Australia New Zealand Cup comes to a close for 2024

The 2024 Australia New Zealand Cup has come to a close with more exciting action happening on both sides of the Tasman.

The quality of competition across the disciplines continues to set the bar higher each and every season, evidenced by the number of international athletes heading down for the southern hemisphere winter.

In all, Australia produced eight ANC champions for 2024 compared to six in 2023. 

CROSS COUNTRY
Rosie Fordham was the standout cross country athlete during this year’s ANC, coming through the season with an unblemished record.

The 22-year-old who made her World Cup debut in January won all four races she competed in, and even topped qualifying for two sprint races to further show her dominance.

One victory, three podiums and another top five showed consistency was the key for Phil Bellingham who topped the ANC standings for the seventh time in his career. 

Men: Phil Bellingham (AUS) 285, Jayden Spring (AUS) 214, Liam Burton (AUS) 209
Women: Rosie Fordham (AUS) 400, Hannah Price (AUS) 230, Rosie Franzke (AUS) 230

ALPINE
Madi Hoffman took GS bronze in the opening ANC race of the season on her way to a sixth place finish overall.

The 24-year-old had a breakthrough World Cup season in 2023/24 and early signs are she is poised for another big northern winter.

Louis Muhlen-Schulte was the best placed Aussie in the men’s standings courtesy of a seventh place slalom finish at Coronet Peak. 

Men: Sam Maes (BEL) 160, Reto Maechler (SUI) 150, Simon Maurberger (ITA) 112 - Best AUS: 15th Louis Muhlen-Schulte 36
Women: Janine Maechler (SUI) 195, Piera Hudson (NZL) 145, Amelie Klopfenstein (SUI) 142 - Best AUS: 6th Madi Hoffman 100 

SKI CROSS
Liam Michael finished second on the ANC standings in 2023 behind Doug Crawford but was not to be denied top spot this year.

After making his World Cup debut earlier in the year, Michael’s progress was on show as he remained unbeaten in ANC racing this winter.

Kyra Wheatley was the best place Australian racer in women’s ski cross this season behind a trio of Chinese athletes.

Men: Liam Michael (AUS) 200, Emerson Facer (AUS) 130, Bolati Bolaxiake (CHN) 120
Women: Wenwen Li (CHN) 200, Yuchen Pan (CHN) 160, Xuelian Zhang (CHN) 120 - Best AUS: 4th Kyra Wheatley 95

SNOWBOARD CROSS
The Snowboard Cross ranks across the country continue to shine as the upcoming talent look to challenge the old guard.

Veteran Cam Bolton scored two victories from three races to finish on top of the standings ahead of World Cup teammate Adam Lambert. Matthew Thomas - whose last ANC start was seven years ago - won the final race to finish third overall.

Maya Billingham did not win any of the three races this season but was on the podium on every occasion to top the closest ANC competition of any discipline this year. The races were all taken out by athletes ranked in the world’s top 20 - Josie Baff, Mia Clift and Swiss Sophie Hediger.

Men: Cameron Bolton (AUS) 250, Adam Lambert (AUS) 205, Matthew Thomas (AUS) 195
Women: Maya Billingham (AUS) 200, Josie Baff (AUS) 195, Mia Clift (AUS) 190

MOGULS
Charlotte Wilson and Japan’s Haruka Ihara were the stars of the women’s moguls with nothing able to separate the pair. Each skier took a win and a runner-up place to finish equal atop the women’s standings.

Japan’s Ikkei Fujimura was a class above in the men’s competition with an undefeated season with George Murphy taking a pair of podiums to finish second overall.

Men: Ikkei Fujimura (JPN) 200, George Murphy (AUS) 140, Edward Hill (AUS) 105
Women: Charlotte Wilson (AUS) 180, Haruka Ihara (JPN) 180, Marin Iro (JPN) 100

FREESKI PARK & PIPE
Fourteen-year-old Indra Brown has stamped herself as an athlete to watch with an eye-catching ANC season.

Brown won on the halfpipe, finished third in a big air competition and scored a pair of top 10s in Slopestyle. Those results saw her finish on top of the halfpipe standings and sixth in Slopestyle/big air.

In 2023 Kai Martin won his first-ever event competing under the Australian flag with an ANC Slopestyle victory at The Remarkables. History repeated in 2024 with the same result at the same venue on his way to fifth place overall in slopestyle/big air.

Slopestyle & Big Air
Men: Lucas Ball (NZL) 242, Miro Tabanelli (ITA) 150, Finley Melville Ives (NZL) 140 - Best AUS: 5th Kai Martin 124
Women: Madeleine Disbrowe (NZL) 200, Ruyi Yang (CHN) 170, Wenhui Xiong (CHN) 155 - Best AUS: 6th Indra Brown 139.5

Halfpipe
Men: Finley Melville Ives (NZL) 100, Luke Harold (NZL) 80, Ben Fethke (USA) 60 - Best AUS: 15th Hugo Broadbent 16
Women: Indra Brown (AUS) 100, Abbey Winterberger (USA) 80, Hanna Lamm (USA) 60

SNOWBOARD PARK & PIPE
Ally Hickman took a win (Slopestyle) and a second place finish (Big Air) from the ANC season to finish on top of the Slopestyle/big air standings at just 14 years of age. 

Jess McGregor scored a career best second at the Cardrona big air to finish second behind Hickman on the standings.

Slopestyle & Big Air
Men: Rocco Jamieson (NZL) 160, Lyon Farrell (NZL) 150, Hiroto Ogiwara (JPN) 100 - Best AUS: 11th Josh Robertson-Hahn 49
Women: Ally Hickman (AUS) 180, Jess McGregor (AUS) 105, Yuri Murase (JPN)

Halfpipe
Men: Campbell Melville Ives (NZL) 200, Haku Shimasaki (JPN) 200, Zensei Nishizuka (JPN) 175
Women: Kanoe Pelfrey (ASA) 160, Sara Shimuzu (JPN) 150, Rise Kudo (JPN) 120