Comment
Share
Posted on Wednesday August 4th at 4:58 p.m.
Tweet
Now in it's eighth year, the BNZO, which runs over 5 days and offers a NZ$50,000 prize purse, consists of both Slopestyle and Halfpipe. All comers can battle it through pre-qualifiers and qualifiers running Weds 11th and Thurs 12th August, for the few available spots to compete alongside the elite riders who are seeded directly to the semi-finals stage. The semi-finals and finals of Slopestyle run on Friday 13th and Halfpipe on Saturday 14th August. Official training for the event starts Tuesday 10th August.
The competition has attracted a multitude of top riders, with the confirmed rider's list reading like a who's who of the snowboarding world; Norwegians Tore Holvik, Stale Sandbech, Ulrick Badertscher, current TTR tour leader Gjermund Braaten, and recent US Open Slopestyle champion Mikkel Bang; Canadians Justin Lamoureux, Charles Reid, Mark Sollors and Mark McMorris; Americans Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg, Matts Kulisek, Jack Mitrani and Louie Vito; Japanese rippers Kazuhiro Kokubo, Ryo Aono, Daisuke Murakami and Kohei Kudo; Seppe Smits (BEL), Christian Haller (SUI), Marco Grilc (SLO), Roope Tonteri (FIN), and top New Zealand riders Stef Zeestraten and Jake Koia.
The women's field is looking just as impressive with current TTR tour leader and previous World Champion Enni Rukajärvi from Finland, Norwegians Kjersti Buaas and Lin Haug, Swiss rider and recent US Open Slopestyle champion Sina Candrian, Rana Okada and Yuki Furihata of Japan, Americans Elizabeth Beerman, Spencer O'Brien and defending NZ Open Slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson, two-time Olympic medallist and defending NZ Open Halfpipe champ Kelly Clark (also USA), as well as New Zealand's own powerhouse, Shelly Gotlieb.
"It's great to see such a large field of riders, with so many strong contenders," says NZ event manager Reuben Yoeman. "The high level of talent runs deep, which is sure to make an exciting event, for both the Slopestyle and the Halfpipe".
As in past years, the Burton NZ Open will be webcast live on www.go211.com with live scoring, live chat, email the commentators, and real-time ranking among other features. In addition, the NZO will offer a live scoring service, accessible with any mobile phone or web browser. For iPhone users, a native iPhone app is available on the App Store free of charge.
The Burton NZ Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series and is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour.
For More Information Visit The Burton Open
About the Burton Global Open Series
The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders' needs over the years. With events held in New Zealand, Europe, Canada and the United States, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe. For more information, visit www.opensnowboarding.com.
About the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour
Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour is a non-profit, rider-driven organization with the mission to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, using authenticity, accessibility and innovation as guiding principles. Since its foundation, the Swatch TTR Tour has been developing into the most respected snowboard tour worldwide featuring global grass root and key independent freestyle snowboarding events over a ten-month period from Southern to Northern Hemisphere locations. Events are rated via a 1-through-6Star system, with points allocated accordingly, a 6Star event holds the highest (1000 Swatch TTR points). Any rider participating in these events, from up-and-coming to professional talent, earns ranking points and a position on the Swatch TTR World Ranking List. The top male and female rider at the end of the season are crowned Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion.
About GO211.com
GO211.com is the leading community and video site for action sports created for and by athletes and enthusiasts. It's the place to go for behind-the-scenes videos, blogs, and photos from pro athletes and featured contributors along with other action sports fans. GO211.com is proud to offer a broad range of exclusive content submitted directly from the athletes and is proud to host interactive live webcasts of the top events in surf, skate, snow and bike. The current GO211 Pro Team roster includes: Hannah Teter, Andy Finch, Mimi Knoop, Andy MacDonald, Alise Post, Donny Robinson, Holly Beck, Mikes Losness, among others.
About Cardrona Alpine Resort
Cardrona is located in the Crown Range between Queenstown (57kms/60mins) and Wanaka (34kms/35mins) in the South Island of New Zealand. With consistently good weather and reliable snow conditions Cardrona offers superb terrain suited to all ability levels. Cardrona is renowned for its wide open, undulating terrain that is perfect for beginners and intermediates, whilst the Arcadia and Tulips chutes offer extra challenge for more advanced riders. Cardrona is home to New Zealand's premier terrain parks, with up to three halfpipes, a gravity cross and a range of beginner freestyle features. For more information, visit www.cardrona.com