The queens and kings on snow will again be honoured at the annual Snow Sports NZ awards next month.
The awards, to be held at Coronet Peak on October 11, cover the 2023-24 northern hemisphere winter season and the 2024 New Zealand winter season.
New Zealand’s two reigning Winter Olympic gold medallists are finalists in their respective categories.
Nico Porteous is up for freeskier of the year but will have to contend with Otago rivals Finley Melville Ives, Luca Harrington, Luke Harrold and Ruby Star Andrews (Queenstown).
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is one of three finalists for the snowboarder of the year award, joining rising star Rocco Jamieson and Tiarn Collins.
Freerider of the year nominees are Ben Richards, Finn Bilous, Fynn Powell and Jessie Violet, while Jamieson, Harrold, Campbell Melville Ives and Brooke Hansen are nominated for breakthrough athlete of the year.
Three Wanaka men — Daniel Bogue, Hamish McDougall and Mitch Brown — join Nils Coberger and Tim Cafe (Queenstown) in the coach of the year category.
There are no listed finalists for the alpine ski racer of the year award, so it can be reasonably safely assumed that honour is destined for world-class Queenstown skier Alice Robinson.
Awards for masters athlete, adaptive athlete and instructor of the year will also be announced on the night.
The awards will end with the prize for overall athlete of the year.
