Alpine Member Update - May 2021

From the Alpine Director

Dear Alpine Members (past and present),

With winter just around the corner and the Resorts and Clubs all eagerly preparing we would like to welcome you to the first Alpine Member Update!

The Alpine Member Update has been developed to communicate directly with registered Snow Australia Alpine and Ski Cross members. These updates will provide you with the latest information on events, clubs, programs and other activities throughout the season.

This Alpine Member Update covers:

• Alpine Membership Renewal Information
• Alpine Calendar for 2021
• FIS Points Freeze Consideration
• In-Club Development Camp and Skills Assessment
• NSW Club Interschools Exemption Rule

As a previous Alpine member of Snow Australia you have received this update however to continue receiving the monthly National Alpine Update, please renew your membership for 2021.

All the best for a successful 2021 season!

Yours sincerely,
Shawn Fleming
Alpine Director

Alpine Membership – Simplified and Reduced for 2021

Members will be aware that during the 2020 domestic season, Snow Australia made the decision to only release the new Snow Australia Base membership, while placing all discipline specific memberships on hold. 

In preparation for 2021, the National Alpine Committee (NAC) has undertaken an in depth review of the Alpine Membership. To better support our community to return-to-sport, the NAC has made some major changes to the various Alpine categories. This includes the simplification of the membership structure and a reduction in cost to athlete families.  While the savings will vary from family to family, depending on their requirements, the majority of Alpine Members will benefit from a 40% reduction in Alpine registration fees. 

Specifically, the changes are as follows: 

• Consolidation of the previous two junior memberships into a single Club Racer Membership. For the 2021/2022 membership year, $40 of this membership will be absorbed by the NAC, as a Covid related return to sport initiative, to support and encourage junior families into our discipline. Any additional charges will only apply for junior athletes who compete in the FIS International Children’s events.
• Separation of the Alpine Racer Membership to comprise “National” and “International” athlete price components. This will allow those athletes who do not travel internationally to participate in our domestic events at a reduced cost.

By reducing and better aligning our membership pricing structure with other disciplines within our sport, the NAC hope to minimise barriers to Alpine and Ski Cross disciplines within our Community and Clubs.

It is important to note that in addition to activities listed in the membership matrix, there are a number of activities supported by membership fees not linked to a specific membership category.

These activities include, but are not limited to:

• Alpine Director Club Visits
• Community Forums and Parent Town-Halls
• Course Official Online Course
• National Alpine Ski Team Support and Management
• National Alpine Committee - FIS representation
• Club Coach Development and Support
• Snow Australia Alpine Futures Programs

The financial contribution of Alpine membership ensures the success of these activities and is vital to the long-term development, growth and engagement of the Alpine and Ski Cross Pathway including its clubs and programs. 

As we move into the 2021/2022 season, we are excited to be working with the Resorts, Clubs and Community to organise and hold a number of key initiatives and events.

We thank you for your support.

The 2021/2022 Alpine membership is now open and you can register or renew below.

REGISTER or RENEW

Alpine Calendar Update

Snow Australia has confirmed the following events on the 2021 National Alpine Calendar. We will endeavour to confirm all events as soon as possible, however delays, changes or cancellations may still occur due to Covid. We will continue to update the community as the season progresses.

We thank the community for its patience and understanding during this difficult time and thank the Clubs and Resorts for their continued support.

The following information has been confirmed:

• Snow Australia Ski Cross Futures – Thursday 2nd of September – Mt Buller
• Snow Australia Alpine Children’s Carnival – Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th of September – Mt Buller
• Snow Australia FIS National & National Junior Championships – Tuesday 14th September to Friday 17th September - Thredbo

Snow Australia will confirm the details for the ANC races as soon as possible.

FIS Point Freeze

FIS have made the decision to expand the window for FIS Points calculation to include results achieved between July 1st 2019 – April 30th 2021. This means that for athletes unable to compete this past season, their FIS points will remain unaffected for the upcoming Base List 2022.

The following is the specific wording to the precision for FIS Points calculation for Base List 2022:

To include results of the last season in the Base FIS points List (BL) 2022 

Due to the actual exceptional circumstances and the high number of scheduled alpine events already cancelled in the Southern Hemisphere, the calculation of the BL22 published in June 2021 will include all valid results between 01.07.2019 and 30.04.2021. 

All Injury Status that were approved and published on the BL21 will remain valid if a racer does not achieve better results in the 2020/2021 season.
The required number of results and period to apply for Injury Status remains valid from 01.05.2020 until 31.04.2021. 

The qualification period for the Olympic Winter Games, Beijing 2022 could be extended from 01.07.2019 until 16.01.2022 (presently from 01.07.2020) subject to the IOC’s approval. 
https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1603100904/fis-prod/assets/Precisions_Northern_Hemisphere_19.10.20.pdf

FIS Freestyle Ski Cross is looking at a similar proposal which will be announced at the upcoming FIS Congress and will be communicated as soon as released.

Club Update 

In-Club Development Camp and Skills Assessment

The Alpine Director in collaboration with the Coach Leadership from each of the Affiliated Clubs have reviewed the delivery and structure of the National Skills Assessment.

Following the review, the one-day National Skills Assessment will now be an In-Club Development Camp and Skills Assessment delivered within each club, over a number of nominated days throughout the season. This time will be nominated by each of the Affiliated Clubs and will be individually designed for each Club.

To be part of this program, athletes will need to register as an Alpine Club Racer.

NSW Club (Regional) Interschools Alpine Exemption Rule

Snow Australia, the NSW Interschools Committee and NSW Clubs have collaborated to implement the NSW Club (Regional) Interschools Alpine Exemption Rule. This rule, which complements the ETP / NSWIS / VIS / OWIA athlete exemption rule already in place at Regional & State events, has been developed to allow eligible club athletes to focus on training and bypass the Regional Interschool events.

For more information please read Exemption Criteria Procedure here.