With a father hailing from Finland, Heli Laajoki grew up in Canberra not far from the NSW snowfields and it wasn’t long after she started to walk that parents Petri and Leanne introduced her to skiing.
Snow Australia's Come and Try Rollerskiing session at Willoughby Netball Courts in Sydney is open to participants of all abilities, juniors, adaptive and masters, and particularly suited for those of Interschools age planning to cross country ski at Perisher this winter.
Being an elite cross country skier takes incredible dedication and motivation, especially when you compete in all events from the Sprint to 50km, like Beijing 2022 Olympian Seve de Campo.
Cross country skiers are some of the fittest athletes on the international circuit and Australia’s crew have put in a solid season in 2022/23. Season 2022/23 also saw our first athletes compete internationally in Ski Mountaineering, which makes its Olympic debut in 2026.
A Cross Country Skiing FIS Technical Delegate (TD) Seminar is to be held in Melbourne and at Lake Mountain on April 28-30. New prospective TDs are welcome to attend.
This update includes a mix of international event reports from the past three months and a preview of upcoming opportunities. For a non-Olympic season, 2022/2023 has been a busy one, with Australian athletes contesting the World Championship in Slovenia, the World Junior/U23 Championship in Canada, the World University Games in the USA, and World Cups at eight locations in five nations.
Australian skiers Ellen Soehol Lie, Phoebe Cridland, Phillip Bellingham and Lars Young Vik made up Australia's first ever team for the World Cup Mixed Relay event in Falun, Sweden, plus athletes racing in Norway and Estonia.
Snow Australia is seeking a full-time cross country skiing coach for the National Training Centre at Falls Creek during the 2023 Australian winter. Applications are due by Friday 31 March.
Sixteen athletes based in all corners of the country have made a commitment to help make sport a more inclusive place after being appointed as 2023 AIS Thrive with Pride ambassadors.
Snow Australia have announced a team of five cross country skiers to compete for Australia at the 2023 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships taking place in Planica, Slovenia from 23 February to 5 March.
The FIS Nordic Junior/U23 World Ski Championships have wound up in Whistler with the 12-strong contingent of Australian cross country skiers putting in some strong results.
Having started more than 100 cross country World Cup races since January 2012, Phil Bellingham entered unchartered territory last month. The two-time Olympian competed at his first ever Ski Mountaineering World Cup in Andorra.
Twelve Australian cross country skiers have arrived in Whistler, Canada ahead of the 2023 FIS Nordic Junior/U23 Cross Country World Ski Championships, running 27 January - 5 February.