Dear XC Skiing Community,

I am proud and happy to proclaim that the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina were the best games ever.

Our team of seven athletes was Australia's largest XC contingent at any games. Collectively, the Australian team achieved the following historical Olympic milestones:

• best Distance result (29th)
• best Sprint result (42nd)
• first Team Sprint finals appearance (qualified 9th, finished 14th)
• first Relay Team (14th)

Despite these and numerous personal best performances, it would also be fair to say that most of our athletes left the games hungry for more and contemplating even higher results that might have been. Without a doubt, I cannot fault the effort the athletes and support team put in both in preparation for and during the games. New benchmarks are set for the next (or the same) athletes and teams to strive for!

While the Olympics were grabbing headlines, the Australian Masters Team was quietly taking on the rest of the world at the 2026 Masters World Cup in Sappada, Italy. In her first-ever outing at this annual event, Alina McMaster from Jindabyne won gold and silver medals in the 10km and 30km Freestyle events in the W06 category. Congratulations to Alina and all the rest of the team of 30 Australians who represented in Sappada.

The season continues on; the 2026 World Junior & U23 Championships are in full-swing this week in Lillehammer in Norway. Read on in the update below about the selection of the ten athletes competing in Lillehammer, and join me from the couch tonight to watch the next events live on Snow / FIS TV. Also keep an eye out for Australian athletes racing World Cup in Finland, Norway and the USA the next three weekends.

Last but not least, let's give a collective cheer to the Australian Para Nordic Team of Dave, Lauren, Matt, Taryn and Lynn-Maree who have been selected to represent the nation at the 2026 Winter Paralympics that kick off in Italy this weekend. This is the first time since 2010 that Australians have raced in XC at the Paralympics, and since 2006 for Biathlon. Tune in to 9Now for all the Paralympic action across all sport (but mostly the nordic ones).

Wishing everyone all the best for safe travels home after this long season.

Best regards,
Finn Marsland
Cross Country Skiing Program Director

PS don't forget you can still contribute towards the cost of team transport this season with tax-deductible donations via the Australian Sports Foundation. As of 1 March, just under 2/3 of the support van expenses had been raised. 

Australia's seven cross-country skiing athletes collectively recorded our best-ever Olympic Games performance, with milestones reached in both individual and team events for men and women. Hats off to Phoebe Cridland, Rosie Fordham, Maddie Hooker, Ellen Soehol-Lie, Seve de Campo, Hugo Hinckfuss and Lars Young Vik for doing the nation proud.

A wrap-up of each day of XC racing action from the games is linked here from the AOC media team:

• 7 Feb - Australians show grit in Women’s Skiathlon
• 8 Feb - Dual Olympians make their start (Men Skiathlon)
• 10 Feb - Historic Olympic Sprint (Classic Sprint)
• 12 Feb - Aussie Women Deliver Strong Performances in Olympic 10km Freestyle
• 13 Feb - Demanding 10km Completed by Aussie Trio
• 14 Feb - History Made in Women’s Cross-Country Relay
• 18 Feb - Historic Breakthrough: “We’ve Been Waiting Four Years for This” (Team Sprint)
• 21 Feb - De Campo Delivers Best Australian Result in 50km Since 1992
• 22 Feb - History Made Once Again by our Aussie Cross-Country Athletes (Women 50km)

It was great to see these cross country stories highlighted throughout the games alongside the efforts of the rest of the Australian Team. Read on below for a full games wrap-up from Chef de Mission Alisa Camplin.

Snow Australia is pleased to announce the selection of ten Cross Country Skiing athletes to the Australian Team for the 2026 Junior and U23 World Championships.

The 2026 FIS Nordic Junior-U23 Championships are currently underway in Lillehammer, Norway, with the Sprint and Mass Start events already concluded.

Australian Team:

U23 Women: Isabella Moon, Maddie Hooker
U23 Men: Hugo Hinckfuss, Noah Bradford, Vincent de Souza, Jayden Spring
Junior Women: Satara Moon
Junior Men: Clancy Harvey, Samuel Johnson, Harri Silvester

Live broadcasts of the events are available via Snow Live

Australia will be represented by four athletes and one sighted guide in Para Nordic events at the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics, which start in Italy on March 6.

The same team will compete in both Cross Country and Biathlon. The historic announcement was made by Paralympics Australia at a special presentation in Obertilliach, Austria, where the squad was staging before the Games. 

Para Nordic team (classification in brackets):

• Matt Brumby (LW10) 
• Taryn Dickens and guide Lynn Maree Cullen (NS3)
• Dave Miln (LW12)
• Lauren Parker (LW10)

The team is on-site in Val de Fiemme, with the Biathlon events starting on 7 March and the Cross Country commencing on 10 March.

This year Australia’s Masters XC ski team was the biggest and most successful ever. The team featured 30 competitors and support team members from across Australia heading to the unique and beautiful ski resort of Sappada, in the Eastern Dolomites of Sud-Tirol, Italy.

A highlight of the event was the two medals collected by Masters debutant Alina McMaster, who won gold in the 10km and silver in the 30km races.

After winning the gold medal, Alina said: “After all these years I’ve only just discovered the World Masters. I’m so excited to have done so well and with such a large Aussie team supporting me, including of course my amazing family."

But the most amazing thing about the Masters event this year was the awesome participation and improvements made by first and second time, and regular competitors.

With the imminent opening of the multipurpose track at Sport & Recreation in Jindabyne in the coming weeks, Snow Australia is pleased to announce that this new venue will host the 2026 Australian Rollerski Championship on 11-12 April.

The events will essentially be the same as those run at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra over the past decade, with Sprint races on Saturday and Distance races on Sunday. The competitions are open to elite and beginner alike, with FIS events for those internationally registered and shorter distances for juniors.

Snow Australia is also pleased to announce that the 2026 AUSXC Awards will also follow the rollerski races to Jindabyne and be held on the Saturday evening at a location to be confirmed. Keep an eye out for more information and a registration page coming soon.

Please note, the linked event information and schedule below may have some minor tweaking as the organisers test out the new venue after it is officially open.

Snow Australia invites the members, guests and wider community to join us in celebrating the incredible achievements of our athletes and coaches over the past 12 months highlighted this year by the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina.

Buy Tickets for the 2026 Snow Australia Awards Here

The Snow Australia Awards recognises the achievements of our snowsports athletes and coaches on the world stage. The Awards have been presented in various forms for over 30 years and have highlighted the achievements of Australia's best ski and snowboard athetes and coaches as well as recognising the work of individuals and organisations from the wider Australian Snowsports industry.