Dear XC Skiing Community,

What a great winter we've had, particularly after the two short seasons of 2023 and 2024. Plenty of opportunities for training, racing, back-country adventures and spring skiing! Many thanks to all the volunteers and officials who make all the events possible, as well as the groomers, managers, ski schools, retailers, teachers, sport administrators etc., who play essential roles in Australian cross country skiing.

From the National Team side, planning is in full swing for the northern hemisphere winter. It will be a big season as always, with the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in February and the usual annual events such as World Cup, World Junior-U23 Championships and World Masters providing a focus from November 2025 to March 2026. From late November, tune in to Snow Live to see the FIS live streaming and (hopefully) the Aussie skiers in action. We will also aim to provide regular updates via these E-news reports and our athlete-driven @ausxc Instagram posts and reels. A more detailed season preview will be included in the next XC Community Update.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Falls Creek, the long-time host of the XC National Training Centre, for their incredible support of the National Team since 2004. Falls Creek's financial contribution over this time has enabled us to provide year-round coaching and build the program to what it is today. Though the team sponsorship is now coming to an end, we look forward to continuing to work with Falls Creek and all resorts in providing quality training and racing opportunities.

Fortunately for our international program, we have two new supporters arising from community connections coming on board to support the team racing and preparing for Milano-Cortina. Please welcome Colormaker and Peak Learning Adventures, whose contributions are targeted towards our team's land transport in Europe. Combined with funds raised from the Sundeck Cup and the Kangaroo Hoppet waxing, this support is helping us keep athlete expenses down and enabling the skiers to focus on training. Additional tax-deductible donations to cover team expenses can be made via the Australian Sports Foundation.

Planning for after the Olympics, please save the dates of the weekend of April 11-12 for the 2026 Australian Rollerski Championship and AUSXC Awards in Jindabyne. This is the first event in the 2026 AUSXC Race Calendar, linked below, which also includes new dates for the Kangaroo Hoppet and national championship events. Join us for a weekend of racing on the new Jindabyne rollerski track and to celebrate the efforts and achievements over the year.

Wishing everyone well for the rest of this spring, save travels for those heading overseas and good luck in avoiding magpies on daily commutes or training sessions.

Best regards,

Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director

The provisional Cross Country Skiing National Teams for 2025-2026 have been released by the Snow Australia Cross Country Skiing Selection Committee. Eight athletes are nominated to the World Cup Team, with another four athletes invited to join the Continental Cup Team. Provisional selections for the U23 and Junior teams are also posted below, with six athletes invited to each.

The Selection Committee advises that discretionary selection has been applied in several cases, to current team athletes who achieved results close to the performance standard. All athletes will be invited to submit Individual Performance Plans and goals for the 2025-2026 season, before the final National Team athletes are confirmed at the end of October.

Snow Australia would like to extend its sincere thanks to Falls Creek for their incredible support of our Cross Country National Team as the official National Training Centre for the past 21 years.

While Falls Creek has decided to step away as the National Team sponsor, we’re pleased that they will continue to play an important part in the sport by supporting athletes training at the resort hosting Cross Country events, including FIS races and the Kangaroo Hoppet. We look forward to continuing to work with them into the future and thank them once again for their outstanding contribution and support over so many years.

The Snow Australia Cross Country international programs for 2025/2026 will not be significantly affected by the loss of this financial partner. For the 2026 domestic season, Snow Australia welcomes interest from potential new partners to assist in supporting the year-round National Team program.

Snow Australia would like to welcome Colormaker Industries, an Australian-owned family business, as a new supporter of the Australian XC Ski Team for the 2025-2026 international season.

Colormaker is a sustainable producer of eco-friendly paints and inks and has been operating from the Northern Beaches of Sydney for 66 years. All Colormaker coatings are made in Australia using 100% renewable energy and sustainable practices.

The support from Colormaker will go predominantly towards Australian Team transport in Europe as the team races World Cup and other events leading into the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina.

Read on to find out more about Colormaker's products.

Many in the Australian XC community will know Zac Zaharias, the current Team Captain for the Australian World Masters Team and Nordic Technical Director for the APSI. Some may not know that he is also a highly experienced Outdoor and Expedition Leader and a veteran of over 100 expeditions and adventures worldwide.

Snow Australia is excited to welcome Zac and his company, Peak Learning Adventures, as the newest partner of the AUSXC Team. For the coming 2025/2026 season, Zac's support is helping to transport the team between World Cups in preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Zac's adventures include 23 major expeditions to the Himalayas and 25 crossings of the Kokoda Track. He has climbed six of the world’s 14 mountains over 8000 metres in elevation (including Mt Everest).

To find out more about Peak Learning Adventures and their trek schedule for the next 12 months, click through the following link:

Australia’s brightest Olympic hopefuls delivered a golden day for the home crowd at Falls Creek, with Phillip Bellingham and Rosie Fordham taking out the men’s and women’s titles at the 2025 Kangaroo Hoppet – the southern hemisphere’s premier cross-country ski marathon.

In front of close to 1,000 competitors and spectators from 24 nations, Bellingham, a triple Olympian, claimed his long-awaited first Kangaroo Hoppet crown. Fordham, fresh from her recent Australian Championship win and U23 World Championship silver medal earlier this year, stormed to her maiden Hoppet title in the women’s field.

The preliminary 2026 Australian XC Race Calendar has been released to race organisers for feedback and is available now in the XC Events section of the Snow Australia website.

A significant change for 2026 is the move of the Kangaroo Hoppet one week earlier in August, matched up with the Merino Muster in New Zealand moving to the traditional date of the Hoppet. The timing of Australian Championship events have been moved accordingly, with the combined Australian Open/Junior event now on the 4th weekend of August.

Snow Australia is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the sixth edition of the Snow Australia Community Sport Awards (CSA). These prestigious awards recognise outstanding achievements and contributions across the snowsports community over the past 12 months, including athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, schools, clubs, and programs.

From exceptional young athletes and inspiring coaches to committed volunteers, innovative school programs, and recognised pathway initiatives, the CSAs highlight the individuals and organisations driving progress and making a meaningful impact at the grassroots and development levels of the snowsports community.

Save the Date! Snow Australia invites you to join us on Thursday 23 April 2026 for a truly unforgettable evening at the Snow Australia Awards – a celebration of excellence and community across Australian snowsport.

This year’s event will be especially momentous as we honour not only the standout achievements of the 2025-26 season, but also the incredible performances of our athletes who represent Australia at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It’s the ultimate chance for our snowsport community to come together and celebrate.

More details coming soon.