Matt Johnson, an 18-year-old freeskier from Queenstown has been skiing at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables since the age of three and is stoked to be included in the Parklife lineup.
"With Parklife I get to ride with an awesome bunch of other skiers and boarders as well as the chance to enter some super fun competitions, such as the Export 33 Parklife Invitational in town."
"I'm really excited about the Winter Games too because a lot of pros will be coming over and it will be really cool to put myself against them and see where I'm at," he said.
Ross Lawrence, Ski Area Manager, said he was pleased to welcome Matt to the Parklife Rider Team.
"Matt is a great local guy who is dedicated to his sport and we are glad to have the opportunity to support him," he said. "The Remarkables is proud to sponsor the Parklife team as a group of athletes who have the ability to achieve podium finishes in their chosen sports."
"Whether the athletes are competing at home or away, we believe Parklife reflects the commitment The Remarkables has to freestyle skiing and snowboarding."
"Parklife is a very supportive environment and not focused just on competition. It's about local freestylers having fun together in our parks. The events are great because they welcome skiers and riders of all levels and they offer the Parklife team riders a chance to demonstrate their skills." said Mr Lawrence.
Several events throughout the season offer a great combination of competition and fun. Coming up over the next few weeks are the Parklife Invitational (August 7) and Tararua Real Iced Coffee (TRIC) Slopestyle Series (Event #1 July 26y).
Mr Lawrence said Parklife was important to provide for the younger freestylers as well and the recent K2 Parklife Mini Shred (held July 18), attracting 54 competitors all under 16, was a great example of this.
"This event is sometimes the first step in competition for the younger competitors, and there's a great supportive vibe in the park which is great for the under 12's who really aspire to do what the under-16s are doing, who in turn look up to the 18 year olds."
Matt Johnson will be spending the NZ summer in Keystone, USA, and plans to enter the Aspen Open, however he said he always finds himself back at The Remarkables each year.
"I love to ski at The Remarks because the people are friendly, it's always super fun and if it's a powder day then there are endless amounts of cliffs and lines to ski. The Remarks has one of the most epic terrain parks in the country, and it's great to be part of Parklife to get that message out there at competitions," he said.
The 2009 full Parklife team lineup is Nick Hyne, Mark Anderson, Heath Patterson, Matt Soundy, Matt Johnson, Jamin Beattie and Ella Spittle.
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