New Zealand ski star: Jossi Wells
Classed as the world’s best freeskier, at just 19 New Zealander Jossi Wells has already jumped off more mountains and stood on more podiums than most other sportsmen of his age.
Born in Wanaka, in the heart of New Zealand’s premium snow sports territory in the Southern Alps, Wells has never been far from the ski slopes.
At the age of two, when most kids can barely climb a tree, Jossi Wells was already learning how to ski. He first came to notice at the age of nine, and has since become the toast of the international freeskiing fraternity.
Renowned for versatility, Wells excells in slopestyle, halfpipe and big air disciplines, and shares his world-class expertise with younger brother Byron, also rated among the world’s top freeskiers.
World Heli Challenge
Jossi Wells first showed his exceptional skills when - at the tender age of nine - he was dropped off the top of a mountain by helicopter, skied back to the bottom, and wowed the judges at the New Zealand Rip Curl Heli Challenge.
By age 16, Jossi’s early dedication had won the 2006 NZ Snow Sports Person of the Year, a great achievement considering that there were Olympians in the running.
By 2007, Wells was competing internationally and was the youngest skier at the 2008 Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado - and the first New Zealander to win silver at the games.
As well as podiums for nearly all the major events at the X-Games, the young Kiwi also won the European Open Superpipe against the strongest field ever registered.
Jossi Wells was named New Zealand Athlete of the Year in 2008, and again in 2010. From 2005 to 2011, with the exception of 2010, Wells has been Otago Junior Sports Person of the Year.
Wanaka ski ace
By the age of 19, the young ski ace from Wanaka was winning almost every event he entered, notching up half-pipe, slope-style and open titles.
In February 2010, Wells claimed freeskiing’s most coveted trophy, the Dew Cup, during the final of the Dew Tour in Vermont.
He capped that off by winning the 2010 Overall World Championship of the Association of Freeskiing Professionals - the best freeskier in the world.
Best in the World
At the time, his parents said Jossi’s long term goal had always been to be the best in the world.
His accomplishment was made even more special because he had achieved it despite knee problems that had affected his performance.
While many of the world's best freeskiers specialise in one of the three disciplines, critics say Wells’ overall skiing ability shines through and his versatility gives him a major advantage.
Wells’ impressive career has not been without some uphill battles. Aside from knee issues, he has been hampered by injuries suffered in action.
He was forced to sit out the entire 2010 southern hemisphere season with a broken ankle, then had a late start in the northern hemisphere competitions but still managed to retain a fourth place overall world ranking at the end of the 2010/11 season.
Pure Winter Games
Since training on a glacier in Whistler, Canada during June 2011, Wells has headed back to New Zealand for the southern hemisphere winter and to compete in the 100% Pure Winter Games and New Zealand Freeski Open.
The local boy will prove a popular draw-card, along with his brother Byron. Both are well-known figures in the extreme snow scene.
Jossi Wells has a large following on social networks with more than 10,500 likes on his Facebook page [as of July 2011] and 5,720 followers on twitter.
In the words of his mother Stacey, Jossi Wells "is living the dream".
Background: 100% Pure New Zealand Games
The second edition of the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games takes place from 12- 28 August, 2011.
The Winter Games will feature 22 snow and ice sports over 38 events, and involving 1,000 elite athletes from 50 nations.
The 16-day winter sports event also includes a full Downtown Sessions festival programme featuring films, live music and entertainment and rail jam extravaganzas in Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, Dunedin and Methven.
The on-snow competition will take place at Coronet Peak, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Park NZ, Snow Farm and Mt Hutt, with the ice sports taking place at Naseby and Dunedin.
More information
100% Pure New Zealand Games 2011
Winter in New Zealand
New Zealand Events
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