Dear Alpine Skiing Community,

Well, that’s a wrap to season 2022! We did it! After 2 years of disrupted training and competition due to Covid we have successfully completed a great season. I would firstly like to thank all the athletes, families, coaches, and clubs for a great season. It is your passion and commitment which drives the health of our sport and its future for the next generations of athletes. It was a very busy season across all the resorts however support for our clubs and athletes to access training and competitions remained strong and committed, I extend my thanks to all our resort partners. 

Looking forward it is now time for those athletes planning on going overseas to spend some quality time off-snow with friends and family and in the gym preparing themselves for another snow season. Physical preparation is a cornerstone, not only to performance on the hill, but also to injury prevention and your availability to train and compete. As we know, every day counts when on snow working towards developing skills and race craft, so missing any time due to injury can have a negative effect on progression.

Expressions of Interest are open for athletes looking to compete overseas in FIS Children’s and FIS Alpine and Ski Cross events. Information regarding qualification and selection to World Championship and Junior World Championships for Alpine and Ski Cross is posted on the website and will continue to be updated as information is provided through FIS.

Snow Australia continues to work with our insurance partners to find suitable cover for the broader winter sports community looking to travel and compete overseas and will hopefully have more information soon.

Shawn Fleming
National Alpine Director
Snow Australia

It was a busy end to the season with Snow Australia National competitions in Alpine and Ski Cross happening across Hotham, Thredbo and Perisher.

Mt Hotham hosted the Snow Australia Ski Cross Futures and ANC Ski Cross series in late August and early September with great attendance. “It’s encouraging to see athletes exploring all disciplines on offer throughout the season” said Sami Sim who managed the highly successful Futures Camp under challenging weather conditions. Hotham Events Dept. did an outstanding job running the ANC events in conjunction with snowboard under ever changing weather conditions. 

At the same time Thredbo Ski Racing Club in partnership with Kosciusko Thredbo hosted the Snow Australia Children’s Carnival inviting the top U14 and U16 athletes from across the country. Athlete entries were at numbers equal to pre-Covid years and there was a noticeable excitement to get back to racing. Dealing with very challenging weather conditions leading into the event TSRC was able to successfully host a SX, 2 GS and 2 SL races. This is a testament to the hard-working volunteers and leadership at TSRC, thank you for your efforts and also a huge thanks to all of the club coaches and athletes across the country who assisted making this a great event. 

Thredbo also hosted the inaugural Snow Australia Club Skills Challenge which saw clubs nominating athletes across gender and age categories to represent their club and compete in a series of skills challenges. This initiative helps continue to drive and support the National Alpine Strategy of producing top skilled athletes capable of progressing into and through the performance pathway. It also brings a fun focus towards ‘Team’ competition and away from individual performance. Congratulations to TSRC for winning in the first year and I look forward to seeing this concept grow in the coming years. 

In mid-September, Perisher hosted the Snow Australia FIS National and National Junior Championships. Athlete entries were again at or above pre-Covid numbers which continues to support the health of the sport in Australia. Conditions changed daily but thanks to the great work of the Perisher Race Dept. a successful series was able to be held crowning both National and Junior National Champions in GS and SL. 

Click here for all the latest alpine news.

Thank you all for a great season!

Shawn Fleming
National Alpine Director
Snow Australia

Following a career best season in 2022, National Alpine Ski Team member Harry Laidlaw will compete in the first FIS Alpine World Cup race of the season in Soelden, Austria this weekend.

The 26 year old won three NorAm races in a row last season lowering his Giant Slalom FIS points to just 15 which sees him ranked 31 on the points list going into the event.

Good luck Harry!

We are currently working with Ski Austria to confirm streaming access for Aussie fans to watch Harry race. Keep an eye on our socials over the weekend for any updates.

www.snow.org.au/live

The Australian Para Alpine team have spent some valuable time on snow, while in camp in Cardrona across the ditch in New Zealand.

The New Zealand National Championships provided the perfect opportunity for our Aussies to gain some valuable on snow training experience, as well as be immersed in a competitive, racing environment again.

It was also the first Para Alpine races to be held in the Southern Hemisphere for three years, and the first under the new governance of FIS. 

Paralympians Sam Tait and Josh Hanlon spearheaded the team that travelled to New Zealand, joined by development athlete and fellow sit skier Aimee Fisher, as well as Georgia Gunew and her guide Keiraley O’Connor.

To compete overseas in FIS sanctioned competitions there are prequisites required before you can be included on an official Australian entry form. Please view the information below to make sure you understand your obligations as requirements may vary between disciplines.

Entering FIS Sanctioned Events
Snow Australia remains the single point of entry for Australian skiers and snowboarders competing internationally in FIS sanctioned events.

To be entered in FIS events you must:

1. Be an 'International' level member with Snow Australia (Please note Alpine Club Racer is suitable for FIS Children's races)
2. Hold competition insurance that meets the minimum requirements as per FIS rules (ICR 212.3) 
3. Submit your Expression of Interest to compete in FIS sanctioned events

Visit the Competing Overseas page of the Snow Australia website for more information. 

FIS Alpine Children's Races
If you plan to compete in FIS Alpine Children's Races during the northern winter please familiarise yourself with the below resources:

• Competing Overseas - Expression of Interest Information

• International Children's Competition Criteria

• EOI form for Alpine Children's Races