Cross disciplines take centre stage at Mt Hotham
Published Wed 19 Aug 2026
Mt Hotham was the centre of Australian Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross last week, with a huge week of pathway activity bringing together FUTURES participants, emerging athletes and some of Australia’s leading international competitors.
The week began with the Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross FUTURES programs on 10–11 August, providing developing athletes with the opportunity to train on course alongside high-performance athletes and coaches and gain exposure to the technical and tactical elements of the disciplines.
Competition then took over, beginning with the final round of the FIS Junior Snowboard Cross Series on 12 August. Australians Angus Young and Marcelle Davis-Cook claimed the respective men’s and women’s victories, with a large contingent of emerging Australian riders taking part.
Across three days of Ski Cross Australian New Zealand Cup racing, Kyra Wheatley dominated the women’s competition with victories in all three races. Keisha Tickle finished runner-up on each occasion, with Rose Hocking claiming two third places and Alessia Diver one.
The men’s Ski Cross competition was closely fought between Duncan Cowan and Liam Michael. Cowan took victories in races one and three, with Michael winning race two and finishing second in the other two events. Emerson Facer completed an all-Australian podium in each of the three races, finishing third throughout the series.
The Australian success continued in Snowboard Cross, with Olympic champion Josie Baff producing a clean sweep of the three women’s ANC races. Abbey Wilson finished second in all three events, while Maya Billingham claimed two third places before Mia Clift rounded out the podium in the final race.
Cameron Turner matched Baff’s achievement in the men’s competition, winning all three ANC races. Angus Young, James Johnstone and Adam Lambert were among the Australians joining him on the podium across the three days.
From the young athletes getting their first taste of a high-performance environment through FUTURES to Australia’s leading Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross athletes racing at ANC level, the week was a great example of the pathway coming together in one location.
A huge thank you to Mt Hotham and the Hotham Events team for the significant work involved in preparing and maintaining the course and delivering such a busy program of racing. Snow Australia would also like to thank all of the athletes, coaches and program staff who supported the FUTURES activities and helped provide such a valuable experience for the next generation of Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross athletes.
