Three Winter X Games medallists, one Crusty Demon rider, and the cream of New Zealand ski and snowboard talent have lined up for the Relentless Cardrona Games this Thursday and Friday.

Paul Thacker and Brett Turcotte both competed in Winter X Games snowmobile disciplines last January in Colorado at the same time that local skier, Jossi Wells, got his silver medal in the ski slopestyle.

Luke Smith, a Crusty Demons motorbike rider, is flying down from Auckland to see if he can extend his record for the longest ever back-flip on snow, a record made at Cardrona last year.

Pro riders Nic Brown, Stef Zeestraten, and Mitch Brown on the snowboard side, and Byron Wells, Lyndon Sheehan and Janina Kuzma on the ski side are expected to push the limits on the new “Monster Big Air”.

To top it off, DJ Sola Rosa aka Andrew Spraggon is coming down from Auckland. “Basically I dig all kinds of music but love to play a mix of hip-hop, funk, reggae, dub, latin, mash-ups, dancehall and everything in-between the gaps. Can’t stand listening to the same genre all night”, says Spraggon.

Freestyle skiing, snowboarding, motorbikes (FMX) and snowmobiling mixed with live music and top athletes make up the Relentless Cardrona Games, the largest snow sports party and event in New Zealand and held at Cardrona Alpine Resort.

This year it takes place under floodlights, at night, on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 July from 6pm. See www.cardronagames.co.nz