Australia has finished with four medals at the 2025 FIS World Championships in St Mortiz, Switzerland, after Danielle Scott claimed a bronze medal in the aerial skiing event on the last day of competition. The medal performance is Scott’s fourth World Championship podium over her decorated career.
 
Competing in warm conditions at the iconic Swiss resort, three Australian women competed in the best of two jump opening round of finals and Danielle Scott landed two great jumps to advance to the top-six super final in second place from her best score of 98.34 for her double full-full triple twisting double somersault.
 
Current World Cup Champion and two-time World Champion Laura Peel was very unlucky to miss out on the super final in seventh place, after touching a hand on landing on both her triple somersault jumps. Peel’s highest score was on her full-full-full jump with 85.86 points putting her in sixth place on the bubble for the super final but was relegated to seventh on the last jump of the round by Chinese skier Xuezheng Chen. Airliegh Frigo, was behind Peel in eighth landing both jumps with a best score of 79.06 on her full-full.
 
In the super final, Scott again put down another great score on her double full-full triple twisting double somersault, scoring 96.93 points to finish in third place and fourth career World Championship medal.
 
Finish ahead of Scott was American Kaila Kuhn who claimed the first victory of her career scoring 105.13 with Mengtao Xu of China in second on 99.16.
 
“So happy, I literally did everything I could, every jump today was on the money” said the 35-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.”
 
“Not doing triple somersaults, I was really focused on myself and maximising those points and it did pay off, so I am really excited for what’s ahead now.”
 
“It’s been a bit funny here with the weather, we have had everything, flat light, snow, head and tail winds, and then the wind came in right on our last training jump, but the coaching team handled it well. This season has been a special one, the team around us has really bonded and that strength is showing, there is a lot of confidence in that and for me it’s about getting the speeds right, so thanks to the team.”
 
“Bring it on, I am so excited for the next 12 months, it’s been a bit of a rough run for me, I did barely any training heading into this season, due to a couple of personal reasons, but my Dad’s fighting, he’s doing well now, I dedicate this medal to him.”
 
Australia’s World Championship campaign has finished with four medals in St Moritz, snowboard halfpipe gold to James, silver in snowboard cross mixed teams to Mia Clift and Cam Bolton, bronze to Matt Graham in the dual moguls and Scott in the aerials.

It takes a special person to think it’s a good idea to become an aerial skier.

It’s one of the most dangerous Olympic Winter Sports.

Aerial skiers pelt down an icy ramp at 60+ kilometers per hour, launch themselves off a vertically inclined ramp, soar up to 15 metres into the air, and perform multiple flips and twists before landing on a steep, slippery slope.
Watching it is mind-boggling: It’s hard to conceive how anyone can learn to perform such stunts.
It’s also hard to believe that our sun-soaked country has a rich history of success in this gravity-defying sport. But we do!

Kirstie Marshall and Jacqui Cooper set the lofty standards back in the day and blazed a formidable trail for future generations of young Australian aerial skiers, both claiming World titles and 80 World Cup medals between them. 
Since then, Australia has five World Champions in the event and of the 19 medals Australia has won at the Winter Olympics, five have been won by aerial skiers. 

Alisa Camplin-Warner AM won Australia's first freestyle skiing Olympic gold in 2002, followed with bronze in Torino 2006. Five-time Olympian, Lydia Lassila OAM, followed the same gold-bronze streak in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, respectively.

Albeit Australia's rich aerials history is female dominant, David Morris also claimed the first Men's Olympic aerials medal for Australia at Sochi 2014, with a silver medal.

Many an Olympic program would love to have the record of success that aerial skiing has enjoyed.
In World Cup competitions, Australia has won a spectacular 88 gold medals, the fourth-most of any nation behind Canada, China and the United States.

This success is even more impressive given the primitive facilities they used to train in when in Australia.
Most aerial skiers will spend at least half the year at an aquatic training facility - literally a ski jump that leads into a pool, rather than a slope – where they practice their aerial skills until they are confident enough to attempt them on snow.

From the pioneering ‘Flying Kangaroos’ until recently, the athletes used a water jump facility near Lilydale on Melbourne’s outskirts and it was like jumping into a dirty brown farm dam.

In fact, it pretty much was jumping into a dirty brown farm dam.

However, the sport received a huge boost with the opening of the world class Geoff Henke Water Ramp facility located at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Centre in late 2020.

The impressive facility allowed the aerial skiers to train all year round on home soil, keeping them internationally competitive without the tiresome travel. A game changer.

Success clearly breeds success, and today’s crop are sustaining the legacy.

Laura Peel and Danielle Scott are the current standouts - Peel is Australia’s first aerial skiing double World Champion and current World Cup Crystal Globe winner (overall World Cup winner), while Scott is a dual World Cup Crystal Globe winner - both are Olympic veterans and eyeing a fourth berth at Milano Cortina next year.

In early February, the Flying Kangaroos completed a remarkable clean sweep of the first four places at a FIS Freestyle World Cup event in Deer Valley – the iconic venue where Camplin-Warner famously won her Olympic gold.
Peel claimed top seed ahead of Scott, and emerging stars Abbey Willcox and Airleigh Frigo were third and fourth respectively.

