By USSA

CARDRONA, New Zealand — X Games champion Jamie Anderson of South Lake Tahoe persevered through fog and a nine-hour comp day Aug. 19 to pick up a season opening slopestyle victory at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Cardrona, part of the New Zealand Audi Quattro Games.

Anderson, who also won the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix World Cup at Copper Mountain last January, scored a huge 94.75 on her first of two runs and was able to take a victory lap for the win.

Anderson was the only American in the finals on Sunday. Continual postponements of women’s qualifying heats and finals pushed the event until late afternoon Monday.

Her win was vital in the United State’s quest to maximize quota spots for the Olympic debut of slopestyle snowboarding in Sochi.

Weather forced cancellation of the men’s competition after U.S. Snowboarding’s Eric Willett of Breckenridge, Colo., won his heat with the second highest score. Slopestyle snowboarding will make its Olympic debut in Sochi.

Action resumes next weekend with the opening halfpipe event of the FIS Snowboard World Cup.