Cross Country Director Update - April 2026
Published Mon 13 Apr 2026
Dear XC Skiing Community,
Though it may seem strange for the middle of April to be a busy time for Australian cross country skiing, this has been the norm for me for the past decade. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to host an awards night and rollerski races in Canberra at pretty much the same time as our annual junior camp at the AIS, and we also squeezed in a FIS TD seminar in 2025.
The big change this year has been the move of the Australian Rollerski Championship and the AUSXC Awards to Jindabyne, taking advantage of the amazing new track at the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre. On the same site as the National Snowsport Training Centre (NSTC), this facility is a game-changing asset for our sport, providing a safe place to train and develop skills for local juniors as well as a high-performance training destination for elite athletes. I want to thank the efforts of Biathlon Australia and NSW Sport & Recreation in getting this facility constructed and up and running. In particular, the project manager Scott Kneller (who is also a Snow Aus Board Member); Toni Hulme, whose initiative got this project started and secured and delivered two state government grants; the contractor Alastair McKimm from McKimm Civil, whose team built the track, the BA board and general manager Sandra Paul (who is also our leading TD), and also the local community groups who provided input into the track design..
This time of year is also an important one for review and planning after the international season. Many new milestones have been passed during this recent Olympic cycle, which raises the bar for the next four years leading into French Alps 2030. It's an exciting time for the sport, though also a challenging one as we consider how to resource our lofty goals.
On that note, I want to thank our two partners again from this last season, Colormaker and Peak Learning Adventures, who contributed $5,000 each to help fund the World Cup team van. Without their support, this initiative would not have been possible. Read on in this update to find out more about upcoming expeditions with Zac Zaharias and Peak Learning.
Also on the planning side, if you haven't seen it already the 2026 Australian Race Calendar is available here on the Snow Australia site. A notable change is the move of the Kangaroo Hoppet to the third Saturday of August, one week earlier than in past years. Consequently, the second weekend of Australian Championship competition has shifted a week later, now at Perisher on August 22-23. For those in NSW-ACT, this is the same week as the state Interschools races, which are on Wednesday August 19. NSW XC Week remains in the first week of August.
I hope to run into many of you between now and the winter, whether at the Snow Awards in Melbourne next week, at the Canberra Snow Sale on May 9, perhaps at the Mt Beauty Running Festival on May 16 or at the NSTC in Jindabyne on the June long weekend, or randomly in a supermarket (Tom stop stalking me). Any pitches for fundraising and/or connections to philanthropists are welcome.
Best regards,
Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director
Included in this Update:
- Successful Championship on New Jindabyne Rollerski Track
- AUSXC Award Winners 2026
- Expedition Opportunities with Peak Learning Adventures
- Strong Showing at 2026 WJC-U23s
- Strong Finish To Cross-Country Program at Paralympics
- Women of Winter Wednesdays - Dr Larissa Trease
- McCann Scaling New Heights in SkiMo
- Canberra Snow Sale - Saturday May 9
