Dear XC Skiing Community,

The six weeks since the August Update appear to have passed in the blink of an eye. It seems like only last week we were celebrating achievements and efforts of the skiing community at the inaugural XC Ball in Jindabyne, held the day after the National Interschools at Perisher. In the intervening period, there has also been the annual junior spring camp at Charlotte Pass, provisional selections of the 2027 national team, the official opening of the Biathlon Australia Nordic Training Centre in Jindabyne (the rollerski track and club-house), and a national team camp at the AIS.

For me, the XC Ball was the highlight. The gathering brought together the full spectrum of our community, from grassroots to elite; current and former athletes, volunteers, parents, race organisers, Olympians from 1984 to 2026, ski retailers, coaches, ski instructors and loosely connected ring-ins. It was a really fun evening with a great atmosphere, and also an effective fundraiser. The linked article below thanks the venue hosts, event sponsors, supporters of the fundraising auction and the community in general. I would also particularly like to thank Aleisha Dasilva, who pitched the concept and drove the organisation of the whole event; Katie Brown, who worked with Aleisha to coordinate the venue set-up and evening run-sheet; and again Bentley Walker-Broose for his outstanding work as MC.

I will leave our 2026-2027 international season preview until the next XC Update in November. For now, I encourage the cross country community to reflect on the 2026 Australian winter and the events and programs organised by Snow Australia and the clubs and committees under our umbrella. If there are aspects that we can improve, or new initiatives that would enhance our sport, please reach out and let us know. The XC National Discipline Committee will also meet in November to review and plan for next year. Feedback can be sent in via the xc@snow.org.au email address, via any of the Snow Australia NDC members, or anonymously via this linked online survey.

Best regards,

Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director

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The inaugural Cross Country Ball at the Jindabyne Brewery on 5 September was a huge success, with 110 guests coming together to celebrate Australian Cross Country Skiing, the National Team and the remarkable community behind the sport.

The evening brought together National Team athletes, aspiring young athletes, sponsors, local businesses, coaches, volunteers, mums, dads and supporters for a fantastic social occasion and, most importantly, a celebration of the people who make the Australian XC community so special. Importantly, the event also raised nearly $10k towards athlete expenses at the World Championships in 2027.

A huge thank you goes to Karl and the team at Jindabyne Brewery, who generously agreed to host the event at short notice. Their flexibility, enthusiasm and incredible support enabled a wonderful community event, and Snow Australia is enormously grateful.

Preparations are in full swing for the 2027 World Masters in Tromsø, Norway. Australian WMA National Director Peter Lambert puts out regular email updates to the Masters community, the latest edition featuring opportunities to order uniform and discounted equipment, rules updates from the WMA, and registration deadlines for the World Masters events. Click through below for all the details and to find out how to subscribe to the updates.

Six months on from making her Olympic Winter Games debut, Australian cross-country skier Rosie Fordham is building towards another season on the international circuit after a history-making campaign at Milano Cortina 2026.

The 24-year-old made her first appearance at the Games in February, competing across four events and helping Australia’s women’s cross-country team make history as the nation’s first-ever Olympic relay team.

With another World Cup season ahead and the 2027 World Championships in Sweden on the horizon, Fordham is now focused on building on the experience of her first Olympic Games and continuing her progression on the international stage.

Biathlon Australia's Nordic Training Centre at the NSW Sport and Recreation Centre in Jindabyne was officially opened on 3 October.

The 1.2km multisport track has been utilised by rollerskiers for over six months, including for the 2026 Australian Rollerski Championship in April. Now the clubhouse building, including toilets and changing rooms, kitchen, meeting rooms and storage areas, has been completed as well.

The opening was attended by representatives from across Australian sport, including Australian Olympic Committee CEO Mark Arbib, Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Chef de Mission Ben Troy, and board members from Biathlon Australia, the National Rifle Association of Australia and Snow Australia. Construction of the centre was made possible through significant collaboration and support, including generous funding from the NSW and Commonwealth Governments, and the NSW Office of Sport.

More details are available in the Biathlon Australia weekly newsletter from 12 October, and the NSW Government media release of 14 October.

Provisional Cross Country Skiing National Teams for 2026-2027 were released by the Nomination Panel of the Snow Australia National Discipline Committee (NDC) in September. Six athletes have met the performance criteria for the World Cup Team, with another seven athletes invited to join the Continental Cup Team. Provisional selections for the U23 and Junior teams are included in this linked article, with five athletes invited to each.

The latest Perisher XC Update is available on the PXC Website. Included in this edition are details on the next Work Party on November 7/8, and future dates for the rest of the summer.

Work Party jobs for November will include packing away the covers and half-pipes, auditing the trails for maintenance requirements, some work around the Shelter and planning for the summer. Accommodation is available at Perisher thanks to the generosity of the Canberra Alpine Club.

The update also provides information about EOIs for the Nordic Shelter Manager role.

With the northern winter approaching, Australian athletes planning to compete in FIS-sanctioned events overseas are reminded to make sure they have completed the necessary requirements before requesting an event entry.

Snow Australia remains the single point of entry for Australian athletes competing internationally in FIS-sanctioned events. Before an athlete can be included on an official Australian FIS entry, there are three key areas that need to be in place: membership and FIS registration, competition insurance and an Expression of Interest (EOI).