Laidlaw returns to snow after ACL injury

Winter Olympian Harry Laidlaw has returned to snow last week, after a long period of rehabilitation to recover from an ACL injury sustained in the 2020 northern winter.

Laidlaw suffered a left ACL tear in November last year, undergoing surgery in Innsbruck later that month.

The 25-year-old Melburnian has since returned to Australia, where he has worked closely with physiotherapist Ben Bond and Snow Australia Alpine Performance Consultant Mick Branch throughout his rehabilitation.

Bond, who has been an integral part of this journey, said not only is Laidlaw’s return to snow promising ahead of the northern winter, but a reward for the hard work he has put in to get to this point.

“Harry’s commitment to his rehabilitation has been second-to-none,” Bond said.

“He has done everything asked of him and has a strong desire to be in the most optimal condition possible prior to returning to Europe.

“He has impressed me with his diligent approach right from the beginning when doing rehab sessions in quarantine, until returning to snow this past week,” he said.

Laidlaw’s recovery has, up until this point, consisted of three face-to-face sessions with Farhan Juhari (Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Bond at the Victorian Institute of Sport.

Particularly thankful for the support he has been shown during his recovery journey, Laidlaw took a moment to reflect on how far he has come with the help of Ben Bond and Mick Branch.

“The last couple of months I was in Europe were pretty difficult with getting COVID-19, rupturing my ACL, my teammates all travelling to compete and not having my family there - it made it tough mentally,” Laidlaw said.

“Ben Bond came into the picture quite early in my rehab process, making for strong support both mentally and physically for the rest of my time in Europe.

“I have been very grateful to Ben along the journey, as well as Fab at the VIS, who have both put in a tremendous amount of work to get me back on skis.

“It has made a huge difference in my rehab knowing I have people in my corner who truly care.

“It’s also been great having Mick (Branch) on board, giving me some guidance on my rehab and planning for the upcoming winter, with his vast experience through the skiing world,” he said.

He will now spend the next three weeks at Mt Hotham completing his return to snow program. Mount Hotham Race Club have kindly supported this next step, providing access to club facilities, such as the gym, which will greatly benefit Laidlaw.

“Since returning to snow I feel strong and confident going into the winter and very grateful for the support of Mt Hotham Race Club, and Hugh Brooks and Jeff Books for all their hard work fine tuning my skiing over the past couple of weeks,” Laidlaw said.