Dear SkiMo Skiers,

As winter continues here in Australia, with a little under a month until our first Australian SkiMo races, we're back with another update. 

Although the biting chill of winter has taken a bit of a step back, that doesn't mean that there aren't amazing things happening in the world of SkiMo, both currently in Australia and abroad in the future. 

Partnerships with both Falls Creek and Perisher continue as we enter the final month in the lead-up to our first Australian SkiMo races. After close to two years of planning and with immense work from the Aus SkiMo Committee fingers are crossed for the weather as we look to deliver two amazing events. Falls Creek will host both a Sprint and Mini-Individual on the 15th and 16th of September, respectively, and Perisher will host a Mini-Individual on the 29th of September. Registration links to both events are below, and we would absolutely love for you to join in and give it a go. 

In International SkiMo news, our peak body, the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, or the ISMF, will host its annual Plenary Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan. This assembly will bring together all partner nations in preparation for the upcoming World Cup season and the lead-up to the Milano Cortina '26 Winter Olympics. 

We are also seeing several returning and new Australian SkiMo athletes expressing interest and preparing for the World Cup season. With this being the final season before the Milano Cortina '26 Winter Olympics selection will be on the mind of our athletes as they compete throughout the season 

With both the national and international seasons ramping up, it's an exciting time in Australia SkiMo, and I look forward to seeing you huffing and puffing as you charge uphill at one of our events.

Brian Lichi
Snow Australia Ski Mountaineering Committee Chair

For 2024, Snow Australia is partnering with Falls Creek and Perisher to host Australia’s first SkiMo events.

Registration links to both and event details can be found below. Along with this we want to open up an invite to volunteers to help with the delivery of our Perisher event. If you have the opportunity and the desire to assist in either the setting of the course or the delivery of the races please reach out to Brian Lichi at blichi@snow.org.au or 0435 426 046.

Falls Creek SkiMo Weekend

• September 14-15
• Click here for event information and to enter

Perisher SkiMo Festival

• September 29
• Click here for event information and to enter

With athletes training for the upcoming World Cup seasons across the globe in both the Northern Hemisphere summer and the Southern Hemisphere winter we wanted to check in on a couple of them and see how their preparation is going. 

Phil Bellingham
"I've been training really hard for the past three months and doing a lot of on-snow time. I've been combining skimo training with cross-country training and working as a ski patroller at Falls Creek. I'm pretty happy with my shape at the moment, and the hard work seems to have paid off so far, with some successful races just recently in the National Champs and winning the XC Continental Cup. I hope to continue this trajectory over the next few months."

Lara Hamilton
“Training is going well; I’m focusing a lot on mental and technical preparation pre-season, forming good habits there. I know the fitness will come easy if the rest of the pieces are in place!”

Innika DeRosa
I’ve been using the summer to work on increasing speed & explosiveness in workouts and in the gym. I’ve been doing a lot of traditional cross-country training to get used to using my arms and utilising poles in both running & on roller skis. I hope to see technical improvements when we come to winter. I still need to learn to skate, though….stay tuned.”

As we gear up and prepare for the upcoming World Cup season, which includes both the World Championships in Morgin, SUI as well as an Olympic Test event in Bormio, Snow Australia is seeking interest from athletes to compete in International SkiMo events.

SkiMo competitors who wish to be identified by Snow Australia and potentially become part of the Australian National Team for 2024-25 should register via the link below. 

National Team EOI

SkiMo membership with Snow Australia ensures that you are notified of the latest news and updates within the sport and lock in your expression of interest in local and international events.