.