FREESKI HALFPIPE
Where: Cardrona Alpine Resort.
When: Friday, August 16 (qualifying) and Saturday, August 17 (finals).
How it works: The competition takes place in a half cylinder-shaped course dug deep into the hill. Skiers gain speed on the slope, then launch into spectacular aerial tricks. They are judged on execution, difficulty and variety.
Ones to watch: Gus Kenworthy (US) is the big attraction in the men's competition. The world No 1 is young, ambitious and fearless, and has a signature trick called the ''double cork 1620 blunt grab'', which you just know will be impressive. But he will have to watch his back - local heroes Jossi and Byron Wells would love nothing more than to claim a medal on home turf, er, snow. Byron is the big improver but Jossi is ranked No 2 (overall) in the world and is capable of anything on his day. The women's competition should be dominated by Maddie Bowman (US), the world No 1 and Winter X Games silver medallist. The top-ranked Kiwi is Janina Kuzma.
FREESKI SLOPESTYLE
Where: Cardrona Alpine Resort.
When: Friday, August 23 (qualifying) and Sunday, August 25 (finals).
How it works: Competitors perform tricks while descending the course and moving around, over, across or down terrain features. The course is full of obstacles of varying technical difficulty, including boxes, rails, jumps and jibs. Like the halfpipe, freeski slopestyle makes its debut at the Winter Olympics next year.
Ones to watch: Nick Goepper (US) is ranked No 1 in the world at the tender age of 19. The X Games gold medallist won bronze at the 2011 Winter Games. Look for world No 2 Russ Henshaw (Australia) and Jossi Wells to keep him honest. The big draws in the women's competition are world No 1 (overall) Tiril Sjastad Christiansen, of Norway, and world No 3 (slopestyle) Dara Howell, of Canada. New Zealand's big hope is Anna Wilcox, ranked No 12 in the world for slopestyle.
SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE
Where: Cardrona Alpine Resort.
When: Thursday, August 22 (qualifying) and Saturday, August 24 (finals).
How it works: Just like the freeski halfpipe except on a snowboard.
Ones to watch: This should be one of the most popular Winter Games events, thanks to the presence of a star. Well, a superstar. Or a super-duper star. Shaun White, nicknamed the Flying Tomato for his red hair, is as big as it gets in winter sports. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and has won more X Games medals than anybody else. Get out and watch him if you can. Others in a loaded field include world No 1 Taku Hiaoka (Japan), Olympic silver medallist Peetu Piiroinen (Finland) and Olympic bronze medallist Scott Lago (US). But there's more. The women's halfpipe includes not one but two Olympic gold medallists, the brilliant Kelly Clark (US) and the outstanding Torah Bright (Australia).
SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE
Where: Cardrona Alpine Resort.
When: Sunday, August 18 (qualifying) and Monday, August 19 (finals).
How it works: Just like the freeski slopestyle, except on a snowboard.
Ones to watch: Kjersti Buaas (Norway) is the world cup champion. Chasing her all the way will be New Zealand's Rebecca Torr, Stefi Luxton and Shelley Gotlieb, all of whom finished in the top 11 in the 2013 world cup series. The leading men's contenders are world No 1 Roope Tonteri (Finland) and world cup champion Yuuki Kadono (Japan).
ALPINE SKIING
Where: Coronet Peak, Queenstown.
When: Sunday, August 18 (men's giant slalom), Tuesday, August 20 (women's giant slalom), Wednesday, August 21 (slalom), Thursday, August 22 (IPC slalom) and Friday, August 23 (IPC slalom).
How it works: There is the slalom (swish down the slope, in and out of flagged gates) and the giant slalom (the same, but on a bigger scale).
Ones to watch: These guys are notorious for entering at the last minute but keep an eye out for Felix Neureuther (Germany), ranked No 2 in the word in slalom and No 6 in giant slalom. Bode Miller and Ted Ligety are both in the region training and organisers hope the classy American pair will enter the event. Of the New Zealanders, Ben Griffen and Adam Barwood (men) and Piera Hudson (women) are the leading contenders. In the IPC adaptive slalom, the cheers will be loud for Otago's Adam Hall, the Paralympic gold medallist.
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
Where: Snow Farm, Wanaka.
When: Thursday, August 15.
How it works: In simple terms, it's walking on snow. But there is nothing simple about this gruelling discipline. The opening Winter Games event is a sprint race, which begins with individual time trials. The fastest 16 skiers will progress to elimination rounds, and four will make the final.
Ones to watch: The biggest names are Justyna Kowalczyk (Poland), the Olympic women's gold medallist, and Nikita Kriukov (Russia), the Olympic men's gold medallist. Andrew Newell (US) should feature in the men's race. New Zealand fans can follow Sarah Murphy and Andrew Pohl.
CURLING
Where: Maniototo International Curling Rink, Naseby.
When: Saturday, August 17 to Friday, August 23.
How it works: Round-robin play in men's fours and mixed pairs. Semifinals (8am for men's fours and 12.30pm for mixed pairs) and both finals (3.30pm) on August 23. Closing ceremony and medal presentation at 7pm.
Ones to watch: China, which has qualified for the 2014 Olympic Games, is the team to beat in the men's fours. The silver and bronze medals will be disputed between the New Zealand team of Peter de Boer, Sean Becker, Scott Becker and Kenny Thomson, Japan and Korea. These teams will be contesting the Olympic qualifying tournament in Germany in December, to fill the final two spots at the Olympic Games. The Australian team, skipped by veteran Hugh Millikin, reached the semifinals of the Asia-Pacific championships in Naseby last year and could be the dark horse. Two New Zealand teams will be in contention to win the mixed pairs competition. Sean and Bridget Becker won the silver medal at the world championships in 2010, and Hans Frauenlob and Natalie Campbell were fifth in this year's event. The English team, skipped by the experienced Ben Fowler, could cause an upset.