It was the first time Australia had swept the podium in any winter sport, let alone the top four, and put the world on notice less than a year out from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

So, what’s the key to success in this breath-taking sport? Mindset.

Not a single athlete jumps without fear.

According to Victorian Institute of Sport Performance Psychology Manager, Dan Dymond, the most important thing psychologically is “connecting with your ability to do it, irrespective of the fear - the ability to take yourself to places that your opponent isn't willing to.”

Who wouldn’t be afraid? One mishap - a botched launch, an arm slightly askew, an unexpected tailwind - can have disastrous consequences. Bad conditions, a crash, even seeing someone else fall can get into an athlete’s head, planting seeds of doubt.

Marshall’s career was interrupted by 12 knee operations; Camplin-Warner broke nearly every bone in her body as she climbed through the ranks; Lassila battled excruciating knee injuries to make it to the pinnacle, and while Peel has never broken a bone, she’s had shoulder reconstruction and a couple of ankle surgeries.

Injuries become inevitable, even mainstream, in the world of winter sports.

And yet, in the world’s top ten in aerials, there’s not much of an athletic difference - it’s a mental difference.

“If you can dig deeper, as in lean into what's really hard, more than the person who's competing next to you, you're going to move the probability needle in your direction and have greater chances of success,” said Dymond.

It comes down to putting mind over matter - eliminating negative thoughts, practicing relaxation and breathing techniques, visualisation and envisioning success.
Camplin-Warner once said she achieved what she did in sport by “controlling and maximising my mind, as well as my body.”

"For me, probably the greatest thing that unlocked my potential was when I started working with a performance psychologist,” said Camplin-Warner.

"I was able to acquire tools and techniques that unlocked my mindset and set me up to focus on what I can control and regulate under pressure and find my courage and trust within myself to be the ultimate athlete that I could be."

Lassila’s career was marked by mental resilience which spawned trailblazing achievements.

She overcame a succession of injury problems, including two knee reconstructions, to triumph in Vancouver. Her daring attempts, like the quad-twisting triple somersault in Sochi 2014, left an indelible mark on the sport, and she made history as the first Australian woman to compete in five Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018.

Interestingly, many of Australia’s aerialists who enjoyed success on the snow transferred their passion, resilience and competitive grit into stunningly successful careers off the slopes.

After hanging her one-piece ski suit, Marshall was successfully elected as a Member of Parliament in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party.

Cooper continued to use her skillset and the many tools in her toolbox in every area of her life - she became a successful motivational speaker, a business owner, an author, an entrepreneur, and a mum to three children.

Upon retirement, Camplin-Warner turned to the corporate world and spent 16 years with IBM in senior roles, she has held numerous leadership roles in sport, including Chair of the Australian Sports Foundation and Director of the Collingwood Football Club, and was recently named as the first female to lead the country’s Winter Olympic Team as Chef de Mission for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Lassila’s resilient and entrepreneurial spirit in sport was the foundation for her success beyond the ski suit - she founded BodyICE in 2007, a now global company forged from her days of adversity that provides innovative cold therapy products, and in 2020, launched ZONE by Lydia, a sustainable yoga and wellness brand driven by her passion for yoga, living mindfully and the environment.

Their success was not magic or accidental, it was the result of hard work, dedication and possessing certain personality traits that lend themselves to high achievement.

“When you think about the sport and the type of psychological requirements - more openness to experience, a bit more sensation seeking and more tolerance to anxiety and adrenaline - those kinds of psychological traits are more complimentary to confronting things that are scary, and being open to trying new things,” said Dymond.

“The constant exposure to the adrenaline and the high octane and challenging movements opens their minds to what’s possible and they are more likely to say - “yes, I’m going to do this, I'm not actually 100% sure what's going to happen, but I’m going to do this” - it's that willingness to take a risk,” added Dymond.

In many ways, aerial skiing seems like the ultimate manifestation of intention. 

What you think, you do. What you think, you become. 

This ideology may just be on show for all to watch next week. 

A stacked World Cup season has just come to an end, but the World Championships now loom less than a fortnight away. With tired bodies on the line, mind over matter may just be the difference between securing a World title, or not. 

VIS aerial skier Laura Peel won the final World Cup event of the season with a stunning performance on the 2026 Olympic course in Livigno, Italy, her fifth victory of the season and the 14th of her impressive career. In doing so, Peel claimed her third FIS World Cup Crystal Globe as the number one ranked athlete at the end of World Cup circuit.

Australian female aerial skiers have amassed a total of 14 Crystal Globes over the past 33 years. Peel now has the second-highest total among Australians with three, trailing only the legendary Jacqui Cooper, who has five. Other winners include Kirstie Marshall, Alisa Camplin, Lydia Lassila, and Danielle Scott.

Heading into to the final event, Peel had a near unbeatable lead in the standings and only needed to finish 12th or better to secure the title, leading Chinese skier Mengtao Xu by 78 points. Peel made sure of that by qualifying for the 12-woman final in second place. Joining Peel in finals were VIS teammates Airleigh Frigo in fifth, Abbey Willcox seventh and Danielle Scott 10th. Just missing finals action by one place was Elise Coleiro in 13th and in the men’s event Reilly Flanagan was 17th.

