Para Snowboard team gearing up for World Championships

The Australian Para Snowboard team is about to launch into the business end of a campaign which has already been highly successful.

Ben Tudhope (LL2) continues to display incredible consistency, Sean Pollard (UL) is enjoying a measured comeback this season while Aaron McCarthy (LL1) has done everything asked of him in his opening campaign.

Tudhope’s ongoing success on the international stage has come to the point where it is no longer a surprise. Whether it is snowboard cross or banked slalom, Tudhope is vying for LL2 medals at every Para Snowboard World Cup and has finished on the podium in six of his seven events this  season, including an SBX gold in Finland.

Three seconds and a fourth at the four Banked Slalom World Cup faces earned him second on the overall standings however the Snowboard Cross World Cup season is not over yet.

An additional World Cup at Steamboat Springs, Colorado was added to the schedule mid-season, with this week’s competition providing a fantastic opportunity to race in North America ahead of March’s World Championships at Big White, Canada.

“This season has been a solid one, filled with plenty of comps, good racing, and some epic times with the team,” said Tudhope. “Every event has been a chance to push myself, learn and fine-tune my riding.

“Leading up to World Champs, my focus has been on staying consistent, training hard and making sure I’m in the best shape possible.

“My goal for World Champs is to have fun. I know that when I’m enjoying my riding, that’s when I perform at my best.

“The level of competition is going to be high, which makes it exciting. I’m looking forward to make the most of the experience. Hopefully, we can bring home some strong results as a team too!”

McCarthy’s debut international season has ticked every box. After being selected to participate in a FIS Development Camp in Manchester last November, McCarthy went on to make his European Cup debut in ‘The Fridge’ at Landgraaf later that month and has not looked back.

“During that week we worked on progressing skills that would be needed for the indoor Banked Slalom event,” said McCarthy. “At the start of the event I got my international classification for Para Snowboard - LL1.

“The race was tricky - I had never ridden a course like that before. I was really relieved to put down two timed runs in each race and was happy to place seventh and sixth.”

With two Banked Slalom top 10s in the Netherlands, McCarthy made his SBX debut in Finland and went straight to the podium with a third place finish. Riding a World Cup course and qualifying in a high position gave the newcomer confidence he had what it takes to be competitive.

“I qualified second fastest and went straight to the Big Final,” he said. “I had a good start and led for a portion of the race. I eventually finished third securing my first podium in an international competition.”

At the Kühtai European Cup, McCarthy landed his first Banked Slalom podium with second place then upgraded to a win in race two.

Those results earned him the overall European Cup title for Banked Slalom in an eyecatching inaugural campaign.

“The European Cup season was heaps of fun and with the result from the Kühtai event I have qualified to compete in the Para Snowboard World Championships Banked Slalom event at Big White,” said McCarthy. “I am really looking forward to competing in my first ever World Champs event.”

After missing last season due to injury, Pollard’s comeback with the Australian team started with a pre-season training camp in Ruka, Finland. With only around 5-6 hours of daylight each day, a lot of the time on the slopes was in the long evenings under floodlights.

The heavy three week block saw Pollard clock up more than 300 runs and he recorded 38,000 metres of vertical. Such a training load required managed recovery including saunas and a creative alternative to an ice bath - a cold plunge in a frozen lake!

Having been forced away from competition, Pollard was pleased to get back on the European start line in Landgraaf.

“I was happy to get back in the gates and make my return to international competition,” he said. “After the training runs I decided to take the highline on the course as it felt the quickest.

“My two runs were within 0.1s and against some tough competition this was good enough to finish seventh out a field of 22.”

After a rejuvenating break at home, Pollard embarked on the next phase of the season where the first stop was Pyhä, Finland.

“I finally made my return to the snowboard cross track - it’s been five years between races on the Para circuit for me,” said Pollard. “After setting the fastest time in qualifications I made a mistake in the Big Final and finished fourth place in the Europa Cup.

“Following Finland, we journeyed to Lenk, Switzerland, for the next Europa Cup events.

“I qualified first in the time trials, however when rough weather cancelled the finals, the results from qualifications counted handing me my first podium for the season!

“With momentum on my side, the focus now shifts to the upcoming race in Steamboat Springs, USA.

“As the final stop before the World Championships, this event will be a crucial test.

“The course at Steamboat is known for its technicality, and with the competition heating up, it’s the perfect opportunity to fine-tune my performance before heading to Canada.

“Beyond Steamboat, all eyes will be on Big White, where the World Championships will bring together the best in the sport.

“Each event this season has been a stepping stone, building confidence and highlighting areas for growth.

“I’m eager to carry this momentum forward and peak at the right time as we head into the biggest competition of the year.”

Tudhope and Pollard will race the Steamboat World Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday, and back up on Thursday to compete in the US National Championships.

They will then head to Canada for the 2025 World Championships at Big White where competition starts on Wednesday 5 March.