Located in the Kapoko Park, running parallel to the internationally acclaimed Afriski Mountain Resort's snow slope, Quiksnow tested top South African and international freestyle snowboarders and skiers with intimidating rails, boxes, kickers and 'big air' jumps. Although the challenging course lends itself to an entertaining event, competitors did not disappoint with huge air and gnarly tricks wowing the captivated crowds.
Head judge, Iztok Summatic, was thoroughly impressed with the calibre of this year's athletic performances: "The competitors at this year's Quiksnow seriously brought the heat. We saw some epic air tricks and maneuovers which provided some rad entertainment for the crowds that joined us over the weekend. A big thanks to all competitors and sponsors for making this event possible."
This year's Men's Pro division and Junior Boy's division was won by Hillcrest-based Luke Dutton with his crispy flair winning him both titles this year while Dean Stephenson took home the Amateur Men's crown.
The Women's Open division was won by the favourite, Marta Jeckot, while 14-year-old, Abi O'Donnel impressed the judges with skills far beyond her age earning her the top spot in the Junior Girl's division.
This year also saw the inclusion of the Nixon Winner Takes All competition which saw South African skier, Bradley Stephenson, with his boned out maneuver, take home the R11,000 watch. The freestyle skiing competition also drew in a lot of action. With an impressive mix of both South African and international skiers, 14-year-old USA skier, Alex Hall, beat out the tough competition to claim first place.
This year saw a new dimension of entertainment added to the mix with Jack Parrow and Durban-based band, City Bowl Mizers, keeping competitors and spectators alike gathering in the in the Gondola Café and rocking out until all hours of the morning.
Quiksilver marketing manager, Dane Patterson, was extremely impressed with the event: "As always, Afriski has put on an awesome competition. We couldn't have asked for a better final Quiksnow."
Quiksnow SA National Snowboard Champs is proudly sponsored by Quiksilver and is hosted by Afriski in association with SnowSports SA, the winter sports federation responsible for competitive snowboarding in South Africa. Other sponsors include Red Bull, Skullcandy and Nixon.
For more information, go to www.afriski.net.
