Para Alpine & Para Snowboard - 2023/24 Season Wrap

As the northern hemisphere season comes to a close, we will take a look back at the winter that was across all the disciplines which saw Australian athletes taking on the world.

We start with our Para Snowsports athletes who were often forced to combat adversity due to weather, but ultimately enjoyed a fabulous season.

Para Snowboard 
With Amanda Reid focusing on cycling this season ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, it was left to Ben Tudhope to fly the Australian flag on the Para Snowboard World Cup circuit.

As expected, Ben had another incredible season, finishing on the podium in nine out of his ten World Cup starts across both Banked Slalom and Snowboard Cross.  

His World Cup banked slalom season started with a pair of silvers in Landgraaf, Netherlands, then finished with another two banked slalom silvers in Mt Sima, Canada at the World Cup Finals. Those results earned him second on the overall banked slalom standings for the season.

After a fourth place finish in the first snowboard cross World Cup in Pyha, Finland, Tudhope then scored three straight silvers and broke through for victory at Big White, Canada in the penultimate race of the season. Another silver the following day meant he also finished in second place on the snowboard cross standings and second on the Para Snowboard Overall World Cup standings.

Another highlight of the season came at Grasgehren, Germany when the Para Snowboard European and World Cup races were held alongside the Snowboard Cross Europa Cup. This brought about the opportunity to hold an Inclusive Mixed Team Snowboard Cross event for the first time in FIS history. Ben teamed up with Aussie Europa Cup rider Maya Billingham and finished fourth in the history-making event.

Para Alpine
The highlight of the Para Alpine season was visually-impaired skier Georgia Gunew breaking through for her first-ever World Cup medal.

Georgia joined the Australian Para Alpine Team in September 2022 for a series of races in New Zealand and in less than 18 months scored her maiden World Cup podium alongside new guide Ethan Jackson.

The pair’s combination developed strongly throughout the season with Gunew and Jackson going from strength to strength in small but highly-competitive fields.

Josh Hanlon also had a consistent season in the sitting category, starting the season with a commanding slalom victory at the Liechtenstein National Championships, before knocking on the door of World Cup top 10s throughout the season.  

Hanlon scored three top-eight finishes at the Sapporo World Cup and backed it up with another seventh place result in Austria later in the season. He finished the World Cup season ranked1 1th overall in men’s sitting category, ninth in slalom and 12th in giant slalom.

Over the coming weeks snow.org.au will continue to wrap the international season as we breakdown the 2023/24 campaigns in Aerials, Moguls, Ski & Snowboard Cross, Park & Pipe, Cross Country & Ski Mountaineering and Alpine Skiing & Snowboard.