Dear XC Skiers,

This update includes a mix of international event reports from the past three months and a preview of upcoming opportunities. For a non-Olympic season, 2022/2023 has been a busy one, with Australian athletes contesting the World Championship in Slovenia, the World Junior/U23 Championship in Canada, the World University Games in the USA, and World Cups at eight locations in five nations.

The stalwart behind the major events this season has been coach Alexei Sotskov. Originally Alexei's remit was to be (only) the major events hosted in North America, but we extracted our pound of flesh by sending him to Norway for the December World Cups and to Slovenia for the World Championships at the end of February as well. Alexei's wife Victoria assisted to keep Alexei sane as part of the support team for Lake Placid and Planica. After a few weeks home in Vermont in March (largely shoveling snow I hear), Alexei is booked to fly back into Australia just as we get start to busy with rollerski races and camps in April. Read on below for more information about these activities.

Wrapping up the international season, I'd like to give a big shout-out to our German support team headed up by Fabian Mauz and Toni Escher. Fabian was ruling the wax cabin and tracks at Lillehammer, Lake Placid, Val Mustair and Planica, while Toni was also behind the scenes at Beitostolen, Lake Placid, Whistler and Planica. Along the way there have been Swedes, Estonians, Norwegians, and more Germans jumping in to assist where needed, as well as a cameo appearance in Canada from our Beijing 2022 FIFO wax tech / coach extraordinaire Paul Kovacs.

Finally in this update, I'd like to introduce Tim Clarke and the new VIC XC committee. Tim has assembled a group of keen cross country skiers motivated to build the athlete pathways back up after several years of Covid. I'm looking forward to working with Tim and the committee to provide new opportunities particularly for Victorian junior skiers this year.

All the best in skiing,

Finn Marsland

Cross Country Skiing Program Director

The 2023 Australian Rollerski Championship is set to take place at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra on April 15-16. The weekend includes a 1.2km Sprint on Saturday and a 10km distance race on Sunday, with shorter distances for younger juniors. All competitors in the FIS category are supplied with Swix Triac rollerskis, while juniors and masters entrants are welcome to use their own equipment. The event is supported by Cross Country Skier and Alpine Timing.

For Canberra locals, a Come and Try Rollerski session is scheduled for Stromlo Forest Park on Sunday April 2. Rollerski equipment is provided, though registration is essential to ensure that boots are available in the right size. Experienced rollerskiers are welcome to sign up for the regular Sunday rollerskiing sessions from March to June leading into the winter. Further information is available via the NSWACTXC Team App.

Australia has finished the World Cup season in a flurry, with four athletes taking on events in Norway, Sweden and Estonia between March 14-21. A highlight of this week of racing was Australia's first ever entry in a World Cup Mixed Relay event.

Here's a quick summary of the results:

Drammen, Norway

• Classic Sprint - Lars Young Vik, 50th

Falun, Sweden

• 10km Classic - Ellen Soehol Lie 47th / Phoebe Cridland 50th
• Freestyle Sprint - Lars Young Vik 48th / Phillip Bellingham 66th / Ellen Soehol Lie 52nd
• Mixed Relay - Vik / Lie / Bellingham / Cridland 17th

Tallinn, Estonia

• Freestyle Sprint - Philip Bellingham 70th

The efforts of these athletes in these events have put Australia up #21 for both men and women in the FIS Nation Cup rankings.

Five Australian cross country skiers headed to Slovenia in late February to represent Australia at the 2023 FIS World Championships in Planica. The team included Phillip Bellingham, veteran of five previous World Championships and three Winter Olympics; Seve de Campo, competing at his second World Championship; and three athletes making their World Championship debut in Lars Young Vik, Phoebe Cridland and Ellen Soehol Lie.

Overall the team achieved some solid results, with highlights including Vik taking 40th place in the Classic Sprint, Lie finishing 37th in the 15km Skiathlon, and Team Sprint results of 17th by Lie and Cridland and 18th by Vik and de Campo.

The new format for the Team Sprint, featuring each athlete skiing an individual time trial and the combined times determining rankings for the finals, saw Australia's men's and women's teams narrowly missing the top 15 progressing to the final.

“We knew it would be tough for us to make it in the top 15, having to beat some really established cross country nations, but at the same time we were not that far away," said Vik after the races. “We're a young team and I know we will only get faster over the next couple of years. You will see us in the final at World Champs Trondheim 2025.”

A team of 12 cross country skiers represented Australia at the 2023 World Junior/U23 Championships in Whistler, Canada. Zana Evans, Lily Murnane, Maddie Hooker, Hugo Hinckfuss, John Mordes and Noah Hoffman raced the U20 junior events, while the U23 team was Rosie Fordham, Tuva Bygrave, Lars Young Vik, Bentley Walker-Broose, Adam Barnett and Fedele de Campo.

