October 2021

Dear XC Skiers,

Our second Covid-19 winter is now ticked off, and while it’s easy to become frustrated by not being able to ski as much as we’d like (or at all), I’m inclined to feel grateful for the opportunities we’ve had. I would also like to give a big shout-out to the officials, volunteers and resort staff that helped to get events underway and keep the trails groomed, not least those who put in countless hours only to have events cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control.

In contrast to the 2020/2021 season, Snow Australia is now endorsing larger numbers of athletes to travel overseas to compete in international competition. We will have cross country skiers competing in World Cup events, at the World Junior and U23 Championships, at the World University Games, and of course at the Winter Olympics. With the prospect of the international travel ban lifting next month, other development and travel opportunities may arise. Though things are looking up, I would encourage all members of the ski community to carefully weigh up pros and cons before undertaking international travel. This pandemic is still far from over and there are risks that were not on our radar two years ago that need to be mitigated.

A challenge thrown up by two years without competitions for many Australian junior skiers is how to select a national team. This is a conundrum the Snow Australia Cross Country Committee has not yet resolved, and consequently we will not be announcing national teams for 2021/2022 in October as per normal. We are working closely with state and club programs to find solutions to support a larger number of junior athletes than the dozen or so typically selected to the national junior team. Training camps and rollerski events in different regions are likely to feature in nationally driven athlete development strategies over the next 6-8 months. Team selection policies for major international events remain unchanged – indeed teams for several events are being announced in this update.

Continuing the practice of finishing these updates with a photo… This one is of the women’s finalists at the Australian Sprint Championships in August. Best wishes and safe travels to all athletes heading overseas this summer, and fingers crossed for many more days like the one below in 2022.

Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director

With the European ski season approaching, Australian snow sports athletes are going through the final stages of their preparation before travelling overseas. Cross-country skiers are no different, with lots of speed sessions and intervals on their training menu. Despite the intensity of the efforts, 20-year-old Bentley Walker-Broose is grateful for having been able to train on snow during the domestic season this year. 

“I love cross-country skiing because it's a challenge,” Walker-Broose said. 

“It’s the kind of sport where you have to put your heart and soul into it, so you can really see how far you go. The work is so worth it when you finish a race after pushing yourself to your limit and know that deep down you have done your best,” he said.

The Snow Australia Cross Country Skiing Selection Committee has made a preliminary selection of seven athletes to compete at the 2022 World Junior and U23 Championships. The event was originally to be held in Zakopane, Poland, starting at the end of February, however the FIS Council have yet to determine a new venue after Poland was unable to conduct the cross country skiing events.

Snow Australia and UniSport Australia (UniSport) are pleased to announce that twelve athletes have been selected to represent Australia at the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade or FISU Winter World University Games (WWUG) in Switzerland in December.

Last week FIS held online meetings of its Alpine and Cross-country skiing World Cup sub-committees, to discuss rule changes and proposals ahead of the Extraordinary FIS Congress scheduled to take place online on the 8 October 2021.

For alpine skiing, one of the key items on the agenda was the confirmation of the Alpine event schedule for the upcoming season, as the Audi FIS World Cup is due to open in Soelden, Austria, with the traditional women’s and men’s Giant Slalom on 23-24 October. The proposals for the women’s and men’s calendar have been drafted and will be up for approval at the FIS Congress.

Participating in the Emerging Talent Program (ETP) alongside fellow snow sports athletes and being able to learn from experts helps young skiers and snowboarders understand that they are not alone on the journey towards becoming successful athletes, according to 18-year-old cross-country skier Lily Murnane.

Murnane is one of 13 cross-country skiing talents invited to the 2021/2022 Snow Australia ETP program, which supports the preparation of almost 70 potential performance athletes across multiple disciplines as they aim to transition into performance pathway programs.

Below is an update regarding the changes implemented by FIS surrounding Fluorinated Wax Products.

Dear Snow Australia Athletes, Officials and Personnel,

As you may be aware, FIS has prohibited the use of any wax products containing certain fluorocarbons at all FIS events from season 2021/2022 onwards.

With the health risks and environmental concerns connected to fluorine waxes, FIS is committed to introducing a full fluor ban and to developing testing methods to ensure fluor-free competitions in the future.

If you are planning on travelling overseas to train or compete during the northern winter please make sure you visit Snow Australia's Competing Overseas page to fully understand your membership, insurance and event entry requirements before travelling.