Amber Essex - Women of Winter

Snowboard cross athlete Amber Essex found her passion for the snow at a very early age, and now her eyes are set on the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. 

Introduced to the snowboard cross discipline at Interschools, the now 23-year-old has had the opportunity to train and compete all over the world - picking up multiple top 20 finishes in the 2024/25 international season. 

“I started snowboarding at eight years old,” Essex said. “I skied at three, but decided to make the switch as I got that little bit older.

“I first started snowboard cross at Interschools when I was in primary school and through the Perisher Winter Sports Club, and I started competing in the Australian Junior Series. 

“This led me to participating in Futures and competing down in Hotham.”

The passion Amber has for improving her skills in snowboard cross, and seeing the hard work and dedication culminate into international results, is her favourite element of competition. 

“The rush of adrenaline you get from flying down a course is unbeatable,” she said. 

“I also really love the feeling of getting better at certain skills, being able to see my progression through the years on video and being able to ride through faster and more technical courses is really motivating.

“I love spending time on the glaciers pre-season.  We have a training camp on Pitztal Glacier in Austria with other teams from all different countries which is always a fun way to kick off the season. 

“The glaciers also have super cold temperatures which gives us great snow conditions to pull out the race boards.”

With a recent seventh place finish in China at the Beidahu World Cup, Amber is thankful to her support team for helping her inch closer to that Olympic dream. 

“My biggest influences have definitely been my parents and coaches who have played the biggest roles in getting me to where I am today,” Essex said. 

“I can’t say that there is any one person who has been the biggest influence on my career but I definitely wouldn’t be here without everyone around me giving me the confidence I needed to keep pushing.

“I would love to represent Australia at the 2026 Olympics in Italy, and Olympic qualification has always been at the top of my list of goals and to be able to achieve that would be super special.

“To any young women who are thinking about taking their snowboarding journeys to the next level, I would say don’t put too much pressure on your results or competing. 

“Spend as much time as you can on snow and have fun with it. The more time you play around on your snowboard the more confident you’ll become, which will help you massively when you start racing at a higher level.”