Para Alpine & Para Snowboard - 2022/23 Season Wrap

Australia’s Para Snowsport athletes delivered a steady stream of exciting performances throughout the 2022/23 season, with the most notable results coming from triple-Paralympian Ben Tudhope who experienced his most successful season to-date. 

The Beijing bronze medallist was dominant, landing on the podium at all nine World Cup races of the season, winning five events along the way. The combination of results earned Tudhope the Para Snowboard Cross and overall Para Snowboard Crystal Globes.

If that wasn’t enough, the 23-year-old also won the Snowboard Cross World Championships gold medal as well as bronze in Dual Banked Slalom.  

For Tudhope, winning gold on the Spanish slopes of La Molina was particularly poignant and he reflected on this at the time.

"Nine years ago my teammate died here, Matty Robinson," said Tudhope. "I saw two birds flying over today - one’s for him, and one’s for my late coach Mikko Wendelin. He passed away in 2019 and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Competing at her first Para Snowboard World Championships, Paralympic cyclist Amanda Reid successfully swapped a bike for a board as she raced to victory in the women’s Snowboard Cross and also claimed Dual Banked Slalom bronze. 

"It was really good. I came in just to have fun and enjoy my first World Championships," said Reid. "I didn’t expect to walk away with that result at all, so I’m pretty excited."

Reid also racked up four Europa Cup victories and a World Cup podium in her debut season.

The highlight of the Para Alpine season was the World Championships in Espot, Spain in January, and despite indifferent weather the event was a positive one for the Australian contingent.

“World Champs was an amazing experience for all,” said Ali Bombardier, Para Alpine Coach. “The wind and snow made for a challenging 10 days of competition, this brought the team together, working to stay motivated and ready to race when the opportunities presented themselves.”

Visually-impaired skier Pat Jensen paired with new guide Ethan Jackson for a best result of seventh in alpine combined and slalom.

Sit skier Sam Tait finished ninth in his favourite event, downhill, while Josh Hanlon saved his best result for the last event of the Championships, placing sixth in the sitting slalom.

Following a World Cup season which started with World Cups in Austria and Switzerland in December, the Para Alpine campaign finally came to a close at the World Cup finals in Italy last month. 
Jensen and Jackson claimed three top five finishes including fourth in giant slalom, while Hanlon’s best result came in slalom where he was ninth.

Over the coming weeks snow.org.au will continue to wrap the international season as we breakdown the 2022/23 campaigns in Ski & Snowboard Cross, Park & Pipe, Cross Country & Ski Mountaineering and Alpine Skiing & Snowboard. You can click here for our Freestyle Skiing wrap featuring our amazing results in Aerials and Moguls.
 

Ben Tudhope won his third Athlete of the Year for Paralympic disciplines at the 2022 Snow Australia Awards.

Can he make it four, or will someone else end up on top?

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