Alpine, Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross headline weekend World Cups

The Winter World Cup season ramps up this weekend with Aussies in action across three disciplines.

Just weeks after her World Cup debut in Soelden, Austria, Madi Hoffman is back in action, competing in the Giant Slalom (GS) and Slalom (SL) at the Killington Alpine World Cup this weekend.

A challenging debut course saw Hoffman register a DNF in Austria, but the 21-year-old said it was a great event to be part of and she took a lot from that experience which will benefit her in future World Cups.

“Starting Soelden was a really fun experience. The snow was amazing and the crowd was so fun,” Hoffman said.

“One of the key things that stood out to me after experiencing my first World Cup was the fact that you really have to go for it and push your limits to try to crack those second runs.

“The girls in the top 30 all believe they can be up there, so that self-belief and confidence is also crucial. 

“I definitely walked away from the experience feeling very motivated.”

The Thredbo Ski Racing Club member now lives and trains in America as a member of the University of Utah Ski Team. Last week she lined up for Nor-Am Cup in Copper Mountain, and whilst disappointed with her result, she said it lit a fire in her ahead of this weekend’s event.

“Racing in Copper last week was interesting and beneficial,” she said.

“It was good to feel the race season really starting and also to have some girls in the top 30 racing too. The more experience against the best in the world, the more comfortable you ultimately get.

“I would have loved to put together more consistent skiing but it just fires me up to keep pushing off a few good runs.”

Hoffman will line up in the GS at the Killington World Cup on Saturday, with Run 1 scheduled for 10am local time, or 2am AEDT on Sunday 28th November. The SL is held the following day at 9.45am local time (1.45am EDT Monday 29th November). Watch the live stream HERE.

Also on the calendar this weekend is the first Ski and Snowboard Cross World Cups of the season in Secret Garden, which doubles as the Olympic Test Event for Beijing 2022.

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim will headline the Ski Cross Team, alongside Doug Crawford and Robbie Morrison in the mens. 

Ski Cross Qualifiers kick off on Thursday afternoon Australia time, with the finals live from 1pm local time (3pm AEDT) on Saturday 27 November. Watch the finals live HERE.

Australia’s full Snowboard Cross team will also launch their World Cup season this weekend with 2021 SBX Team World Champion Jarryd Hughes joining Cam Bolton, Adam Dickson and Adam Lambert in the men’s event.

Dual Winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff will be joined by Mia Clift, who will make her World Cup debut in the Women’s event.

The 17-year-old NSWIS rider has been training alongside 2021 SBX Team World Champion Brockhoff and the Team for the past couple of years, and is eager to get back into the start gates for her first competition since the FIS ANC races at Mt Hotham, in September 2019, where she was crowned as the overall Continental Cup women’s champion.

“It’s crazy to think it’s been two years already. This period has been a bit nerve wracking as you feel like you’re a few steps behind those who had a chance to compete,” Clift admitted.

“I am very excited at the prospect of getting back into it. There will definitely be a bit of nerves at the beginning, but I’ll try to go overseas without too many expectations, even though of course it would be a dream to qualify for the Games.”

The Secret Garden Snowboard Cross World Cup qualifiers are on Sunday 26 November, with finals from 1pm local time (4pm AEDT) on Sunday 28 November. Watch the finals live HERE.