White has dominated the Cardrona Alpine Resort halfpipe recently, winning back-to-back event titles, while on a training trip to New Zealand that initially was not meant to include competition.
The 22-year-old veteran of the sport has revolutionised snowboarding in the halfpipe, owning competitions and installing himself as the man to beat at the Winter Olympics in February, where he will defend his 2006 gold medal.
High winds, which forced the delay and restructuring of yesterday's finals, could not blow White off his dominant perch on Tuesday, when he needed only one run to qualify as the competition's top rider, before nailing the World Cup title with his first run in the final yesterday.
Competitors were left playing catch up with the snowboarder they call the "Flying Tomato", for his shock of red hair and aerial prowess.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, the American said he was feeling confident despite the windy conditions.
"Yeah, these winds are really full on, but I know I've definitely got the tricks in the book to win this comp."
White did not disappoint the crowd of spectators, scoring 47.1 and landing his signature ground-breaking 1080 degree "spinning double cork" trick, which he introduced on his way to his first New Zealand Burton Open win, 11 days ago.
"It's kind of being careless. Like reading a book when you stop after a couple of pages and can't recall what you read. You know you read it. It's like one of those feelings where you just kinda flow your way through the run and everything works out. That's kind of the zone I'm in and that's what separates me from others," White said of his commanding form and winning runs in the halfpipe at the FIS World Cup.
Liu's winning effort in the halfpipe was just as enterprising as White's, as she also established an early dominance over the female field, clinching the World Cup with a 44.1 point first run.
The top-ranked FIS snowboarder in the world has based herself in Wanaka, training at the Snow Park for the past two southern hemisphere winters.
Liu's win came at the expense of United States favourite Kelly Clark, who finished second and struggled to handle the gusty conditions as she tried for "big amplitude" through the air.
The result was a one-two reversal for Liu, who finished second to Clark at the NZ Burton Open. The pair look certain to continue their rivalry at the Winter Olympics.
In third place was 2006 Olympic halfpipe silver medallist Gretchen Bleiler, of the United States.
In the men's competition, little known Swiss rider Iouri Podladtchikov managed to tame the tricky winds to card second behind White, while Finland's Malin Markus was third.
New Zealand's hopes, Juliane Bray and Kendall Brown, both of Wanaka, made it through to the finals of the women's competition, after FIS officials cancelled the morning's semifinals because of the high winds.
Bray secured her goal of a top-10 finish, climbing five positions from her 14th place in qualifying, to end the event in ninth.
Brown was unlucky to miss landings in both her runs and finished in 17th place.
