Scotty James flies high

Difficult though it may be to believe as we prep for a hot Australian summer, but elsewhere in the world, the snow is falling and Scotty James is flying high on the world snowboarding circuit.

Winning his eighth consecutive halfpipe event over the weekend, the three-time world champion and Audi ambassador, took out the World Cup event at the Secret Garden resort in China, which is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

It has been an unbelievable year for the Aussie snowboarding sensation, wrapping up the 2018/19 season unbeaten and adding a third world championship, an X-Games and US Open to his already overflowing trophy cabinet.

Most recently he topped the World Cup Opener in Copper Mountain Colorado (pictured), before heading to China to wrap up 2019.

James secured the gold medal after qualifying on Friday and never looked in doubt throughout the rest of the competition. His final score of 97.8 saw him beat two challengers from Japan – Yuta Totsuka  with a 95.8) and Ruka Hirano who recorded a 92.6.

Although conditions began to deteriorate in the final, with winds increasing, Scotty kept his legendary cool and again stamped his authority on the event.

The hugely popular James signed off with a simple "Thank you, China," on Instagram before heading back Down Under to spend Christmas with family in very different weather conditions than he found in China.