Robinson and Feasey crowned NZ GS champions
Queenstown's Alice Robinson and Willis Feasey were crowned New Zealand Giant Slalom National Champions at Coronet Peak on Sunday.
Robinson, 21, held a convincing lead over her Kiwi competitors from the start of her first run, with her World Cup experience shining through as she charged down the course at her home mountain.
"It’s really nice to be racing at my home mountain Coronet Peak," she says. "It’s still very early in the season for me, but it is great to be back in the bib. It’s awesome to claim the NZ National GS Championship title for the third time in my career and it was great to race with the other Kiwi women today."
Ruby Fullerton (Nelson, 17) and Zoe Parr (New Plymouth, 16) were second and third respectively.
Twizel-born Feasey, 30, added the 2023 NZ Giant Slalom National title to his lengthy list of achievements, including the 2023 NZ Slalom National Champion from earlier in the week.
"I’m feeling pretty happy to have taken the win today," he says. "I had a bit of a scrappy second run, but luckily I had done enough in the first run to take the top spot.”
Will Cashmore (Auckland, 22) was second, just +0.11 seconds behind, with Sam Hadley (Queenstown, 19) in third.
"Will smashed me on that second run, it’s just as well I had a good lead from run one," Feasey says. "It’s awesome to see Will skiing fast and to see the strength of the younger guys coming up.”
Willis Feasey on his winning run
The course was set on The Hurdle slope, with the steep, rolling terrain making for a fast and challenging course. The race included world class athletes from over 10 nations and overall race podiums, as well as NZ National Championship podiums, were awarded.
The action wraps up the 2023 New Zealand Alpine National Championships after two fantastic days of racing at New Zealand’s home of Alpine Ski Racing, Coronet Peak.
