Steve Winnacott is the Marketing Manager for The North Face across Australasia and he is a passionate skier and supporter of the NZ Freeski Open. We sat down with Steve and his sidekick Lexi for chitchat about the event, The North Face and what he loves about NZ.
Snow Sports NZ is stoked to have had The North Face as a major sponsor of the NZ Freeski Open since 2009. Steve reckons the FSO fits nicely with the TNF brand because the trio of disciplines represents the brand perfectly, it just that little bit different to other freeski events.
Chucking together Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Mountain into one event and holding it across different resorts within the Southern Lakes, strikes a chord with Steve and his team. It’s worth noting, The North Face marketing team are no strangers to special events. Steve and his team put their weight behind ‘The North Face 100’, an ultra-marathon run in the Blue Mountains and we are proud that our event rubs shoulders with this giant.
Packing up TNF headquarters in Sydney and moving the team to Wanaka base camp for two weeks is an annual highlight. Steve, Lexi and the crew get involved and are hands on partners in running this event. When asked what he loves most about the event Steve replies “It’s the whole package – world class venues and world class athletes competing together in a comp with a unique laid-back kiwi vibe. Then there is the alpine lakes, mountain backdrops, outdoor-loving locals, not-so-friendly keas, and of course great wine and coffee.
Um… love NZ much Steve?
Steve is an adventurer and being in the outdoors is his passion. His first trip to NZ was to take a Technical Mountaineering course near Mt Cook in 2009 He has since climbed and skied all over the South Island. After last year’s Freeski Open he tackled the Symphony on Skis, often called the Haute Route of the south. It’s an epic 50km ski-touring trip that links the Godley, Murchison, Tasman, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.
A few years back, on the eve of the Big Mountain event, and in true TNF fashion, Steve and his team, while having dinner at the Speights Ale House, decided to skin up to Lake Alta at The Remarkables in the dark, bivvied for the night and woke up ready for The Freeski Open event the next day. Keen huh? Perhaps this is the quarter-Kiwi coming out in the bloke. No surprises it turns out Winnacott’s grandmother was a New Zealander, not quite enough to get him across the line as an All Blacks fan we suspect.
The Freeski Open event epitomizes the spirit of the characters involved, from the competitors, event organisers, the freeski community and the sponsors, this event has heart and is a favourite on the circuit for all those involved. Steve and his team are in the mix of contributors that make this event so special and we are chuffed they make it across the ditch.
