PREVIEW: Expanded Snowboard Squad A Sign Of Sport’s Rapid Growth

Courtesy Australian Paralympic Team

In the space of one cycle, Australia’s Paralympic snowboard team has gone from a sole competitor to four young Australians with incredible personal stories and a shared goal to compete at their best on the biggest stage. 

Competition at Cortina Para Snowboard Park gets underway on Saturday, with snowboard cross seeding before finals on Sunday. The banked slalom finals, runs 1 and 2, take place on the following Saturday, March 14.

Headlining the group is Beijing 2022 bronze medallist in snowboard cross SB-LL2, Ben Tudhope, who is loving having teammates this time around. 

“Just being here in Milano Cortina, I’ve seen the whole atmosphere in the Village and now getting on the course as well, it’s going to be a great showcase of our sport here, which I’m stoked about,” Tudhope said. 

“Having a big team this time is absolutely epic, you know. I’m a man who loves having people around me, I love that camaraderie. 

“Beijing was definitely different, but we made the most of it. But it’s an extra success to have a bigger team now because it shows that the sport is growing worldwide and also in Australia too.”

Tudhope, who has cerebral palsy, became a world champion in snowboard cross in 2023 and has been a consistent and popular figure on the circuit since he made his Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014 where, at age 14, he was the youngest athlete from any country at the Games. 

Tudhope said he wasn’t feeling the pressure of expectation at Milano Cortina.

“I know there’s people talking about times and all that stuff on the course, but I don’t even look at that stuff,” he said. 

“I focus on what I need to do, focus on what my coach tells me and just stay in the moment. I take it step by step and every single training run I just want to improve, every training run is a stepping stone into the finals.”

After a training run on Thursday, Tudhope said: “This course is absolutely incredible. It’s big and it’s intimidating so I think it’s going to make for really good racing. I’m here to show off what I can do, but also to show off what the sport can do too.”

Fellow leader in the snowboard squad, Sean Pollard, the 2026 Australian Paralympic Team captain, is lapping up being back at the Games after he last competed at PyeongChang 2018. 

“It’s been cool to finally get back, get in the Village and enjoy all those vibes,” Pollard said.

“I’ve been a bit nervous, looking at the size of the course, but it was so good to get out there and actually put a couple of runs down. 

“I played it pretty safe. You don’t win medals on training days.”

Pollard, who became a double arm amputee in a shark attack in 2014, stayed home with 

“It’s a great feeling in the team at the moment. We’ve obviously travelled a lot together, me and Benny, and it’s cool to have some new athletes come in and join us and put down pretty good snowboarding as well.

“So the vibes are pretty high and we all get around each other. The team’s gelling really nicely, which is awesome. 

“It’s been a wild, wild journey my whole life, basically. So you just roll with the punches and one thing I always try and do is keep an open mind and a positive outlook. That genuinely gets you the good opportunities and here I am.”

Two snowboarders will make their Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina. One of them, Amanda Reid, will become Australia’s first Indigenous Winter Paralympian. Reid, who has cerebral palsy, is also one of two members of the Australian Paralympic Team who will join the exclusive Summer-Winter Paralympian club, alongside Para biathlete Lauren Parker.

“I’m super stoked for my first Winter Games. It’s definitely something different and I can’t wait to get out there and start racing,” said Reid, who has won two gold medals in Para cycling. 

“It’s been a lot of work, especially after hip surgery this time last year. It was a lot of rehab, getting that right first, then getting back on snow, taking things slowly, and really focusing on things that I needed to do and tick the boxes so I could get here.  

“Ultimately, you’re here to compete, and I’d love to win a medal.”

The fourth member of the snowboard squad is Aaron McCarthy, a farmer who became an amputee after a harvester accident. 

“It’s been a bit of a process getting to this point,” he said. 

“Obviously, there’s been lots of travel, the time away from family has been massive over the last couple of years, so really good to finally be here and I’m looking forward to competing. 

“My family is coming over to watch, so it’s pretty exciting and everyone’s getting around it back home.”