Hi all, welcome to the Snowboard Community Update. My name is Will Martin; I am a 17 year old boarder cross rider, member of the Emerging Talent Program and have just finished Year 11 at St Kevin’s College. I’m really excited to be bringing you the snowboard update for November! 

I first learnt to snowboard when I was 7, although I continued to ski as well for a few years. I took up snowboarding full time when I was 11, so I guess you could say I’ve been snowboarding for 10 years now.

I love the creativity of snowboarding, whether that is picking out lines in the backcountry or trying new tricks in the park. The diversity in training keeps it fun and helps me adapt to the different Boardercross courses.

When I am not snowboarding, my life is consumed by school work and going to the gym. Any free time during the week outside of those activities I dedicate to helping benefit my on snow performance such as rewatching old World Cup races or my training footage to pick it apart. I also spend a lot of time tuning and waxing my boards to prepare them for race season. Outside of Snowsports I like 4WD, dirt bike riding, fishing, golf and surfing!
 
My 2023 domestic season was very productive, helped by a good dryland pre-season. I felt I progressed on snow a lot thanks to my coach Phil Reynolds, and I think this was shown in my results at the Chumpy Pullin Foundation FIS JNR SBX race at Mt Hotham. Unfortunately a crash in the big final put me in 3rd place, but I was very happy with the way I was riding.

Coming out of such a big fall and going into the ANC’s was a little nerve racking, but I felt I was still able to hold my own against the Olympic team and World Cup riders.

My Northern season has already kicked off and I am currently in Austria with Fast Ride camps training at Pitzal Glacier for the first FIS and Junior FIS races of the season. We are then going to Les Deux Alpes for a training camp before the first Europa Cup in Isola 2000.

I hope to podium at the upcoming Jnr FIS races and I would be over the moon with a top-eight at an EC race.

My biggest goal this Northern Winter is something I have been working towards for the last couple of years - to compete at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea this January! This has been a dream of mine since seeing Josie Baff win the Winter Youth Olympic Games gold medal in 2020. My goal is to replicate her success and bring home the gold for Australia.

All the best,

Will

Mel O’Halloran’s incredible dedication to snowboarding, sense of humour and personal connection to her athletes is what makes her such a renowned and respected snowboard coach.

The Mt Buller Ski & Snowboard School has two leadership positions available within their Race & Events Department for the 2024 winter season.  They have undertaken a departmental review and are looking for a supervisor and assistant supervisor.

Snow Australia are pleased to announce it has negotiated broadcast access to the FIS World Cup season, bringing Aussie fans all the very best World Cup snow action, live and free of charge from the Northern Hemisphere!

See below for the upcoming Snowboard World Cups:

• 01-03 Dec - Les Deux Alpes SBX
• 14 Dec - Carezza PGS
• 15-17 Dec - Cervinia SBX
• 16 Dec - Cortina d'Ampezzo PGS
• 23 Dec - Davos PSL

These World Cup events can be watched via the link on our website.  Click HERE

To read more about the FIS broadcast announcement, click on the link below!

Before you get in the start gate of a FIS race or event overseas there are a few things you need to make sure have been completed and submitted to Snow Australia.