- Sports Info
Format and Scoring
Winter Games NZ is the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest snow sports event. Traditionally it welcomes the world’s best skiers and snowboarders to compete in the opening of the FIS Park and Pipe World Cup season and The North Face Frontier, a Freeride World Qualifying Tour 4* & 2* event. In 2020 that couldn’t happen, so rather than let the event lapse Winter Games NZ ran Obsidian.
Obsidian
Obsidian was an epic new mixed Team Challenge event for the Winter Games NZ 2020, set across New Zealand’s Southern Alps. 21 of New Zealand’s best freeski and snowboard athletes pitted against each other in five challenges over a ten-day weather window between the 10th and 20th of August 2020.
Each 9-person team comprised a mix of 7 elite snow sport athletes and 2 world class videographers. Male and female, ski and snowboard, freeride and park athletes and was be led by a Team Captain.
From conception to reality the Obsidian has been an athlete focused, sport and content driven event with Olympic medalists, Freeride World Tour winners and film orientated athletes at the top of their game involved throughout the journey.
There was a thrilling Freeride event in a breath-taking backcountry venue, two progressive Park events (Park Jam and Big Air) to showcase the immense style and skill of New Zealand ski and snowboard talent. These three events were scored by an expert panel in each of the sporting disciplines, while the fourth and fifth challenges will be very different.
The Mountain Shred challenge saw all three teams sent to separate ski resorts for a one-day shred where they built and sessioned a line that can feature natural, man-made or enhanced natural features. The teams were scored on their style, creativity and sport from their video edit of the day.
The fifth challenge was the videographers edit and this was where each teams embedded videographers shone. The videographers captured the action as it unfolded on and off the mountain from their team’s perspective. This allowed them to bring their creative talents to the fore with the Videographers overall competition, which formed part of the overall event scoring.
Finally, to really spice up the sporting action, we have incorporated the Obsidian ‘joker’ card. Each team received a Joker card and they had to nominate which of the four ‘sporting’ events they play it on. This card gave the team double points for the event they play their Joker card on, so it is up to the team to determine which event they think will be their strongest.
The final Obsidian Team edits were premiered in Wanaka at the end of August to the athletes and supporting the local snow industry and our region. But you can watch them on our YouTube channel here.
Our Five Challenge Format!
Each 7 person team will comprise of a mix of male and female, ski and snowboard, freeride and park athletes who will be led by a Team Captain. All athletes are elite level; FWT winners, Olympic medallists and film orientated athletes at the top of their game.
Each team will also have a dedicated videography team joining them through out the ten days, capturing content and creating two edits which contribute to the overall score of their team. Our videographers are locally based and world-class.
Each team of athletes and videographers will complete five challenges across the 10 day weather window between the 10th and 20th of August 2020. The following five challenges, equally weighted at 20% each of the final score, determine which team is our 2020 Obsidian Champion. The five challenges are:
Freeride – A classic freeride competition format and judging based on the North Face Frontier event usually held during Winter Games NZ. The venue will be heli accessed and the terrain is epic!
Park Jam – A jam format in a custom built rail garden at Cardrona in lower Stag Lane with judges eliminating the lowest placed athletes until a winner is found.
Big Air – A jam format on the last jump in the Cardrona’s Big Bucks park. Athletes will compete against each other until one athlete is left victorious.
Mountain Shred – Each team will be allocated a different local resort, where they will shred the mountain and session a line of their choice involving natural and enhanced features on the mountain. Their videographers will create an edit from which they will be judged, 50% by the sports panel on the riding and execution and 50% by the media panel on the creativity and quality of the edit. The Mountain Shred venues are:
• Treble Cone
• Coronet Peak
• The Remarkables
Videography Edit – Each team’s dedicated videography team will create an overall edit showcasing their team at Obsidian. The edit must be filmed within the 10 day weather window and all riding action must be captured on the day of the particular event. This edit will be 100% judged by the Media Panel.
Follow us on our Social channels for highlights of each day, the latest results and when our Big Air and Park Jam will be held at Cardrona so you can come on up and get amongst the action!
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