Peel performed a lay-full-full double twisting triple back somersault in the first round of finals, to advance to the top six super-final in second place on 91.83 points. Just missing out on the medal round were Abbey Willcox in seventh, Airleigh Frigo ninth and Danielle Scott 11th.

In the super-final Peel upped her degree of difficulty scoring what was an unbeatable 112.90 points for her spectacular full-full-full triple twisting triple back somersault in one of her best jumps of the season. Second place went to Xu of China on 105.17 and her teammate Meiting Chen was third on 91.44.

“I am so stoked, honestly I couldn’t be happier, it’s globe number three, I don’t think it gets any easier,” said the 35-year-old Peel from Canberra.

“That’s day four on this site now. I’ve got to say I really like it. It’s been working well for me, I’ve been jumping well. That’s a relief and I’m so excited to come back here for the Olympics.”

Peel finished the season number one on 542 points, 98 clear of Xu on 444 and Scott was third on 368, it is the sixth time in her career Scott has placed in the top three on final season rankings. Willcox and Frigo both had the highest rankings of their careers in fifth and 10th places respectively.

The season will conclude at the FIS World Championships in St Moritz, Switzerland. First up will be the aerial teams event on March 27, to be followed by individual qualifications on March 29 and finals March 30.

Peel, Scott, Willcox and Frigo will represent Australia in the women’s event and Flanagan will be the lone Aussie in the men’s competition.

Peel is aiming for her third World Championship gold in Switzerland. She commented, “pretty much keep the same plan, what I have been doing I just want to repeat the same at the World Champs, it’s a long season, everyone is getting a bit tired, but we are super exited to head to St Moritz and it’s the peak of our season.”

VIS aerial skiers Laura Peel and Danielle Scott made it a double World Cup podium celebration in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where Peel claimed gold and Scott bronze.
 
The victory completed a terrific turnaround for Peel, after qualifying in last place in the 12-woman final, but then landed both triple back somersaults in the first final and then the medal round to record the 13th World Cup victory of her career.
 
Four VIS women qualified for finals with Scott in first, Airleigh Frigo seventh, Abbey Willcox eighth and Peel in 12th. First year World Cup athlete, Elise Coleiro was 13th to just miss the final and matching her career best finish.
 
In the first round of finals, Peel performed a lay-full-full triple somersault scoring 93.85 placing her third, Scott scored 91.66 for her full-full double somersault putting her in fourth and Willcox made it three Aussies in the super-final in sixth place, scoring 84.96 for her full-full jump. Missing out on the super-final was Frigo in 12th on 60.79 for her full-full.
 
In the medal round, Peel increased her difficult adding an extra twist jumping full-full-full to score a massive 115.91 points in first place and her fourth victory of the season. Mengtao Xu of China was second on 101.74, Scott was third and after increasing her difficulty performing a double full-full (triple twisting double somersault) which scored 87.06. Willcox finished sixth jumping a different triple twist variation but missing the landing to score 65.56.
 
“I feel great, really relieved. I think I got a little lucky, I snuck into the final, so I’m just happy to be jumping,” said Peel, the 35-year-old double World Champion from Canberra.
 
In the men’s competition Reilly Flanagan performed a lay full single twisting double somersault to finish 31st.
 
With one event remaining, Peel is on 442 points on top of the World Cup standings, increasing her lead to 78 points ahead of Xu, Scott is third 98 points behind Peel. Also in the top-10 for Australia are Willcox sixth and Frigo ninth.
 
The final World Cup of the season will take place at the 2026 Olympic venue in Livigno, Italy, on March 13.
 
Peel is in prime position to secure her third career World Cup crystal globe if she can finish 12th or better in Italy.
 
Peel said: “I’m in a good spot, but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. One jump at a time, but I’m really happy.”

VIS aerial skier Danielle Scott has finished third at the World Cup event in Beidahu, China, her third podium of the season and 23rd of her career.
 
The back-to-back defending World Cup Champion qualified for finals in fourth place after scoring 831.6 points for her full-full double twisting double back somersault. Joining Scott in finals jumping the same jump were Flying Kangaroos teammates Abbey Willcox in sixth on 79.38, Laura Peel seventh with 78.75 and Airleigh Frigo in 11th on 74.97.
 
In the first round of finals, Scott performed the same jump again, this time improving to the second highest score of the round on 90.40 to secure a place in the top-six super-final medal round. Joining Scott in the super-final was Willcox on 83.79, but missing out was Frigo in seventh on 80.95 for her full-full, and Peel in eighth who had trouble with landing the difficult lay-full-full triple back somersault with two twists, scoring 79.35.
 
In the super-final medal round, Scott increased her difficulty adding an extra twist from her previous jumps, performing a double full-full triple twisting double back somersault, scoring 89.18 from the judges to finish in third.
 
Willcox finished in fifth place scoring 78.88 points for her lay-full single twisting double back somersault.
 
