XC National Team for 2024-2025

The Snow Australia Selection Comittee is pleased to confirm and announce the selection of athletes to the 2024/2025 Cross Country Skiing National Team. Twenty-seven athletes will take their place in the World Cup, Continental Cup, U23 and Junior teams, including four Winter Olympians and three athletes making their team debut. Two additional discretionary selections are being considered, pending the submission of Individual Performance Plans.

Major events for the team during the upcoming northern hemisphere winter include the 2024/25 World Cup series, the 2025 World Championship in Trondheim (NOR), the 2025 World Junior & U23 Championships in Schilpario (ITA), and the 2025 World University Games in Torino (ITA). It will be a big season for the team, with results from World Cup and Championships events contributing towards athletes quotas at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

* First year on the National Team

Australian Mixed Relay Team, 2024 Goms World Cup - L-R Seve de Campo, Rosie Fordham, Ellen Soehol Lie, Lars Young Vik

FIS competitions with Australian athletes are set to kick off on November 22-24 in Beitostoelen in Norway, with the first World Cup the following weekend in Ruka, Finland. Australian Team Head Coach Alexei Sotskov, currently in the USA, is set to join the athletes in Norway and is looking forward to the season ahead.

Sotskov - In preparation for the season our team members took different strategies. Some were staying in Australia and took advantage of the winter conditions here, some took an option to spend the pre-season period in Norway or the USA, and some combined both. Although the locations of training were all over the world, the team is united in common goal to represent the Australian xc ski community at the highest level of competition this season.

- All of this makes me super excited about the months ahead. Our pre-season physical tests indicate we have a lot of athletes in good shape and ready to race. It makes me confident that the strategy, first time in the history of the team, to race every World Cup should be a great one. The World Championship in Trondheim also is sure to be an amazing event with big crowds. It is a big challenge, but as a team we are up for it.

Australia aims to have a team of 8-10 athletes racing at the World Championships in Trondheim, and potentially up to 12 athletes racing at the World Junior/U23s in Italy. Norwegian based World Cup team member Ellen Soehol Lie is looking forward to this World Championship on "home" snow.

Lie - I am so excited for this season! Can’t wait to start racing and give everything I’ve got with a bib again. Worlds in Trondheim will be epic with huge crowds and good vibes, looking so much forward to it. I’m of course very nervous but even more excited to see what my training this year will result in. I’m for sure going to have a lot of fun with the team and make sure we’ll put some great memories in the books.

Another skier aiming to racing at Trondheim is Liam Burton, who returns to the National Team this year after a 5-year break. The 26-year-old who previously flew the flag at the Youth Olympic Games in 2016, the World Juniors in 2017 and 2018, and at the World U23s in 2019 has been training well this year and is ready to race in Europe again.

Burton - After a long break, it’s good to be back on the team and I’m looking forward to ripping this season.

From the Junior Team, Jayden Spring had a break-through performance last season with a top 30 at the 2024 World Juniors in Planica. Now in his last year as a junior, Jayden is gearing up for his longest northern racing season to date.

Spring - I‘m looking forward to finally travelling and racing with the team for a whole Euro season, to and try to improve on my 2024 World Junior results in Schilpario.

The team is also welcoming Under 23 athlete Isabella Moon to the National Team for the first time. A current member also of the Australian Biathlon Team, Moon is combining racing in both sports this season and aims to race at the World U23 Championship and the World University Games.

Moon - I’m super excited to earn my first selection to the AUSXC National Team.  Despite a background primarily in biathlon, I’ve really found my passion in pursuing cross country skiing, particularly in the challenge and technicality of classic skiing. It is really rewarding to have my training and focus pay off and the supportive team environment and group training sessions have really motivated me to work harder each day.

Most members of the National Team are predominantly self-funded. Donations to the Australian XC Ski Team can be made via the Australian Sports Foundation. All funds raised between now and February go directly towards athlete expenses in this season.

Preliminary Event Schedule
(events supported by Australian Team coaches)

Team members will also be competing in other FIS events throughout the season racing for their clubs, universities and independently.

2024/2025 International Event Selection

Many athletes have already qualified for international events in the 2024/2025 season, This International XC Event selection page is updated during the season as additional athletes qualify and selections are made.

Further Information

Finn Marsland, Cross Country Program Director, fmarsland@snow.org.au