Dear XC Skiers,

The past month has seen plenty of skiing and ski racing action across the resorts. Events including the Australian Championship at Perisher, the Victorian Interschools at Mt Buller, and the Ski de Femme at Falls Creek have seen participation numbers bounce back up towards (even past) pre-covid levels. Despite deteriorating snow conditions, NSW XC Week was a great success at Perisher, culminating with record numbers at the Sundeck Cup.

Race organisers face increasing challenges in the coming weeks but are up to the task. Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club has back-up courses ready for the Australian Championship events at Falls Creek this weekend, and an alternative course has been found for the Kangaroo Hoppet on August 26. NSW Interschools are all set for the XC events to be held at South Perisher (near the base of Leichhardt chair) on Wednesday August 23 (click here for the latest information as it becomes available). Though more snow is likely needed for events in September, there's still plenty of good off-track skiing to be found up high for those keen enough to take skis off every now and then.

This update includes a call-out for skiers over the age of 30 interested to take part in the 2024 World Masters World Cup. New Australian Masters Director Peter Lambert provides a snapshot of what is involved and is keen for more skiers to join him in Finland next February.

Also included in this update is information about a SkiMo Sprint event scheduled at Falls Creek for September 23. Though SkiMo doesn't fall under the Snow Australia cross country committee and has a different international body, several of our elite cross country skiers including triple Olympian Phil Bellingham are giving the sport a bash now that it's a Winter Olympic event.

Get out there and enjoy it while it lasts.

Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director
Snow Australia

The Kangaroo Hoppet has advised of plans to move the event up to the McKay loop above the Falls Creek village. This is due to insufficient snow in the Sun Valley area and on the traditional Heathy Spur loop.

Current plans will see the Kangaroo Hoppet reduced to 21km, the Australian Birkebeiner reduced to 10.5km, and the Joey Hoppet cancelled. Joey Hoppet entrants will receive a full refund, with those over the age of 14 having the option to enter the Australian Birkebeiner.

As the McKay area is quite exposed with no shelter from prevailing winds, a final decision on whether the race will be held will be made by the Jury on Wednesday 23 August, taking into account the forecast weather conditions.

More information is available in this linked media release.

Perisher Valley welcomed a record-breaking number of Australian FIS registered cross country skiers on the weekend, for the opening races of the Cross Country FIS Australian and New Zealand Continental Cup (ANC) series.

The Cross Country Masters World Cup is set to touch down in Vuokatti, Finland in February 2024 with a passionate contingent of Australians set to attend the event.

Last time the event was staged in Finland in 2016, around 1000 competitors from 24 nations competed, and earlier this year a small group of Australians took part when the Masters World Cup was staged in Austria.

Kat Paul and Ella Jackson don’t do things by halves.

The cross country skiers are currently in training for the Ski Classics long-distance series events including the famed Vasaloppet in Sweden which will be held for the 100th time in March 2024.

Ninety thousand dollars. That’s about how much money has been raised for the Australian Cross Country Ski Team during the 18-year life of the annual and somewhat quirky Sundeck Cup handicap event, held at Perisher each August.

Snow Australia and Falls Creek Ski Lifts are excited to announce the scheduling of the first event Ski Mountaineering (SkiMo) Sprint event in Australia, to be held at Falls Creek on September 23. SkiMo is a new Winter Olympic sport that will be contested for the first time in Milano-Cortina 2026.