Mengtao Xu of China was the winner, the 2022 Olympic champion scored 114.19, with her teammate Meiting Chen in second on 109.04, both Chinese jumpers performed a very difficult full-full-full, triple back somersault with three twists.
 
“It was a tricky day with the wind changing a lot, so I am happy to put my jumps down the way I did, and use that experience out there” said the 34-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.
 
“This year I am not jumping triples, so it’s all about maximising those points with my doubles.”
 
Narrowly missing the 12-woman final in a career best finish was rookie Elise Coleiro in 13th and in the men’s event Reilly Flanagan was 30th.
 
After five events Peel is ranked first on the World standings on 342 points, with Scott and Xu of China tied for second on 284. Also in the top-10 are Australians Willcox in seventh and Frigo in eighth.
 
Australia seventh in mixed team event
In the mixed team event Australia was represented by Danielle Scott, Laura Peel and Reilly Flanagan, finishing in seventh place with a total score of 238.91.
 
Scott opened for Australia scoring 80.01 for her double full-full, Peel jumped full-full-full receiving 77.70, and Flanagan scored 81.20 for his lay-full.
 
The next World Cup event will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on March 2, with the World Cup final on the future 2026 Olympic venue in Livigno, Italy, on March 13.

VIS aerial skiers have swept the first four places at the iconic World Cup event in Deer Valley, USA, the first time Australia has filled the FIS World Cup podium in any winter sport.
 
Leading the way was two-time World Champion Laua Peel who claimed her third straight victory and 12th win of her impressive career, ahead of two-time defending World Cup champion Danielle Scott in second, Abbey Willcox was third and Airleigh Frigo fourth.
 
Competing on the historic 2002 Olympic Course, athletes encountered challenging weather throughout the week. Warm conditions led to the cancellation of two training days, and heavy snowfall on the event day forced the qualification round to be rescheduled to the night final session.
 
In difficult conditions, Peel reduced her degree of difficulty to double somersaults, scoring 87.88 points for her full-full double twisting double somersault jump and advancing to the top-six super final in first place. Willcox, Scott, and Frigo also performed the same full-full jump, securing second, third, and fourth places with scores of 82.53, 79.38, and 78.12, respectively.
 
In the super-final, athletes were able to perform the same jump from the qualification round. All Australian athletes chose to compete with the full-full jump. Peel narrowly clinched the win with a score of 87.57, followed closely by Scott, on 86.31. Willcox earned the bronze medal on 81.58, and Frigo was fourth place on 69.30.

“I am really happy to have the yellow leads bib, we are halfway through the season now, and three back-to-back-wins is super exciting, and tonight was so special having an Aussie sweep of the podium and Airleigh as well in fourth place” said Peel, the 35-year-old from Canberra.
 
“It’s incredible, I am so happy, Deer Valley really is a special place for me, it’s my second home, and to take out the sweep with Laura an Abbey and Airleigh in fourth, we are making history, it’s really cool for Australia” said Scott, the 34-year-old Scott from NSW.

“Every World Cup podium I have had has been in Deer Valley, so it’s cool to continue that streak, and to share it with two other Aussies and make history with a clean sweep” said Willcox, the 28-year-old Willcox from Brisbane.
 
Missing out on finals were rookie VIS Flying Kangaroos Sidney Stephens in 14th place, Elise Coleiro 15th, and Reilly Flanagan 24th.
 
After four events, Peel has extended her position at the top of the World Cup standings with an impressive 310 points. Scott has moved into second place with 224 points, while Willcox and Frigo are in eighth and ninth places with 138 and 133 points, respectively.
 
The next World Cup aerial skiing event is in China on February 23 & 24 at Beidahu ski resort.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) congratulates outgoing Ogden Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Mark Adams on his outstanding professional career on his retirement from the organisation, and thanks Mark for his outstanding support of Australian Winter Sports, especially the Flying Kangaroos Aerial Skiing Team which is based in Utah during the Northern Hemisphere winter.
 
Ogden Regional Medical Center (ORMC)began a formal healthcare partnership with the OWIA in 2009. Discussions began after Steve Rogers, OWIA Manager of North America Operations, introduced the idea to Mark Adams. It has been an ideal partnership since the Flying Kangaroos have lived and trained during the winter months in the mountains surrounding Ogden, Utah, for over 20 years. ORMC is a 238-bed full service tertiary hospital located in Ogden, Utah, only 20 miles from Snowbasin Ski resort, where the Flying Kangaroos Aerial Skiing Team have trained for many years.
 
In those early years, it was surprising news that Australia had already experienced some great success on the world stage of winter sports. Coupling the proven high-quality healthcare of ORMC to help the high calibre Australian winter athletes made very good sense. The hospital has always stood ready to provide any and all healthcare resources necessary for the continued health and performance of these elite athletes.
 
Mark Adams, CEO expressed great appreciation for this 15-year partnership that has existed between ORMC and OWIA and stated, “we look forward to continuing this relationship into the future”. Mark is officially retiring as CEO of ORMC in early 2025. However, this will not impact our resolve and plans to continue as the North America healthcare sponsor for the winter athletes from down under that train here. The new CEO at ORMC, Jerry Gonzalez, is excited about continuing and supporting the partnership with OWIA.
 
