Australians deliver podium performances at New Zealand ANC events

Australian snowboard and freeski athletes have enjoyed a strong end to the season, recording multiple podium finishes across the FIS Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) events at Cardrona and The Remarkables in New Zealand.

The action began at The Remarkables on September 24-25, with Australia claiming two victories in Slopestyle. 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympian Mela Stalker topped the Snowboard Women’s field, while Maya Broadbent claimed first place in Freeski Women, with Evie Mohr and Darcie Brien finishing fourth and fifth.

The athletes then returned to competition the following week at Cardrona for the Premium ANC and New Zealand Freestyle Nationals from October 2-8, with Australians competing in a stacked international field across Big Air, Halfpipe and Slopestyle events.

Hugo Broadbent led the way in Big Air, securing second place in Freeski Men, with Aidan Laing finishing fourth. Maya Broadbent added another podium to her season, taking third place in Freeski Women, while Stalker finished second in Snowboard.

Australia also featured on the Halfpipe podium, with Amelie Haskell claiming second place in Snowboard Women.

The final slopestyle events were contested on a cloudy spring day at the top of Big Buck’s Park, yet the Australian team still delivered further success. Maya Broadbent claimed victory in Freeski Women, ahead of teammate and Milano-Cortina Olympian Indra Brown in third. Hugo Broadbent finished fifth in the Freeski Men, while Hayden Jacobs secured fifth place in Open Snowboard Men.

Twelve year old Airish George also stood on the top step of the podium in Snowboard Women, claiming her first ever Open FIS event win and rounding out a strong series of results for the Australian snowboard team.

For siblings Hugo and Maya Broadbent, the ANC provided a valuable opportunity to test themselves against international competition, with both athletes enjoying podium success across the series.

“It has been a fun few weeks competing in the ANCs in NZ, as we have enjoyed skiing with athletes from all over the world,” they said.

“The slopestyle course at Cardrona is such a good course with a large variety of features and a big jump line. The massive Big Air 70-foot jump allowed us to challenge ourselves and put down the jumps that we have been training for.

“We train together, and always cheer each other on, so it was a great feeling to be on the podium together. We were very happy for each other.”

The strong results in New Zealand carried through to the overall ANC Series standings, where Australian athletes claimed two series titles. Maya Broadbent was crowned Freeski Women’s series winner, while 12-year-old Airish George took out the Snowboard Women’s title.

Hugo Broadbent finished second overall in Freeski Men, whilst Hayden Jacobs was the highest placing Australian in Snowboard Men in fifth place. 

The overall winner is determined by combining each athlete’s best Big Air result with their top two Slopestyle results. With Cardrona introducing a Premium ANC event, all points scored there were worth 150 per cent of those earned at the Thredbo and The Remarkables events, which made the Cardrona podiums especially valuable.

Beyond the podium finishes, the ANC series has offered an important opportunity for Australian athletes to gain international competition experience and accumulate FIS points to help earn a spot on the FIS World Cup tour.

Check out the Top 10 results below, or for full result information, click here.