Although based in Christchurch, Sanford will be a presence at the Snow Sports NZ headquarters in Wānaka, as well as its bases in the northern hemisphere, according to the organisation.

"I am thrilled to have Pete join our team," said Snow Sports NZ chief executive Nic Cavanagh. 

"After an extensive global search I am thrilled that the top candidate is somebody with extensive experience both within the New Zealand high-performance system and in Alpine ski racing. 

"With this knowledge and experience, both in the snow sports high-performance space and across other sports, Pete will be a fantastic addition to our team as we build towards Milano Cortina 2026."

Cavanagh had previously acted as both chief executive and high-performance director.

Sanford grew up skiing at Coronet Peak and competed in Alpine skiing until his early adult years, later acting as an assistant coach for the New Zealand team in the sport at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Later that year, Sanford starting working as a mental skills coach at High Performance Sport New Zealand for three years, before moving to the same role with Snow Sports NZ past Sochi 2014.

"As the Snow Sports NZ high-performance director I look forward to supporting the people and the programmes to fulfil their potential, resulting in meaningful performances for the snow sports community and the wider NZ sporting system," said Sanford.

Sanford is to begin the new role on September 26.