“Team Mates” Jake Koia and Ryan Tiene win World Heli Challenge

Two World Heli Challenge teams spent nine days skiing and snowboarding in extreme backcountry terrain around Aoraki Mt Cook with nearly every moment of the past two weeks recorded and filmed for this unique freeriding shootout competition.

“Team Mates” were announced the victors last night bagging $10,000 first prize for their sumptuous short film which was a celebration of their week of “Big Adventures and Big Rewards” in the scenic Mackenzie District.

Queenstown snowboarder Jake Koia and his mate Ryan Tiene (AUS) filmed by Mitchell Ayers (AUS) were chosen by an international panel of judges for delivering the best overall combination of technical riding by each of their athletes and the strongest production and editing to create the most entertaining story about their experience.

Jake was at ‘The Find’ in Queenstown for the announcement and celebrations and phoned his “Team Mates” in Australia with the news, “I can speak for Ryan and myself when I say its been a while since we’ve been on a podium. We had a blast making our video and we’re honestly really proud and stoked its been received so well. Thanks to everyone involved and thanks for making me love competing again,” said Koia.

Ryan Tiene was delighted with the news, “The World Heli Challenge was a new experience for me. We filmed in just week what would usually be done 4 months! Our filmer Mitch absolutely killed it.”

Event director Tony “Harro” Harrington explains, “Both teams fully embraced the concept of the competition and took it to another level. Not only was the skiing and boarding assertive and exciting to watch, the creativity of the teams and their filmers was simply inspirational. These films give you goosebumps and make you want to get straight up into the mountains. It’s pure freeriding passion and it was agonizing for our judges to have to choose just one team to win.”

“I’m excited to post the edits online so audiences around the world can share in the magic and see what an amazing place it is here and what is possible when you put talented athletes, photographers and filmers in helicopters and fly them into an out-of-this-world alpine landscape.”