Wanaka, New Zealand – Snow Sports New Zealand – Alpine (SSNZ) earlier this week announced selections to the 2010-2011 New Zealand Ski Team. Invitations to be a part of the team were sent to 10 men and eight women Alpine athletes who had met the New Zealand Ski Team criteria.nThe New Zealand Men’s Ski Team will be led by 2010 Vancouver Olympians Ben Griffin (Ohakune – Ruapehu Snow Sports) and Tim Cafe (Queenstown – QAST). Griffin is New Zealand’s number one-ranked giant slalom ski racer and is alsothe 2009 New Zealand Super G Champion after his win in Super G at the New Zealand Alpine Nationals. Cafe put in a solid performance over the past season with 19 top ten finishes, and placed 38th in super G at his first Olympic Winter Games. He is New Zealand’s best world FIS ranked super G male skier.

“The progress in their performances and their results demonstrate that both Tim and Ben have strong futures ahead of them,” said SSNZ Alpine Manager James Lazor.

In addition to the two Olympians, a group of young talented athletes also join the team: Adam Barwood (Queenstown – TCRA); Willis Feasey (Twizel, Cardrona HPC); Finlay Neeson ( Taranaki – Ruapehu Snow Sports); Nick Prebble (Christchurch – Team Hutt); Jamie Prebble (Christchurch – Team Hutt); Harrison Steedman (Queenstown – QAST); Leighton Winsloe (Wanaka – Cardrona HPC) and Andrew Wylie (Queenstown, Cardrona HPC).

Seven of these athletes have elected to train under New Zealand Ski Team’s Men’s Head Coach Nils Coberger. Winslow and Feasey are training with Cardona HPC and Barwood is training with the Treble Cone Race Academy.

The New Zealand Women’s Ski Team is led by Sarah Jarvis (Hamilton – Ruapehu Snow Sports), the New Zealand National Alpine Champion in super G, giant slalom and slalom, and has been one of the country’s best performers over the past few years. Joining Jarvis are teammates Lucie Tait-Jamieson (Auckland – Cardrona HPC), who secured the ANC bib for Super G and a second in Giant Slalom at the 2009 New Zealand National Alpine Championships, and Allie McGlinn (Christchurch – Team Hutt/Treble Cone Race Academy), who had a second in super G and third in giant slalom at the New Zealand Nationals. Three Queenstown athletes are training with QAST (Harriett Miller-Brown, Charlotte Newbold and Taylor Rapley); Taylor Smith will train with Cardrona HPC and Emily Wright is training with Team Hutt.

Snow Sports New Zealand – Alpine has organized training blocks for the women’s team at Mt. Hutt and Coronet Peak, to be run by Ian Maclean. All Women’s Team members are entitled to participate in these blocks.