The outstanding performance of the Championships came from Beijing Olympian Hugo Hinckfuss, who earned a place in the top 30 of the Junior Sprint. He qualified in 10th place overall, eventually finishing in 26th position after bowing out in the quarter-finals.

In the U23 Sprint, fellow Olympian Lars Young Vik was 31st, just 0.21s away from the quarter-finals. He backed that up with 44th in the 20km mass start which he credits with being his best performance in Whistler.

“The 20km Classic was probably my best distance considering the other races,” said Young Vik. “Even though I struggled a bit, I felt fitter and fitter throughout the race and could really push at the end.”

Zana Evans turned in some strong results in the women’s junior events, finishing 33rd in the 10km free after 42nd in the sprint.

“I thought my classic sprint was going to be my better event,” said Evans. “I’ve always liked sprinting and last year at Junior Worlds had my best result in sprints. However, leading up to the tournament, I skied the Canadian Selection Trials at Prince George and had a great 10km skate, so I had more confidence leading up to this in Whistler, and narrowly missed out on top 30.”

In the Under 23s, Rosie Fordham and Tuva Bygrave earned five top-40 results between them. For Fordham, it was a continuation of good form following the World University Games, with the 20-year-old enjoying the cohesive nature of being in the national team environment.

"It’s been so much fun," said Bygrave. "This was my first time meeting some of the juniors, and they’ve all been great. I know the U23s quite well, so we’ve been having a good time too.

Members of the Australian Junior Team head to Canberra in April for the annual physiological testing camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Similar to recent years, the camp begins with the Australian Rollerski Championship on April 15-16 at Stromlo Forest Park, before continuing with three days at the AIS.

Leading the camp is coach Alexei Sotskov, who this year has the AUSXC head coach role added to his existing NSWACT XC coaching responsibilities.

"It should be an exciting and productive camp," said Sotskov. "We are bringing together young skiers who just recently returned from different overseas trips and others who have trained in Australia over the summer. With the Youth Olympics and Junior Worlds coming next season this camp will set up a tone for training over the winter season."

The camp schedule includes VO2 max ski-running tests on a treadmill, sub-maximal rollerski treadmill tests, and a rollerski double pole time trial. Other activities include strength training, technique training, planning and athlete education.

Also taking place in Canberra around the rollerski races is a weekend AUSXC Junior Development Camp. This camp is aimed at junior skiers born between 2006-2008 training within the state pathway programs, with applications open until Sunday April 2nd.

Australian Cross Country Skier Katerina Paul has been announced as an AIS Thrive with Pride ambassador for the second year in a row. Thrive with Pride helps to create respectful, educated and inclusive sporting communities across the country.

"I am extremely proud to be part of the team once again," said Paul. During the last year I spent a lot of time engaging in education to make sport more inclusive for the LGBTQIA+ community. I want sport to be safe and enjoyed for all, so I hope with further development in the program we can continue to make bigger changes within inclusivity of sport from community level through to high performance.

Paul is the only winter sport athlete among the sixteen Thrive with Pride ambassadors appointed for 2023. The program has partnered with Pride in Sport and Proud 2 Play in creating inclusion initiatives to celebrate and empower LGBTIQ+ peoples.

Snow Australia is seeking a full-time cross country skiing coach for the National Training Centre at Falls Creek during the 2023 Australian winter. The coach will primarily be responsible for coordinating and leading on-snow training throughout the season, including for elite and sub-elite athletes, with key aims of developing technical and athletic abilities and fostering a vibrant daily training environment.

Further information is available in this linked position description. Applications can be made via email to jobs@snow.org.au by COB Friday 31 March, including a resume demonstrating relevant experience and a brief cover letter outlining the key attributes the candidate would bring to the role. 

In 2022 a group of cross-country skiing enthusiasts met around Victoria and online with the aim of rebooting a committee to provide direction and support for cross country ski racing in Victoria. The outcome of these meetings was the formation of VIC XC, a Victorian Cross Country Committee that sits under and reports to the Snow Australia Cross Country Committee (SAXC).

"There are some good people around the state helping to improve cross country skiing, whether it being running training sessions, offering coaching services, or driving a group of kids to a training location," said Tim Clarke, chair of VIC XC, who originally hails from Melbourne but now resides in Tawonga South. "Hopefully the new Vic XC committee can continue to foster and encourage this to keep happening and provide a coordinated approach for further development across Victoria"

Presently VIC XC has four main focuses, being events, athlete development, sport development, and general cross country ski racing promotion. On the athlete development side, VIC XC has two main aims for 2023. First, re-building the Victorian Junior Squad that dropped off in numbers during the two years of Covid-19 affected winters. And second, implementing a winter-long on-snow coaching and training program in a similar fashion to that operated at Perisher by NSWACT XC.