Awesome Foursome get ready to shred

The road to Milano-Cortina 2026 begins this week for the Australian Para Snowboard Team who start their season tonight at the Dutch indoor slope in Landgraaf.

With four athletes and plus coaches and support staff, the biggest Australian Para Snowboard crew in recent memory is ready to embark on a campaign of racing that will be highlighted by the World Championships at Big White, Canada in March.

The athletes taking to the course this year are each on slightly different paths but with the same ultimate goal of success in mind.

Paralympic bronze medallist Ben Tudhope leads the team in terms of experience and performance, with his near-perfect podium record in recent seasons making him a feared opponent for many.

Pyeongchang 2018 representative Sean Pollard returns to action after a hamstring injury cruelled last season’s campaign. He will be looking to return to the form which took him to top 10 finishes at the Paralympics and 2019 World Championships bronze medal.

Mandy Reid swaps the cycle for the snowboard after defending her Paralympic gold medal in the C1-3 Time Trial in Paris. The 2023 Snowboard Cross World Champion has her eyes on Milano-Cortina having represented Australia at the last four summer Olympic Games.

Emerging Talent Program athlete Aaron McCarthy is looking to gain experience and develop his craft in his first northern winter. After a domestic season full of learning, Aaron recently attended the FIS Development Camp in Manchester and was the recipient of the Snow Australia Community Sport Award for ETP Para Athletes. 

Tudhope and Reid are set to compete World Cup Banked Slalom races while Pollard and McCarthy take on a pair of European Cup Banked Slalom events.

Racing starts tonight at 8:30pm AEDT.

Click here for Live Timing details.