Mark goes on to say, “this relationship has been so meaningful, that I often find myself cheering and rooting for the Australian athletes’ success even over and above US athletes.” Of course, it helps that so many Australian winter athletes have been on the international podium of success over these past years.
 
Geoff Lipshut, OWIA CEO:
 
“Our partnership with Ogden Regional Medical Center and Mark Adams and his team has always been special. I remember having just formalised the arrangement in Ogden with ORMC with Mark on the way to the Vancouver Olympic Games in early 2010.
 
“Shortly afterwards at those games Lydia Lassila became the second Flying Kangaroo to win the Aerial Skiing Olympic gold medal, following in the footsteps of Alisa Camplin, the 2002 Olympic Champion at Salt Lake City. Mark and ORMC brought us the best of luck!
 
“Knowing we have the support and back up of ORMC is a relief for myself as the responsible officer for our organisation. Our athletes are a long way from home and it is reassuring to know we have the expert professionals available at ORMC to provide our athletes the very best of care.
 
“It has been a pleasure working together with Mark Adams and our long time manager in North America Steve Rogers through these years. On behalf of our Chairman, Dean Gosper and his board, we all thank Mark and wish him much happiness in his future. Mark is a true friend of the Flying Kangaroos and our organisation.
 
“Everyone at the OWIA is looking forward to continuing the close relationship with ORMC and CEO, Jerry Gonzalez.”

IMAGE - The Flying Kangaroos with the Odgen Regional Team

Laura Peel has capped an extraordinary weekend by securing back-to-back gold medals at the World Cup event in Lac-Beauport, Canada. The VIS aerial skier again successfully jumped her spectacular triple back somersaults to lead a double Aussie podium celebration on the second day of competition, when VIS teammate Airleigh Frigo achieved her first career podium finish in third place.
 
In difficult conditions, four Australian women qualified for top 12 finals, Danielle Scott in second, Peel fourth, Abbey Willcox tenth and Frigo 12th, the most of any nation in the women’s event.
 
In the first round of finals, Peel advanced to the super-final medal round in first place after scoring 94.65 points for her lay-full-full triple somersault jump. Joining Peel in her first super-final was 25-year-old Frigo from Brisbane in fifth after scoring 83.47 with a full-full double somersault. Unlucky to miss the super-final were both Abbey WIllcox in seventh on 80.95 and Danielle Scott, eighth on 80.50.
 
In the super-final, Peel increased her degree of difficult adding an extra twist in her triple, scoring 102.17 for her full-full-full jump to record her 11th career World Cup victory. American Karenna Elliott was a distant second on 87.42, and Frigo celebrated her first podium in third, scoring 76.85 for her lay-full double back somersault and smashing her previous best World Cup finish of 12th.
 
“I feel relieved. It’s been all kinds of weather and it’s hard to stay calm up there and trust yourself” said Peel, the 35-year-old double World Champion from Canberra.
 
“I had my plan from the beginning. I didn’t want to change it. I wanted to be able to execute those jumps in all conditions. The difficulty will ramp up going into the (Milan-Cortina 2026) Games, and I want to be ready.
 
“It’s been some really early mornings and long days. I’ll relax for a couple of days, get some good sleep, and get back to work.”
 
Missing out on finals were other VIS Flying Kangaroos Elise Coleiro in 21st place, Sidney Stephens 29th and Reilly Flanagan 31st.
 
After three events, Peel has surged into first place on the World Cup standings on 210 points. Mengtao Xu of China follows in second on 184 and Elliott of the USA is third with 160 Australia has two more athletes in the top-10, Scott in fifth place on 144 points and Frigo in tenth with 83 points.
 
The next aerial skiing World Cup event is on February 7 in Deer Valley, USA, on the iconic “White Owl” 2002 Olympic Winter Games jump site, where Alisa Camplin made history by winning Australia’s first-ever skiing gold medal.

VIS double World Champion Laura Peel claimed her first victory of the season and tenth of her career in the first of two World Cup events in Lac Beauport, Canada.
 
Peel carried on her outstanding form from the team event in Lake Placid the previous  weekend to land both her spectacular triple back somersaults in the final rounds in freezing -20 temperatures.
 
In the first round of finals Peel performed a lay-full-full, double twisting triple back somersault to advance to the six-woman super-final with a score of 104.32 points in first place.
 
For the final jump of the event, Peel increased her degree of difficulty adding an extra twist, with her full-full-full, triple twisting triple back somersault, scoring a huge 117.19, finishing ahead of Chinese skiers Meiting Chen on 102.31 in second and Mengtao Xu in third with 92.72.
 
“Today was a good day, I am really happy with my jumping, I have been working to build consistency, and today it was three-from-three, and I hope it will be the same tomorrow” said the 35-year-old from Canberra.
 
“I have been at this a long time, this is maybe my twelfth of thirteenth year on tour, so I am used to being cold, but when you have a job to do you just put it to the back of your mind. I have a few cues that I tell myself before every jump, I am just trying to stay calm and focus on the process.”
 
