‘Unfinished business’ for Kiwi after win
Ohakune skier Jess Hotter sits top of the freeride world tour after a gutsy performance to win the penultimate event in Austria.
The 28-year-old claimed the win on the demanding Wildseeloder course in Fieberbrunn yesterday. She put in her winning performance on the opening run before crashing on her second run.
The victory means Hotter has grown her lead on the season rankings to 7380 points heading into the final event in Switzerland from March 26 to April 3.
It continues the remarkable run of results for Snow Sports NZ on the back of their groundbreaking Winter Olympics.
‘‘I took a really heavy crash on my second run, but luckily my first run was good enough to win the event. I’m stoked for the win, but I still have unfinished business on the Wildseeloder and am already looking forward to coming back next year,’’ Hotter said.
She was the second skier of the day to drop into the steep and rocky course, with the two-run format requiring a very early start, and the snow was a challenging mix of sugar and ice.
But that didn’t cause Hotter to hold back, as she delivered an opening run with huge drops and technical skiing.
Her score of 88.67 put her in the top spot and that held firm. It was her third podium of the 2022 tour.
It was just as well because on her second run she suffered a backseat landing off a big cliff. The heavy fall launched Hotter head over heels down the steep face. She was quick to get up and wave to the camera, showing she was OK.
Finn Bilous, a Kiwi Beijing 2022 big air and slopestyle athlete, was invited to Fieberbrunn as a wildcard and finished sixth in the men’s event.
James Hampton, the third Kiwi competing, crashed heavily on his opening run and didn’t contest his second run.