Wells Freeski Success Continues

PRESS RELEASE – 28/3/06

Wells Freeski Success Continues

New Zealand’s top freestyle skier, 15 year-old Jossi Wells of Wanaka, has once again given the world’s leading professional skiers a run for their money, this time at the Orage European Freeski Open in Laax, Switzerland.

Following a spectacular performance that earned him the highest qualifying run of the Open halfpipe competition, Wells finally placed seventh overall, beating the likes of X Games champions Charlies Gagnier (CAN) and TJ Schiller (CAN) as well as top French skier Loic Columb-Patton. This result also earned him first place in the junior competition.

“I’m so stoked to do so well,” he said. “I skied probably the best I’ve ever skied. I managed to get heaps of amplitude out of the pipe and can now pull off a clean 1080 in competition.” (A 1080 is when a skier does three full 360-degree spins, landing backwards.)

The competition was won French skier, Candide Thovex, who at just 23 is a world-renowned freestyle legend and X Games champion. This week, Wells travels to France to take part in Thovex’s Invitational at La Clusaz. Now in its fourth year, the invitation-only event features the world’s top free skiers as they compete to go bigger and higher than ever before on the giant slopestyle course.

Meanwhile, younger brother Byron (13) has been dominating the Vermont Open in the USA, winning both the junior halfpipe and junior quarterpipe and coming fourth in the slopestyle. Byron now heads to Whistler, Canada to race for New Zealand in the Whistler Cup.

ENDS

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