From adversary to ardent judge

IAIN MCGREGOR/The Press

FORMER CHAMPION: New Zealand FIS snowboard judge Ste'en Webster was a first-generation Kiwi snowboarder.

IAIN MCGREGOR/The Press

AIRBORNE: Benjamin Farrow, from the United States, is all style at the Junior World Snowboarding Championships.

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Ste'en Webster spent six years in eternal winter "living eating, breathing" snowboarding.

His enthusiam for the sport remains, but he now has a more studied approach as an international judge.

Webster is the only Kiwi among about 30 top international snowboarding judges. He is now in Wanaka judging the FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Junior World Championships at Cardrona.

The 45-year-old was among the first generation of Kiwi snowboarders when he took up the sport in 1988. By the early 1990s he was the New Zealand national champion, but said that was no great feat among a "handful" of boarders. Since then the sport had grown, and New Zealand now had a depth of talent able to compete on the world stage, he said.

Webster is the editor of New Zealand Snowboarder magazine, and has been a judge at two winter Olympics – Vancouver this year and Salt Lake City in 2002.

"Being involved in events for 10 years here in New Zealand, to suddenly go to something which is 150 times bigger is just mindblowing," he said.

One of the trickiest parts of judging was separating the competitors, as 20 boarders often came down a run at one time.

"For me, one of the best things is the opportunity to travel. It's certainly not an earner, more of an opportunity than anything."

Webster said Kiwi events attracted the world's top riders, who loved coming to New Zealand where competitions were well-organised, but more laid-back.

He said after six years of constant winters, he now spent most of his spare time surfing at his home in Raglan. "I do get that itch occasionally, but not like 20 years ago when I was living, eating, breathing snowboarding."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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