Zoi Sadowski-Synnott named Snow Sports NZ Athlete of the Year

The Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards presented by Racers Edge Wānaka were held tonight with a sold-out attendance of 250 guests. Kiwi snowboarding phenomenon Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (Wānaka, 21) was crowned the Snow Sports NZ overall athlete of the year.  

Snow Sports NZ is pleased to announce the following winners:   

• Instructor of the Year sponsored by New Zealand Snowsports Instructors Alliance – Katharina Mueller 
• Masters Ski Racing Champions sponsored by Aspiring Lifestyle Retirement Village – Bonny Teat & Geoff Hunt 
• Coach of the Year sponsored by Blackwells Mazda – Sean Thompson for Snowboarding (Queenstown) 
• Breakthrough Season sponsored by Salomon – Ben Barclay (Auckland) 
• Freeride Athlete of the Year sponsored by The Remarkables – Jess Hotter (Ohakune) 
• Alpine Ski Racer of the Year sponsored by Coronet Peak – Alice Robinson (Queenstown) 
• Snowboarder of the Year sponsored by Dick Schulze – Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (Wānaka) 
• Freeskier of the Year sponsored by Mons Royale – Nico Porteous (Wānaka) 
• Adaptive Athlete of the Year sponsored by Cardrona Alpine Resort / Treble Cone – Corey Peters (New Plymouth) 
• Snow Sports NZ Overall Athlete of the Year – Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (Wānaka) 

Kiwi athletes had incredible success during the awards period of the 1st of September 2021 – 31st of August 2022.  They have achieved a staggering sixteen gold medals, nine silver medals and six bronze medals at eight pinnacle events, sixteen major events and the Park & Pipe Junior World Championships. 

Snow Sports NZ Overall Athlete of the Year Zoi Sadowski-Synnott had a blinder of a season, claiming eight event podiums, including New Zealand's first ever Winter Olympic gold medal, an Olympic silver medal, two X Games gold medals (Slopestyle and Big Air) and a Dew Tour win.
She took the top spot at the Natural Selection Baldface Stop, third place at the Natural Selection finals in Alaska and a second-place finish at the Mammoth Mountain Slopestyle World Cup. 

Breakthrough Season winner, Ben Barclay had his best season to date, taking second place at the Font Romeu Freeski Slopestyle World Cup, the first World Cup podium result of his career. 

Freeride Athlete of the Year Award Jess Hotter made history when she became the first Kiwi to become a Freeride World Tour World Champion when she won the overall Ski Women's title for 2022. 

Alpine Ski Racer of the Year Alice Robinson made her foray into the high-speed world of Downhill, competing in her first Downhill European Cups in January 2022. She immediately showed the Alpine world that she will be one to watch on the Downhill World Cup circuit in the years to come, finishing on the podium twice in as many days in Race 1 and Race 2 of the FIS European Cup Downhill held in France. 

Nico Porteous, Freeskier of the Year, continued to firmly stamp his name as the number one Freeski Halfpipe competitor on the circuit, successfully defending his X Games title, winning the Mammoth Mountain World Cup and claiming the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Freeski Halfpipe gold medal.

Adaptive Athlete of the Year Corey Peters achieved a career first and long-term goal when he secured the Men's Sitting Downhill gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. He immediately followed up his phenomenal performance with a silver medal in the Super-G the very next day. 

The Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards presented by Racers Edge Wānaka is a fantastic event to celebrate the year that has been and a great way to send off Kiwi athletes as they head away to the Northern Hemisphere.