Queenstown's Alice Robinson has been crowned the New Zealand giant slalom national champion for the second consecutive year at Coronet Peak.
Fifteen nations were represented in the event overall, including the overall FIS race podium and the NZ giant slalom national championship title.
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The giant slalom course differed slightly from previous years, with the athletes starting at the top of the Coronet Express on the M1, before taking a big left hand bend and rolling over into the formidable Hurdle, widely recognised as one of the steepest GS slopes in the Southern Hemisphere.
Robinson, in bib 11, attacked the challenging course and lead run one by -0.67 seconds. As the fastest first run athlete, Robinson was the final athlete to push out the start for run two. She made quick work of solidifying her lead and took the win by -1.42 in the overall FIS race and -1.43 in the NZ giant slalom national championships race.
Robinson, 22, explained it was a special way to get her season underway.
“It’s good to be able to race here [at Coronet Peak] and take the national champs title, it’s always really special and a nice way to start my season off. It’s great to be able to compete at home and it’s great for the younger kids to be able to watch a race like this in person too.”
Piera Hudson, 28, had an excellent race and notably a blistering second run, finishing third overall, just one hundredth of a second behind second-placed finisher Janine Maechler of Switzerland.
Hudson’s result also secured her a second place finish in the NZ giant slalom national championships.
Nelson 18-year-old Ruby Fullerton rounded out the NZ giant slalom women’s podium in third, a fantastic achievement for the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games athlete.