SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE: Nathan Johnstone and Kent Callister both qualified for the prestigious US Grand Prix finals in Breckenridge, Colorado, over the weekend but Mother Nature unfortunately trumped their performances.

More than 20 centimetres of fresh snow and wild winds forced organisers to cancel the event, which was also the third of five trial events for American athletes wanting a place in the US Olympic Winter Games team competing in Sochi, Russia, next month.

The damage to the pipe caused by the extreme weather conditions made competition unsafe.

Coach Ben Alexander said that he and the athletes were disappointed that conditions had not enabled Johnstone and Callister to continue their strong showing in the qualification session.

“It’s a shame because the guys were in the mix,” Alexander said.

Dual Olympian Holly Crawford has recovered from an injury suffered just before Christmas and also qualified for the finals in the women’s competition in a solid performance. Great news ahead of  the Sochi Games next month.