Aussies take glory in Continental Cups

It wasn't just World Cup medals being claimed by Australians this week with no less than five Continental Cups victories taken out in Finland and Canada with a further five podium performances.

ALPINE NOR-AM CUP
Panorama CAN | 12-15 December

Madison Hoffman has had the busiest start to the season of any Australian winter athlete with four World Cup starts before her return to the Nor-Am Cup in Canada.

Having taken a Nor-Am Slalom win at Panorama in April, Hoffman came into four days of racing with confidence she knew what it takes to perform on this course.

She started on the right note on Thursday with a third place Slalom finish, and followed that up with second the following day.

Hoffman continued her rise up the podium with Giant Slalom victory on Saturday before recording a DNF on Sunday.

She now sits second on the Nor-Am standings for Slalom, third Overall and fourth in Giant Slalom.

Brother Thomas Hoffman was also able to get in on the action, his fourth place finish ion Thursday's Giant Slalom delivering his first Nor-Am top 10 and career-best FIS points (25.40).

AERIALS EUROPEAN CUP
Ruka FIN | 13-14 December

Australia's strength in women's Aerials was on show in Finland late last week with the senior and developing athletes putting on a show.

Two-time World Champion and two-time Crystal Globe winner Laura Peel started the season in top form with back-to-back victories, with Thursday's win part of an Aussie sweep of the podium. Abbey Willcox's second place was her first European Cup podium since back-to-back wins in 2020, while two-time reigning Crystal Globe champion Danielle Scott finished third.

The following day, Peel and Willcox took a 1-3 finish but the strong results didn't finish there.

Four more athletes recorded six top 10s across the two days of competition, many of which were career best performances: Miriana Perkins (6th and 6th), Airleigh Frigo (9th and 10th), Sidney Stephens (10th) and Elise Coleiro (7th).

Peel sits atop the overall European Cup standings after two events ahead of Willcox (2nd). Three more Australians feature in the top 10: Perkins (6th), Scott (7th) and Coleiro (8th).

The first Aerials World Cup of the season takes place in Lake Placid, New York in January.

SKI CROSS NOR-AM CUP
Nakiska CAN | 14-15 December

Duncan Cowan had the honour of carrying the Australian flag at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in January before finishing the Ski Cross competition in sixth place.

With a pair of victories last weekend in Canada, Cowan is showing he's more than ready to start taking on the senior ranks.

Competing against some of the best from North America, Saturday's victory saw Cowan take down the 2024 World Junior Champion in the Big Final, while Sunday's win sees him take a commanding lead in the overall standings.

Also producing career-best performances was 17-year-old Lucia Parsons who scored a pair of seventh place finishes to sit sixth on the overall standings.

There are three more Nor-Am Cup stops in the United States in February and March before competition returns to Nakiska in April.