Discipline: Freestyle Moguls
Olympic Participation: Torino 2006 
Achievements:  Bronze Moguls World Cup Oberstdorf 2005
Medal awarded in: 2021

Michael got into skiing at a very young age, although he wasn't sold on the sport until a trip to Mt Hotham. He was first a member of the Team Hotham Alpine team.  

His father had a massive passion for racing but his big love was moguls. He would be skiing all the bump runs. Michael remembers being in Falls Creek in 1992 competing in Falls Creek children's races when he watched his father compete in the Summit Master event and thought that mogul skiing was more for him than alpine racing.

He switched to mogul skiing in 1994 when Dave Speirs brought the mogul program to the Hotham Race club, 

"Speirsy was fantastic, he was just such a great person and he really inspired me. I just had fun, but I also was a good skier at this age, and doing the alpine program, probably helped me to become the skier that I became" remembers Michael. 

"I remember looking up at the Costa brothers and Nick Cleaver, and I wanted to become one of them. I also remember Speirsy had footage of world cup runs and I remember at our lunch breaks we would sit down and watch the runs and mostly the World Championships in La Clusaz. Edgar, Serga, Bertrand… so many of the greats and I so desperately wanted to make a mark and represent my country at the highest level"

Michael trained in France and competed in Europa Cups. In 2001/2002, he went on a training camp with Dale and Jason Begg-Smith, and the National coach Des.

In 2002/2003 he made the National team full-time and made his world cup debut. In his first year on the World Cup freestyle circuit, Michael produced two top ten results in moguls, with a best result of sixth in Sauze d'Oulx, Italy. It was, at the time the most impressive World Cup debut by an Australian mogul’s skier.

"I qualified 8^th and Des and I just kept the lid on it knowing that if I put it down the rest would do the work". 

That season he made the finals at the World Championships in Deer Valley, qualifying 10th but eventually placing 12th due to a broken pole. 

An ankle reconstruction during his career bought on complications in recovery.

One of his best career moments was his bronze medal World Cup win in Obserstdorf in the season leading up to the Torino Olympics.

"What made it more special was sharing the podium with Dale Begg-Smith, who recorded his first World Cup win" says Michael.

"The Torino Olympics didn’t go the way they should have even though this was my most consistent season. With 3 finals appearances in the lead-up. Some silly mistakes that cost me a couple more. But I was extremely proud, going in ranked 14^th in the world. I knew what had to be done" says Michael.

"The following season I was still frustrated by the Olympics and bad things happened throughout until Worlds where I blew my knee"

He did the rehab he took more interest in his family business. He eventually realised that his future belonged ti running the family business over mogul skiing.