The Otago Daily Times counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 64: Jossi rules the world (2010)
When Wanaka's Jossi Wells was crowned the best freeskier in the world in April last year, he didn't walk off the slopes to a glitzy medal ceremony.
News of his No1 ranking came in a more modern fashion - via a text message.
It seemed strange to many, with some questioning the legitimacy of a sport that lets its premier competitor know he has won with a message along the lines of, "Dude, yr da champ".
But Wells, part of a frighteningly talented and daring family on skis, didn't seem to mind how he found out he was a world champion.
"It feels pretty amazing. It was pretty cool to get that text," he told Freeskier magazine.
"Definitely put a smile on my face, that's for sure."
Wells was just 19 when he was named the best in the world on the Association of Freeskiing Professionals' 2009-10 rankings.
He showed his versatility, earning enough points in three disciplines - slopestyle, halfpipe and big air - to secure the No1 spot with two events remaining.
Tournaments on the circuit are given ranking points, and Wells dominated the northern winter with seven top-10 performances on the Winter Dew Tour. He also won silver at the inaugural Winter Games, won the Austrian Open and was fourth in the big air at the Winter X Games.
Wells finished the season ranked No1 in halfpipe, fifth in slopestyle and 11th in big air.
Also in 2010, he won a silver medal in the superpipe at the X Games in Aspen, and a bronze at the European X Games.
Wells remains an under-the-radar figure, at least outside the winter sports community.
But his sport, freeskiing, can no longer be considered a novelty. It has been accepted into the Winter Olympic programme, and Wells is a genuine prospect for a medal in Sochi in 2014.
