Aussies off to Junior World Championships

Eighteen up-and-coming Australian athletes will be lining up at FIS Junior World Championship events over the coming weeks.

The Park & Pipe Junior World Championships kick off in Livigno, Italy tonight with five athletes ready to make their mark.

Freeskiers Joey Ellis (pictured) and Toby McIlwaine will be joined by snowboarders Taj Curran, Zephyr Whitelaw-Holmes and James Garth.

The Alpine Snowboard Junior World Championships in Lachtal, Austria start tonight, with 20-year-old Georgia Brose looking to use her Nor-Am Cup experience to her advantage.

The first week of April will see the Moguls Junior World Championships take place at Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, with Lucy Pernice taking part. The 18-year-old has scored a pair of Nor-Am top 10s this season and is at her first Junior Worlds.

Gudauri, Georgia plays host to the Snowboard Cross Junior World Championships from 3 April with a strong eight-rider contingent looking to top the podium. Leading the way is James Johnstone who won the Junior World Championship for Mixed Snowboard Cross team last year with Josie Baff. Johnstone is sitting third on the Europa Cup standings coming into the final event of the season, while Maya Billingham has also been on the Europa Cup podium this season.

Youth Winter Olympic Games representatives William Martin and Cam Turner are also lining up alongside Will McCarthy, Robert Jones, David McLean and Marci Davis-Cook.

Finally, the Ski Cross Junior World Championships take place in Idre Fjäll, Sweden from 13 April where YOG flag bearer Duncan Cowan will feature along with Emerson Facer and Kyra Wheatley.