Featured Image: Noah Wallace | Skier: Jossi Wells | Location: Cardrona, NZ
The beloved Jossi Wells Invitational (JWI) is officially returning on September 6 this year, with Cardrona and Jossi Wells teasing the upcoming event on Instagram. Details are sparse, but it's clear that Wells and crew have a lot planned for this winter's throwdown.
As always, the JWI will take place at the Wells brothers' home mountain: Cardrona Resort in New Zealand. For a whole week, September 6 through 13, some of the best freeskiers and boarders on the planet will gather to brainstorm, collaborate and throw down in a pristine park before the 2026/27 competition season gets underway.
The event has long included multiple components, but in large part it's been a sprawling session with little structure, intentionally giving riders the chance to ski with whomever they like. This year sounds a bit different judging by the early description.
"Park jams, freeriding, mini pipe sessions, and the big one: Big Air on the jump right beside the halfpipes, where you can watch the world’s best go head to head as the field narrows down to a knockout final," read the social media announcement. "Plus, an Open Jam giving you the chance to ski and ride alongside the crew."
While the park, pipe and big air sessions aren't new, an open jam, freeride session and knockout competition will be novel components for the JWI. The area certainly has the terrain to make it all happen, with Cardrona's sister resort, Treble Cone, hosting some of the best freeride terrain in all of New Zealand.
As for the open jam, we have no doubt multiple local NZ riders will be able to make a strong case for themselves. The other new edition, the "knockout final" as it's phrased, leaves a lot up to the imagination. Past iterations of the JWI have included a rider-judged component, letting participants vote for their favorites once the week ends. But to our knowledge, we haven't seen anything like this before.
The announcement promised more details to come, so stay tuned as we learn more about the event structure and invited skiers for the 2026 JWI. In the meantime, catch The North Face recap from JWI or years past below.
