Dear Alpine Community,

With the northern season well past the halfway mark, our athletes are focusing on competitions across the globe. Having recently been able to attend both the Alpine World Ski Championships (WSC) in Saalbach AUT as well as the Alpine World Junior Championships (WJC) in Tarvisio ITA, I can tell you firsthand that not only our senior athletes but also the younger, next generation, have been stepping it up in competition.

The weather in Saalbach AUT was outstanding for the most part and the racing surface was top notch. Greta Small was the only athlete representing Australia in the first week for the speed events and unfortunately suffered a season ending injury on her Downhill run and has already begun her rehab back in Australia, wishing her all the best. The next week got busier with more athletes showing up to compete in the GS and SL races. Louis Muhlen-Schulte led the way in the GS for the Aussie men finishing 31st while Hugh McAdam unfortunately came out 1st run and was a DNF. Phoebe Heaydon suffered a similar fate coming out on her first GS run also recording a DNF. On the slalom side of things, Hugh McAdam led the way with a 38th while both Louis and Henry Heaydon suffered from DNF’s in the first run. Henry’s sister, Phoebe as well as teammate Sophie Mahon, attacked the Slalom but both also failed to make the finish recording a DNF.

While I believe that there was definitely a lot of fast skiing left on the table at the WSC, I was encouraged by what I saw. To watch athletes leaving the start gate with the intention to give it their best, not just skiing to finish, but to ski a run they could be proud of even if that meant risking a DNF. That mentality is a winning one, and the way forward for alpine skiing in Australia.

The weather got a little more challenging for World Junior Championships in Tarvisio ITA. Arriving we were facing pouring rain which overnight turned to 30cm+ of snow at the DH start causing competition to be postponed and schedules changed. Abbey Evans (2005) and Chiara Schoerghofer (2007) were both competing in the SG event which had to be moved one day due to weather and held the same day as the men. They adapted to the challenges and finished 36th and 41st respectively. From the speed week to the tech week the forecast was flipped again, and we were presented with clear and sunny skies but with temperatures reaching 15C by mid-day. The organisers did a fantastic job of maintaining the slopes and the tracks held up every day making for fair and great racing throughout the field. Some notable performances were Phoebe Heaydon (2005) starting from bib 53 in SL to 27th after 1st run and then skiing an aggressive 2nd run placing the 3rd fastest time to end her day in 17th place with Pia Bruce (2004) finishing in 36th. Harry Hoffman (2004) posted a top 20 in SL and Felix Sachs (2008) was 5th for U18 in GS and 6th in SL.

We have also seen some notable results at FIS International Children’s event in Folgaria ITA. Balthazar Sachs led the U14’s with a 5th place in SL and 11th in GS, while Sebastian Atra was the standout U16 placing top 20 in the GS with a 17th place result. Congratulations to all that participated, and I hope everyone walked away with a hunger to train harder!

In Ski Cross we have had some outstanding performances and hopefully more to come with the Freestyle World Ski Championships and Freestyle Junior World Championships coming up over the next month. Liam Michael has been selected to represent Australia at this year’s World Championships, in St. Moritz SUI, after being agonizingly close to qualifying at the last 3 World Cup events. Kyra Wheatley also stormed on to the scene at her World Cup debut in Val di Fassa ITA qualifying for both finals, ending up with a 13th and 14th place result, earning herself valuable points towards Olympic qualification. Kyra was also selected to represent Australia at the World Championships however she sustained an injury training and will be returning to Australia missing the remainder of the season. We wish Kyra a speedy recovery!

On the other side of the world, Duncan Cowan has continued to show his dominance on the Ski Cross NorAm circuit where he had 3 straight victories in Steamboat USA (2 NorAm and 1 FIS) followed by a 5th and 1st place in the NorAm’s in Gore Mtn. USA. Duncan now leads the NorAm season by over 200pts. and with only 1 event left on the calendar he guarantees himself the overall title.

Stay tuned, and cheer on, as our athletes continue to push for results through the final stretch of the season!!