Also in action were VIS teammates, Danielle Scott made first round of finals in eighth place and in the qualifications Sidney Stephens was 15th, Airleigh Frigo 19th, Abbey Willcox 21st, Elsie Coleiro 25th and Reilly Flanagan 36th.

Australia has won its first medal in the aerial skiing mixed team event since 2017, after Laura Peel led Australia to a bronze medal performance in Lake Placid, USA.
 
The Australian team featuring VIS skiers two-time World Champion Laura Peel, World Cup medallist Abbey Willcox and World Cup debutant Reilly Flanagan, qualified for the final in fourth place with 263.33 points, highlighted by Peel’s triple twisting triple back somersault scoring 114.62 points which was comparable with the leading men in the event.
 
In the final, Peel was even better, scoring 118.48 points performing the same jump. Willcox and Flanagan both landed every competition jump on the night, which were double somersaults with two twists and one twist respectively.
 
The Australian team landed all six jumps in competition, to finish on the podium in third place and a combined score of 277.63 points. All of the other teams in the competition featured two men and one female competitor, while Team Australia was two females and one male and all scores counted.
 
Finishing in first place was China on 289.17 points, followed by Canada in second with 289.17.
 
“It was a good day, I am super happy, it was the first time I have competed in a team event in a long time, we are happy to have Reilly here now, we have someone in the men’s event so we can compete, and to finish on the podium is amazing” said the 35-year-old Peel from Canberra.
 
“It was great conditions out there, everybody jumped so amazing, it was great to be a part of it” said the 28-year-old Willcox from Brisbane.
 
“It feels amazing to be here, I feel like we are so privileged to have a team after so long, and I am just enjoying the moment” said the 20-year-old Flanagan from Brisbane.
 
The aerial skiing team now heads to Lac-Beauport, Canada, for a double World Cup next weekend on January 25 and 26.

VIS aerial skier Danielle Scott has made a great start to the World Cup season with a silver medal performance at the first event of the year in Lake Placid, USA, claiming the 22nd World Cup medal of her career.
 
The back-to-back defending World Cup Champion performed well in all three stages of the competition, placing second in the opening qualifications, and then secured her spot in the medal round by leading the first round of finals with an impressive full-full double twisting double back somersault that scored 92.29 points.
 
In the super-final medal round, Scott increased her degree of difficult to perform a triple twisting double back somersault, scoring 95.17 points and agonisingly close to victory by the small margin of 0.35 points.

2022 Olympic Champion Mengtao Xu of China won the gold medal scoring 95.52. Rounding out the podium in third with a score of 90.94 was Canadian Marion Thenault.
 
“Pretty stoked, it was awesome to get back in the start gate again, this year has been a pretty big ride on a rollercoaster, so grateful to just be here,” said the 34-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.
 
“Today had everything weather wise, head winds to tail winds to falling snow, to everything changing on us in such small windows, very grateful and happy for my coaches for getting all the attention to detail right and trusting everything out there.
 
“Experience definitely played a big role, it wasn’t my first time dealing with tricky weather, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t with wind gusts, so you have to take it as it comes, and I am grateful for that experience.
 
VIS teammate Abbey Willcox also qualified for the final in fifth place and went on to finish in eighth in the first round of finals.
 
Missing out on the final was Airliegh Frigo in 20th and double World Champion Laura Peel in 21st
 
Also competing for Australia in their World Cup debuts were VIS development skiers Sidney Stephens in 28th, Elise Coleiro 29th and Reilly Flanagan 29th.

VIS double aerial skiing World Champion Laura Peel has commenced the Northern Hemisphere winter with a double gold medal performance in the European Cup events in Ruka, Finland, with teammates Abbey Willcox also claiming medals on both days and Danielle Scott finishing third in her one start at the event.
 
The VIS program has been training in Finland for the past month, with Continental Cup team skiers Miriana Perkins and Elise Coleiro performing their first ever double back somersaults on snow.
 
Over the weekend, two European Cup events took place in Ruka, the first aerial skiing competitions of the norther winter.
 
On day one, Peel led an Australian clean sweep of the podium with 94.82 points for her triple twisting double back somersault, with Abbey Willcox in second after scoring 78.12 for her full-full jump, with Danielle Scott in third on 76.49 for her triple twisting double back somersault. VIS aerial skier Miriana Perkins also qualified for the final, finishing in sixth place.
 
On day two, Peel made it back-to-back victories, performing the same triple twisting double back somersault in the final scoring 90.24 points, to finish ahead of Canada Marion Thenault on 87.42, and Willcox in third with 77.12 points. Scott chose not to compete in the second event.
 
The first World Cup of the season will take place in Lake Placid, USA, on January 18-19,
 
Day One

Women
1st Laura Peel
2nd Abbey Willcox
3rd Danielle Scott
6th Miriana Perkins
10th Airleigh Frigo
11th Sidney Stephens
12th Elise Coleiro

Men
26th Reilly Flanagan
 
Day Two

Women
1st Laura Peel
3rd Abbey Willcox
7th Elise Coleiro
10th Airleigh Frigo
12th Miriana Perkins
13th Sidney Stephens
 
Men
25th Reilly Flanagan

VIS aerial skier Danielle Scott has won her second straight World Cup season Crystal Globe after a silver medal performance in the final event of the season in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Scott now has 21 World Cup medals, and joins Australian aerial skiing legends Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin, and Laura Peel as back-to-back World Cup Crystal Globe Champions.

