It’s ironic the national symbol for New Zealand, the Kiwi is a flightless bird. It’s certainly a far cry from Jossi Wells’s gravity defying shenanigans. Flying is what he does best, and he’s quickly proved he’s not only the most adept flyer in his home country-but one of the best in the world.

Born in the sleepy town of Wanaka, New Zealand with a head-of-ski-patrol father and raised on snow it was expected Jossi would excel, yet he’s outperformed everyone’s highest aspirations. Entering the world renowned Rip Curl Heli-Challenge when he was just nine put Jossi on the radar in N.Z. and by the time he was a teenager he’d won 2006’s New Zealand Snow Sports Person of the year, making him a Monster star in his home country.

Becoming a Southern Hemi hero wasn’t enough however. Jossi had bigger plans with international implications. Top finishes in nearly every pipe and slopestyle competition he entered with switch technical rotations and massive double back’s earned Jossi the first Kiwi invitation to the X Games and Jossi didn’t disappoint, with a historic silver in slope and fifth in Superpipe.

A heavy favorite after his X Games expletives as well as podiums at the US Open big Air, Nippon Open, and King of The Mountain, the boy has earned his spot among the worlds best.