All the best,
Shawn

Shawn Fleming
Alpine Director
Snow Australia

• Cate Dance (NAST D) – 2 x 2nd Place FIS GS Palisades Tahoe, USA (pictured)
   
• Zali Sutton (NAST C) – 3rd Place FIS SL Palisades Tahoe, USA
   
• Kyle McGown – 1st  & 2nd FIS GS Norquay, CAN

• Pia Bruce (ETP) – 2nd and 3rd FIS CIT in Reiteralm, AUT, 36th WJC SL (pictured)
   
• Max Kelly (ETP) – 1st and 2nd FIS CIT Reiteralm, AUT
   
• Madi Gilson (ETP) – 1st year scored sub 70 PB in SL

• Henry Heaydon (NAST B) – 3rd FIS SL Glungzer, AUT (pictured)
   
• Felix Sachs – 1st Year scored 2 x sub 65 PB in GS in USA and ITA; 5th U18 WJC GS; 6th U18 SL WJC
   
• Hugh McAdam (NAST B) – 1st FIS SL Rogla, SLO
   
• Connor Leggett (NAST B)  – 2nd FIS SL Telfs, AUT

• Archie Gould (ETP) - 1st U16 GS, 5th U16 SL, Meribel / Val Thorens, FRA (pictured)
   
• Tom Hoffman (NAST B) – 1st UNI SL Alyeska, USA
   
• Harry Hoffman (NAST B) – 2 x 1st NJR SL Zams, AUT ; 18th WJC SL, 30th WJC GS

• Phoebe Heaydon (NAST B) – 2 x 1st FIS SL Pozza di Fassa, ITA . 17th WJC SL (pictured)
   

If you have any cool training, competition or podium shots make sure to tag us at @snowaust

Australia will have more than 30 athletes competing at the 2025 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle & Freeski World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, with 10 athletes named to compete across the speed disciplines.

Liam Michael will be the sole Australian representative in Ski Cross at the World Championships. The 25-year-old competed at World Juniors in Austria six years ago and made his World Cup debut in January 2024. Michael was due to be joined in Engadin by Kyra Wheatley, however 2020 Winter Youth Olympian has been sidelined since late February with a knee injury. Men’s Ski Cross qualifications are scheduled for Friday 21 March with finals to be held the following day.

Aussie snowsport fans can now catch all the FIS World Cup and World Championship action this season for free via FIS TV. Snow Australia has acquired the rights and are proud to be delivering this free of charge for Aussie fans during the 2024-2025 season.

Upcoming Alpine and Ski Cross World Cup and World Championship Events:

* Please note all dates are local to the event. Visit Snowlive for AEDT start times.

Thredbo Ski Racing Club (TSRC) is excited to introduce new program options for FIS athletes during the upcoming Australian winter. As their program evolves and more athletes train and compete for extended periods in the Northern Hemisphere, they aim to provide greater flexibility to support wider participation amongst the FIS age group.

Click on the link below to find out more about the FIS programs!

Falls Creek Race Club are hiring coaches for the 2025 season.

Please click on the link below to read more about this great opportunity!

Join Snow Australia as a Results Contractor for the 2025 Interschools Snowsport Championships!

Snow Australia is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Results Contractor to support the Northern events of the 2025 Interschools Snowsport Championships. This contract-based role involves managing event results  at Perisher and Thredbo during July and August 2025.

Two Australian snowsports athletes are part of a mental health program built around elite athletes delivering powerful talks to high school students,with the initiative preparing for its biggest year yet with close to 100 schools signed up for 2025. 

The AIS Mental Fitness Program, which is a joint venture with the Black Dog Institute, has  seen participation numbers increase by almost 200% since launching six years ago.

The program enters a new chapter this year, with 25 national athletes appointed as ambassadors including Alpine skier Sammie Gaul and Aerial skier Abbey Willcox. 

On the eve of International Women's Day, Snow Australia is proud to announce the formation of the inaugural Women of Winter (WoW) Working Group, a key initiative aimed at fostering engagement, support and empowerment for women in snowsports.

Following an outstanding response to our call for Expressions of Interest late last year, nearly 60 high-quality applications were received. After a rigorous selection process, we are thrilled to introduce the newly-appointed members of the WoW Working Group:

• Caroline Brauer
• Bella Hackworth
• Amy Hodge
• Rachael Oakes-Ash
• Katerina Paul
• Angela Pope
• Monique Schreiber
• Anna Thorley

Mark the date in your diary to make sure you don't miss our night of nights, celebrating our incredible athletes and their 2024/25 seasons.

2025 SNOW AUSTRALIA AWARDS
Thursday 1 May 2025
Aerial | 17 Dukes Walk, South Wharf, Melbourne

Ticket details coming soon... keep an eye out so you don't miss out!