Heading into the final event, Scott trailed Winter Vinecki of the USA by 12 points on the standings and needed to beat the American by a minimum of one place to move into first on the rankings.

The qualification round took place early in the morning under foggy conditions, but finals were cancelled in the afternoon due to the visibility further deteriorating making conditions unsafe. Results from the qualification round were subsequently used to determine the final results.

In the qualifying round, Scott scored 87.25 points for her full-full double twisting double back somersault jump, which put her in second place. Vinecki struggled with her full-full jump scoring only 71.50 points which put her in tenth place, allowing Scott to unexpectedly clinch the Crystal Globe by a comfortable margin.

Canadian Marion Thenault claimed the victory after scoring 94.11 points jumping a double full-full triple twisting double back somersault, with Fanyu Kong of China rounding out the podium in third with 82.21 points for her full-full.

The final standings saw Scott in first place on 420 points, with Vinecki in second with 378 and Thenault in third on 311.

“I am just so incredibly happy, this is a dream come true to go back-to-back and win the globe twice” said the 33-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.

“Every jump counts is I all I can think about right now, as in the qualification round the weather was much better and I did a nice jump and its paid off.”

The VIS Aerial Skiing Continental Cup Team have competed in their first event of the season, taking part in a Nor-Am competition in Lac-Beauport, Canada.

With the World Cup tour currently on a break, a number of top end World Cup athletes also competed, giving the developing athletes great experience competing against some of the best in the sport.

Sidney Stephens had the best result in the women's event, just missing out on the top-six women's final in seventh place on day one, while Miriana Perkins was the highest placed finisher on day two in ninth.

Elise Coleiro made her on snow competition debut, finishing in 20th on day one.

In the men's event, Reilly Flanagan finished in 19th and 16th place.

Women's Results Day One
7th - Sidney Stephens
19th - Miriana Perkins
20th - Elise Coleiro

Men's Results Day One
19th - Reilly Flanagan

Women's Results Day Two
9th - Miriana Perkins
12th - Sidney Stephens

Men's Results Day Two
16th - Reilly Flanagan

Danielle Scott made it a double podium weekend for the VIS aerial skier on day two in Lac Beauport, with a bronze medal performance to add to silver medal from the previous day. Abbey Willcox also continued her strong recent form with her third straight super-final performance with another fifth place finish.

In the qualification round, Scott advanced in fifth place and Willcox in ninth to the 12-woman final. In the first round of finals both athletes performed full-full double twisting double backflips to make it through to the top six super-final in first and second place with 84.73 and 80.32 points respectively.

In the super-final medal round, Scott performed the more difficult double full-full triple twisting double back somersault jump, scoring 81.42 points to take the bronze medal, her 20th career podium.

“It was frustrating, I really wanted to put down a better jump today, but the speed was all over the place," said the 33-year-old Scott.

“It’s been really tricky with these conditions, so frustrated with that unfortunately, but very grateful to still be on the podium.”

Willcox jumped a lay-full single twisting double back somersault to score 66.41 points in the super-final, giving her a final ranking of fifth, extending her career best super-final streak to three appearances.

In first place was American Winter Vinecki who scored 97.88 points on her triple back somersault, with Meiting Chen of China in second with 88.12 points.

With one World Cup event remaining in the season, Vinecki has now moved back into first place on the rankings on 352 points, with Scott trailing by 12 points.

Brisbane based Willcox moved up one place to be ranked a career best seventh.

The final event will take place on March 10 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where Scott can secure back-to-back Crystal Globes with a good performance in the super-final, and if she finishes ahead of Vinecki.

Australian aerial skier Danielle Scott has finished in second place at the World Cup event in Lac-Beauport, Canada, her third podium result of the season, moving her into first place on the World Cup rankings.

In difficult conditions featuring rain and sticky snow at the French Canadian resort, Scott qualified for finals in second place scoring 86.62 points for her full-full double twisting double back somersault jump. In the first round of finals Scott performed the same jump, this time scoring 83.47 points in third place to advance to the super-final medal round.

Scott increased her degree of difficulty in the super-final, with a double full-full triple twisting double back somersault and had the best form in the air of all jumps in the medal round, but unfortunately had trouble on the landing to finish with a final score of 84.24 points, with the silver medal the 19th career podiums for the three-time Olympian.
Finishing 4.94 points ahead of Scott in first place with American Kareena Elliott, with Marion Thenault of Canada in third with a score of 83.19.

“Super excited, the yellow bib was obviously the most important thing, and I am super happy with that,” said the 33-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.

“It’s been a really tricky day, I think everyone struggled at the beginning, the jump shape changed, so we had to make that quick adjustment. But I got my jumps done and I am pretty happy with them and still have room for improvement, so let’s hope we can bring that out tomorrow.”

Also in action for Australia was Abbey Willcox, who reached the top-six super final in back-to-back weeks for the first time in the 27-year-olds career. Wilcox finished in fifth place and moved her ranking up to eighth, a career best for the Brisbane based skier.

