SBX and SX FUTURES Camp carve up Hotham

Photo: Stock Image

This week 91 athletes gathered on the snowy slopes of Mt Hotham for this year's Snowboard Cross (SBX) and Ski Cross (SX) FUTURES Camp. The camp features two days of progression and fun, learning from national team athletes and Winter Olympians.

The Snow Australia FUTURES camp is built around the vision to inspire the next generation of snowsport competitors by offering unique opportunities to engage with high-performance athletes, staff, and facilities. 

The camp was run in the lead up to the Australia and New Zealand Cup (ANC), where athletes will take to the race course and battle it out over three days of competition for the title of ANC champion. Held prior to the ANC, the FUTURES camp provides junior athletes with the best possible foundation heading into the domestic race season and beyond.

2026 Winter Olympian and 2018/19 FUTURES camp alumnus James Johnstone now has the opportunity to give back and coach the next generation of the sport.

“We always love these two days, it’s such a great opportunity to come out and meet these kids. It’s great to spend some time with them, and give them some tips for their racing, not only this week but also in the future,” he said.

The two days feature freeriding and SBX/SX course laps, giving the young athletes exposure to a world-class course. It’s here they are able to break down the different elements of a SBX and SX race including, starts, jumps, rollers, turns, aerodynamics, and gliding. This is followed by some Giant Slalom (GS) training, honing in on technique and board control.

2026 Winter Olympian and SX athlete Kyra Wheatley believes FUTURES is all about connection and having fun, whilst providing an environment to develop the future of snowsports in Australia.

“FUTURES is all about creating a pathway and bringing together all the kids and FIS athletes from around Australia, so that we can all talk about Ski Cross and ways to improve our racing.”

“What I love most about FUTURES is being able to come together and really getting to know other athletes from other mountains and create connections that can be really meaningful now and into the future.” 

“It’s really a fun time, it's great to get out on the mountain and have a fun time skiing around with everyone,” she said.

Young riders and FUTURES athletes Sophie, Harriet, Audrey and Pippy summed it up simply: it was ‘So much fun!”

Beyond the fun, the riders reflected on what they had learned from their coach and national team member, Maya Billingham. Whether it was engaging their core through turns, remembering to put pressure on their back foot, or focusing on staying smooth through their turns.

Attention now turns to a week of exciting racing on the course at Hotham, where these young athletes will get a chance to race against their idols, whilst national team members and Olympians alike, look to defend their ANC titles.

For more information on FUTURES please visit our website.