AUSXC Team returns to Howmans Gap

In just over a week Australian cross country skiing athletes head to the Howmans Gap Discovery Camp near Falls Creek for their annual early-season training camp. Since the late 1980's this camp has been a staple for the National Team, but the tradition actually started with an Australian Institute of Sport camp based out of Mt Beauty in 1987. Digging into the archives (aka 2-time Olympian Paul Gray's training diaries), this camp schedule was found:

Coordinated by the then National Development Officer and National Coach Paul L'Huiller, the 1987 program had a remarkably similar focus to the present day. Most days featured LSD (long slow distance) sessions and work on technique, with a smattering of intervals and speed mixed in. Evenings included race planning, videos of world class skiers and a lecture on peaking.

In 1988 the base for the camp moved to Howmans Gap, 5km from Falls Creek, cutting down on the commuting time and allowing a longer break between sessions. Three-time Olympian Anthony Evans, then a junior member of the national team, was at all of those early camps in the 1980's and 1990's.

"Funny the things you remember, Pat Cash won at Wimbledon during that 1987 camp," said Evans from Jindabyne, where he now works for KNPWS. 

National Team poster featuring Anthony Evans and Mark Gray from a photo shoot during a Falls Creek camp in the late 1980's

Over the years a number of National Team athletes have been employed at Howmans throughout the winter as well, including current athlete and three-time Olympian Phillip Bellingham, who worked at Howmans for 7 seasons between 2009 and 2017.

"Howmans was the perfect set-up for me," said Bellingham, who now works as a Falls Creek ski patroller during the winter. "Flexible shift times and great staff to work with, living and working at Howmans got me through my first two Olympics."

Phil Bellingham enjoying fresh snow on a training camp in 2017

2018 and 2022 Winter Olympian Casey Wright also has fond memories of these Falls Creek camps

"I can’t remember how many training camps I did at Howmans Gap during my 10+ years as part of the Australian XC Ski Team. Nestled amongst the tall mountain ash, Howmans provided us the perfect base to recover and refuel from the many hours of training on snow and across the Victorian High Plains. Not only were we just a short drive to the Falls Creek XC trails, we also had access to alternative training options such as trail running, MTB and roller skiing, right from the doorstep. The opportunity to train and sleep at a higher altitude offered further training benefits, especially when we were preparing for up and coming races in the European Alps."

Casey Wright working on technique with coach Tommy Smith in 2014

For National Team head Coach Alexei Sotskov, this will be his 4th time leading this Howmans camp.

"I'm always very excited about this July on-snow camp. Howmans Gap suits our team just perfect - very close to the trails at Falls Creek and a warm team environment. Everyone on the team feels like it is our home."

"The goals for this particular camp are to get lots of kilometres on skis and to fine-tune technical skills. Generally the plan is to ski up to 40 km per day. This season is a special one as we are preparing for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. After tremendous success last northern hemisphere winter, the expectations from the team are very high."

In recent years Sotskov has emphasised dryland ski simulation and strength training during some of the breaks down at Howmans Gap. These, along with video review, training theory sessions and talent nights fill up the rest of the time around the on-snow sessions.

Dryland training outside the AAA building at Howmans Gap in 2023

The 2025 AUSXC camp kicks off on 6 July.