http://mpora.com/videos/SEmKV343l Excitement is building down under for the Burton New Zealand Open, with hordes of snow-loving kiwis preparing to descend on Wanaka to witness the sickness. Last year’s event saw Shaun White throw down the run that shaped the rest of the season, as he whipped out his halfpipe double cork in competition for the first time.

A peek at this year’s rider list suggests that the action will be just as bangin’ this time round, with Kazu Kokubo, Jack Mitrani, Chas Guldemond, Mikkel Bang and Gjermund Braaten all preparing to get stuck in. Not only that, but our very own Jamie Nicholls will also be lining up to compete in the slopestyle comp, and given his insanely good form in this recent training vid, we reckon he should be looking at placing highly…

Qualification for the Open kicks off tomorrow (11th August), with the slopestyle finals taking place on Friday and Halfpipe on Saturday.