Young Queenstown skiers turning heads

Two Queenstown teenagers have scored several podium finishes at International Ski Federation-ranked ski races in the United States this northern hemisphere winter.

Taylor Rapley, 18, a New Zealand national development team member, finished second in the slalom and third in the giant slalom at an open women's federation event in Eldora, Colorado, at the weekend.

Fellow Queenstowner Adam Barwood, 17, also a New Zealand development team member, picked up three medals at a federation event in Squaw Valley, Idaho, at the weekend.

Rapley has been training in Vail, Colorado, with the Vail Women's Ability Team since early December under former US women's World Cup coach Dan Stripp.

Her father Beau Rapley said yesterday Taylor had also picked up two back-to-back wins in the slalom event at Crested Butte, in Colorado, in January.

The results have all helped the gutsy young Queenstown woman increase her world (federation) rankings as she launches this year into her first year as a fulltime athlete.

"She'll be back in Queenstown at the end of April," Mr Rapley said.

"She wants to give it a shot as a fulltime athlete for at least a year to see if she can break through to where she wants to be."

Rapley flew to Europe for three weeks' racing in Germany, Austria and Slovenia at the end of January. The racing was tough but provided a great learning curve, her father said. She would now compete in federation races in Cranmore and at Lake Placid before returning to Vail to prepare for the US Nationals on April 5.

Barwood's medals included a silver this month, which qualified him to compete in the US nationals.

He also took out a bronze medal in Mammoth, Utah, in January, his mother Anne Barwood said.

His coach, Treble Cone head coach Guenther Birgman, who is based in the US, wants Barwood to fly to Norway next month to compete in 10 races in 12 days to experience some gruelling European competition.

Meanwhile, Harrison Steedman, 16, has just returned to Wakatipu High School from three months' training and racing in Europe, where he has successfully lowered his points after 31 starts.

He was based at the Benni Raich Centre, in Austria.

Queenstown teenager Harriet Miller-Brown, 18, also flewto Austria in late January where she is training and racing until the end of the northern hemisphere season.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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