Snow Sports Awards highlight NZ quality performances
Olympic medallists Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Luca Harrington and Paralympic silver medallist Adam Hall will headline 2026 Snow Sports NZ Awards at Lake Wanaka on October 9.
Sadowski-Synnott leads a strong field of contenders for her fourth Overall Athlete of the Year win.
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The snowboard exponent won silver in both big air and slopestyle competitions, adding to the gold, silver and bronze won at two previous Olympics. She also finished second in slopestyle at the Winter X Games at Aspen.
Freestyle skier Harrington took bronze in the slopestyle event at Milano Cortina and defended his X Games crown in the same discipline, finishing second in big air.
Alpine skier Hall secured New Zealand’s only medal at the Paralympics, with bronze in the standing slalom.
Meanwhile, skier Alice Robinson made history, becoming the first Oceania skier to win a World Cup speed event, one of three victories during the season.
The full list of nominees is:
Instructor of the Year (sponsored by NZSIA) - Stephanie McDonnell (The Remarkables), Thomas Galletly (Porters Alpine Resort), Andrew Swallow (Mt Dobson), Robert Barry (Cardrona & Treble Cone)
Coach of the Year (sponsored by SITE Trampoline) - Aaron Jamieson, Daniel Bogue and Sam Lynch, Hamish McDougall, Sean Thompson, Tim Cafe
Freeskier of the Year (sponsored by Mons Royale) - Ben Barclay, Ben Harrington, Fin Melville-Ives, Luca Harrington, Luke Harrold, Mischa Thomas
Snowboarder of the Year (sponsored by Dick Schulze) - Dane Menzies, Cam Melville-Ives, Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Freeride Athlete of the Year (sponsored by The Remarkables) - Ben Richards, Finn Bilous, Fynn Powell, Hamish Henderson, Jessie Violet, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Adaptive Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Cardrona) - Adam Hall, Corey Peters
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Sidekick Wanaka) - Alaska Speedy, Cooper Breen, Dane Menzies, Hamish Henderson, Lucas Ball, Mischa Thomas
Tickets to the awards ceremony are available through the Snow Sports NZ website.
