With the end of July fast approaching many of the top international snow boarders will be making New Zealand there home. They will be all descending to Wanaka for the New Zealand snowboarding championship where big money is up for grabs for both the men and women. This will be the 6th time this event is been hold which is now sponsored by manufacturer Burton. The winners both male and female will be receiving a total of 100,000 USD.

Like last year, this year's field will consist of top riders from around the globe and also include some of the top local talent from New Zealand and across the Tasman. With big names such as Peetu Pironinen and Ryoh Aono the defending champion from New Zealand will find it very hard to come out on top again. This is a similar case for the women's field with big names from the US such as Kelly Clark making there way down. The defending champion from women from the United Kingdom will also return to defend the title that she won last year.

The competition starts with the half pipe, and everyone will be hoping for good conditions. Its still to far out to predict how much snow there will be however last year saw good bright conditions ensuring everyone was wearing their . The first Friday night of the competition will see the competitors take to the air in the massive air jump which is held under lights.

The sixth event is sure to be bigger than any in the past. With more competitors and big money up for grabs it's guaranteed that is going to be a huge success. Also remember there are loads of other events going on for all ages. So if you're visiting New Zealand at the end of this month, make sure you get your self down to Wanaka for the biggest snow boarding event this month.