Dear XC Skiers,

In typical fashion the winter is upon us. Though the snow cover is thin in most places and grooming has been limited, cold nights have made for excellent crust skating in the past couple of weeks for those keen enough to seek it out. I was fortunate to have a great ski out to Pretty Valley at Falls Creek on June 22, including venturing around towards Cope Saddle on a section of snow I hadn't skied on in over 20 years.

With the Paddy Pallin Junior kicking off the racing calendar last Saturday, weekends now start to get busy. Club races and come and try days at Perisher, Falls Creek and Lake Mountain over the next two weeks lead into the Victorian, NSW and ACT state championships on July 20/21 and the first FIS races at the end of the month. An overview of upcoming July events is included below in this community update, while the full calendar of winter events is available in the Cross Country Events section of the Snow Australia website.

I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome to our winter pathway programs two young coaches from the USA, Jacob Huseby and Will Haig. Jacob will be working with AUSXC and VICXC athletes as part of the National Training Centre at Falls Creek, while also supporting local north-east Victorian grassroots programs. Will joins Alexei Sotskov with the NSWACT XC programs at Perisher and already has several weeks of both dryland and on-snow activity under his belt.

For some early season motivation, please enjoy linked here some photos from the recent National Team camp at Falls Creek taken by Tom Hoogenraad - AUSXC On-Snow Camp July 2024 - Snow Australia

Happy skiing,

Finn Marsland
Snow Australia Cross Country Director

The Kangaroo Hoppet has been part of the Worldloppet series of long-distance races since 1991. Now in 2024 the Hoppet is set also to become part of the Ski Classics Challenger series of cross country races.

Ski Classics is a series of races for professional "Pro Tour" teams that sit within Worldloppet and other long-distance ski races around the world, including other legendary events such as Sweden's 90km Vasaloppet and Italy's 70km Marcialonga. The Ski Classics Challenger series expands the opportunity for Pro Tour teams to score points in over 60 races worldwide, with the Kangaroo Hoppet now among them.

So, what does this mean for the Kangaroo Hoppet?

This article on Falls Creek National Training Centre Coach Jacob Huseby was written by Kat Paul for This Week in Falls Creek and Mt Beauty.

This year Falls Creek is lucky to have another National Training Centre coach, Jacob Huseby all the way from America! However, this year Jacob will also be working with not only the Australian national team skiers, but also those from the community to help foster young skiers in XC skiing and help continue to grow our sport from grassroots level. 

We interviewed Jacob this week while we continue to wait for a good snowstorm to roll in so we can get skiing on groomed trails!

With the rollerskis packed away and the snow now on the ground, an exciting domestic season of cross country is in store and one of the first events was one which has long been an early season favourite.

The sun shone but the winds were blustery for the 62nd Paddy Pallin Junior on Saturday 29 June, but all who braved the conditions enjoyed a great day of fun, camaraderie and racing.

As we head into July there is a plethora of cross country skiing opportunities on offer.

Come and Try Days

• 6 July - Come & Try, Perisher - registration link
• 6 July - TNSC Come & Try, Falls Creek - website
• 6, 7 & 21 July - Come & Try, Lake Mountain
  - call Ray Malins on 0428 228 860
• 13 July - Come & Try, Perisher - registration link

Club races:

• 7 July - Wilderness Sports Cup, Perisher - registration link
• 13 July - Cross Country Skier High Plains Tour, Falls Creek - website
• 14 July - Birkebeiner Classic, Falls Creek - registration link
• 14 July - Cooma Clean out the Cobwebs, Perisher - enter on the day
• 27 July - Kosciusko Tour, Perisher - registration link
• 28 July - Lake Mountain Challenge, Lake Mountain - enter on the day
• 28 July - Cooma Open, Perisher - enter on the day

State Championships:

• 20/21 July - VIC Junior Championships, Falls Creek - registration link
• 20 July - ACT Sprint Championship, Perisher - registration link
• 21 July - NSW Distance Championship, Perisher - registration link

Four retired athletes were on hand to accept their Snow Australia Medals which are presented to those who finished in the top three at a FIS World Cup or World Championships, and/or represented Australia at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.

Cross Country skier Ben Sim, a Vancouver Olympian, said the Breakfast of Champions was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on his time in the sport and the people who remain part of the Australian snowsports community. 

James Millar joked that the Paralympic journey which saw him become Australia’s first competitor in biathlon has finally brought him some silverware.  

“Now when people ever ask if I got a medal for going to a Paralympic Games I can say ‘yes’, it just came 14 years later!” he said. “It’s a special feeling [receiving the Snow Australia Medal], but it’s also quite humbling. Snowsports in Australia, there’s no ego to it, it’s a big family.

For the second year in a row, cross country skier Kat Paul has been named as an Australian Institute of Sport Thrive with Pride Ambassador.

The Thrive with Pride program aims to support rainbow athletes and allies with driving LGBTIQ+ inclusion initiatives within Australian sporting communities so we can help celebrate and empower LGBTIQ+ peoples.

Seve de Campo has pushed through the toughest event on the World Cup circuit, the Tour de Ski. He knows the value of resilience and has once again been named a Mental Fitness Ambassador with the Australian Institute of Sport.

We reached out to Seve to find out more about his role as an ambassador for a cause he cares deeply about.

Interested in what's happening in the world of SkiMo?

In this latest addition to Snow Australia's discipline community updates, hear from new Ski Mountaineering Committee Chair Brian Lichi about plans for SkiMo events this winter at Falls Creek and Perisher, a wrap-up of the last northern hemisphere World Cup season, and new SkiMo recruit Ava McCann's experiences at the ISMF  Development Camp in Spain!

Women of Winter, the Snow Australia initiative that aims to champion and empower Snowsports Women to reach their full potential, will be holding a networking event on Monday July 8 at Rydges, Jindabyne from 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

This is an opportunity for participants to make connections with others employed in our diverse snow industry, while creating awareness of career opportunities within the community.

Open to seasoned professionals, those new to the industry, to school coordinators and  Year 11 and Year 12 students.  Partners welcome!

REGISTER HERE

Want to get an inside scoop on some of the key performance nutrition concepts taught to our Winter Olympians?⁠
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Then jump on in! Snow Australia and Ali Miles are hosting a webinar at 7 pm on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024.⁠
⁠
Join me as we explore the power of performance nutrition to fast-track your goals in sport, school & life! ⁠
⁠
By the end of this Masterclass, you will:⁠
⚡️Understand the importance of FUELLING YOUR GOALS⁠
⚡️Appreciate the impact of under fuelling on your health, wellbeing and performance⁠
⚡️Know how to plan your day, week and season for success⁠
⚡️FUEL YOUR DIFFERENCE and develop as a weapon of an athlete⁠
⚡️Leave with plenty of practical ideas to navigate your fuelling in the challenging winter environment

REGISTER HERE