Queenstown is New Zealand’s ultimate adventure capital, especially in the colder months when the mountains turn white and talented athletes from around the globe come out to shred the slopes. The North Face Frontier is a highlight within the Winter Games New Zealand calender and one worth marking in and checking out.
The Freeride event takes place at The Remarkables, the picturesque mountains with some seriously epic terrain for the competitors to tackle. The frontier consists of two freeride world tour qualifier events. The aim of the game is for each skier and snowboarder to give their best ride from the top to the bottom of the natural mountain face with as much speed and style as possible.
Utilising the natural features of the slope, the competitors will perform their best and most jaw-dropping tricks off rock faces and cornices throughout their ride. While they may make it look easy, the ungroomed snow is no easy feat, it takes a high level of skill to navigate with the same fluidity and ease of groomed snow. The Frontier attracts top level competitors from all over the globe, hoping to gain valuable points that will then launch them into qualifying for the Freeride World Tour.
The North Face Frontier 2* will be held in the Shadow Basin on 1 September and the highest performing athletes will then be invited to the 4* on 6 September. Watching the competitors launch off the top of the slope and down into the depths of the terrain is a goose bumps inducing experience and something you won’t see all too often. Expect to be in complete awe of the adrenaline junkies shredding up the mountain—you might even find yourself catching the bug.
THE DEETS:
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Image Credit: Ross Mackay