Dear Snowboard Community,

It’s James Johnstone here and I’m currently in Jindabyne at our NSWIS training camp for Snowboard Cross. After returning from 5 months in Europe at the end of April, I've just had 8 weeks at home in Sydney, strength and condition training with Chris Brander at the NSWIS gym at Homebush. It was great to be home for more than a few days to spend time with my family and friends and go and watch some AFL, Go Dogs!

I'm now based at the Sport and Rec in Jindabyne, living in the athlete accommodation right next to the National Snowsports Training Centre (NSTC). It’s fantastic that the new facility is now 100% complete and we are making the most of the incredible facilities on offer at the NSTC.

I'm a very keen cyclist so have brought my Mountain bike down and plan to get out on the trails when time and the weather allows; cycling is a huge part of my strength and aerobic training regime which does break up the snow and gym training and riding around the Lake here is really special.

We've had a few morning sessions on snow so far and it was great to see everyone out and about, especially the Turn and Burn groups and the PWSC riders. The conditions up on the hill are great! 

Last week I went on a quick trip to Adelaide to the opening of the South Australian Sports Institute’s Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics. My coach Jackson Holtham and I spent a day working in the wind tunnel which was really exciting and informative. This facility really is a ‘game changer’ for Aussie sport. Check it out here.

The next 3 months will be 2 training blocks in Jindabyne for about 4 weeks each where we ride both Thredbo and Perisher, with 4 weeks at Hotham for the Australian/New Zealand Cup races, Futures, and further training on course.  I do love Hotham having started snowboarding there when I was 7.  We will be based in Bright this year for the month which is different to previous years at Dinner Plain. There is some great road cycling in the area so I’m looking forward to that.

SBX Futures this year is at Hotham on August 12 & 13 and registrations are now open. I'll be helping with Futures and really hope to see you there - click here to register. The Futures will lead into the SBX races at Hotham including the first leg of the FIS JNR SBX Series on August 14. Being my first season out of the Juniors, it will be great helping younger riders get a feel for four person racing and see what they can bring. The ANC races will wrap up a really busy week at Hotham.

Entries are now open for the Hotham races, click here to enter.

I’ll be around during the Snow Australia Interschools regional competitions so please say hi if you are here racing or spectating and best of luck to the 1000’s of kids competing.

See you on the snow.

James Johnstone
NSWIS SBX Athlete

We are looking forward to an action-packed week of Snowboard Cross (SBX) and Ski Cross (SX) events and racing at Hotham from 12 – 18 August.

Kicking of with SBX and SX Futures programs the week then sees competitors of all ages take to the race course to compete in the FIS JNR Series and then the FIS ANC races.

We are excited to confirm that registrations are now open for the FUTURES programs as well as entries for the SBX/SX Races.

Snow Australia is excited confirm a full calendar of Futures programs and activities this season, in particular for snowboarders.

Kicking off the Snowboard Futures this year is the Alpine Snowboard Futures at Perisher on Monday (July 15). This has already been a huge success with spots selling out incredibly quickly. Thanks to Perisher for hosting the event and to current and past National Team riders attending to coach those attending. It should be a great day.

Perisher will also host the Para Futures which provides the opportunity for Para Snowboard participants to be introduced to sporting opportunities, increase knowledge of the athlete pathway and receive expert coaching. If you are interested in attending this program, register here.

Snowboard Cross Futures once again heads to Hotham to provide participants the opportunity to learn from our National Team riders who will be there training ahead of the ANC race series. This program has helped produce some of Australia's best riders and it's always exciting to see them return to coach the next generation of athletes. Registrations have just opened and you can secure your spot here.

Although details are still be confirmed we are hoping to wrap up the 2024 Futures on-snow by returning to Perisher and the NSTC for a two day Park & Pipe program. More details to come shortly. 

The Interschools Snowsports Championships has returned for another season with the SUBARU Northern NSW and QLD Regional Championships held in Thredbo this week.

Close to 800 students from 110 schools participated have taken part in the four-day event which comes to a close later today.

More than 1,700 entries were received across five snowsports disciplines: Alpine, Ski Cross, Moguls, Snowboard Giant Slalom, and Snowboard Cross.

Thredbo hosted fun and suitable courses for this level of competition and the participants, families, and school support enjoyed the friendly competition.

Snow Australia is pleased to announce that the FIS JNR SBX Series, powered by the Chumpy Pullin Foundation, is back in 2024 for the third straight year.

In a discipline which continues to produce stars taking on the world, Australia’s leading young snowboard cross competitors will have the opportunity to contest three huge events as part of the series this season:

Wednesday 14 August - Mt Hotham
Wednesday 28 August - Thredbo
Thursday 29 August - Thredbo
September TBC - Perisher (snow condition dependant)

Want to get an inside scoop on some of the key performance nutrition concepts taught to our Winter Olympians?⁠
⁠
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