With two World Cup remaining, Scott is on top of the standings on 280 points, narrowly leading American Winter Vinecki by 28 points, with Thenault of Canada further back in third on 182.

A second World Cup takes places in Lac Beauport tomorrow morning, with the final event of the season in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on March 10.

VIS aerial skiers Danielle Scott and Abbey Willcox have made it a double podium celebration under lights at the prestigious World Cup event in Deer Valley, USA.

Competing on the Olympic course where Alisa Camplin famously won gold in 2002 and in front of the biggest crowd of the season, Scott was extremely unlucky not to claim victory, finishing with the same score in first place with Winter Vinecki of the USA on 77.90 points, but losing a tiebreak from their form scores 10.3 points to 10.2, giving Scott silver and the 18th podium performance of the three time Olympians career.

Rounding out the podium with her second career podium, which was also in Deer Valley four years ago, was Abbey Willcox who scored 76.85 points.

“Pretty happy, it has been an absolutely crazy day with extreme weather, a bit of rain and super soft snow falling, it’s really hard conditions so to walk away with a podium very happy” said the 33-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.

“It’s so awesome (to have teammate Willcox on the podium), she has worked so hard and it’s well deserved.”

“It’s been four years in the making, so happy to back on the podium and such a beautiful night to be jumping in front of everyone in Deer Valley,” said the 27-year-old Willcox, from Brisbane via the NSW Central Coast.

Willcox was also thrilled to match her previous best World Cup finish.

“It’s pretty much an exact repeat of four years ago, it’s co incredible to share the podium with Dani as well, two Aussies on the podium is amazing.” With three events remaining Scott is ranked second on the World Cup standings on 200 points, trailing Vinecki by 32 points, with Canadian Marion Thenault in third on 122 points.

Triple Olympian and Dual world champion Laura Peel, did not compete in Deer Valley, electing to take a break for the remainder of the competition season to freshen up in advance of 2026 Olympic qualifying commencing next season.
Next on the schedule for the aerial skiers is a double World Cup next weekend in Lac-Beauport, Canada.

The Australian Flying Kangaroos Aerial Ski Team have been training in Snowbasin, Utah, USA this month, and over the weekend three time VIS Olympian Danielle Scott has showed she can't wait for the World Cup tour to resume with a double podium performance in FIS events at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP). 

Two FIS events took place at the UOP, with competitors from Australia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Ukraine and the USA all competing, with Danielle Scott in action on both days and Abbey Willcox in the first event.

On day one Scott finished in third place in the final, performing a full-full and receiving a score of 76.54 from the judges.

VIS teammate Abbey Willcox finished in tenth place after missing her landing, scoring 45.24 for her lay-full in the final.

On day two Scott upped her degree of difficulty performing a double-full full jump, scoring 97.99 to claim the gold medal, with a winning margin of 10.74 points ahead of second place.

After the event Danielle Scott reflected on a great weekend.

"It was a fun but interesting weekend of competition, really warm weather with rain and sticky jumps so a lot of it came down to experience.

"I only had a couple of days to get back on snow after a month off at home, so it felt good to get back in the swing of things quickly and land on the podium both days.

"Thanks to the team around me and to coaches Dima and Sasha for putting me in the right place for the tricky conditions.

"Now for some more training in preparation for the Deer Valley World Cup which is always one of the best and most exciting stops on tour!"

The Deer Valley World Cup will take place under lights on February 2.

VIS double World Champion Laura Peel has claimed the 23rd World Cup podium of her career after finishing in third place in Changchun, China.

In difficult conditions, the three-time Olympian was one of two female athletes to perform spectacular triple back somersaults in the finals, and qualified for the medal round in second place after scoring 96.08 for her lay-tuck-full-triple with VIS teammate and reigning World Cup champion Danielle Scott also advancing in sixth place with 85.05 for her full-full double twisting double jump.

In the super-final Peel stepped up her degree of difficulty to perform a lay-full-full jump, but lost points from the judges on her landing, scoring 80.96 points, to finish behind the winner Winter Vinecki of the USA on 94.25 and China’s Fanyu Kong second with 81.42.

Scott finished in sixth place after wind impacted her back double full-full jump, sending her much bigger than expected impacting her landing, scoring 71.20 points.

Airleigh Frigo finished in 15th place in qualifying, just missing out on the 12-woman final.

Peel commented after the event.

“We had a tough few days of training in China with freezing temps and quite a bit of wind.

“It always feels great to finish on the podium, but I gave away a lot of points on my landing, so I’m looking forward to bigger and better things when the competitions kick off again in the new year.”

The aerial skiers now have over a month until their next World Cup event, which will take place on February 2 at Deer Valley, USA.

Australia’s female wintersport athletes have made it a four medal weekend to open the World Cup season, with aerial skier Danielle Scott claiming a silver medal in Ruka, Finland, and snowboard cross rider Belle Brockhoff finishing with a bronze in Les Deux Alpes, France, overnight.

Earlier in the weekend mogul skier Jakara Anthony took gold in Ruka and Tess Coady silver in the snowboard big air in Beijing, China.

For aerial skier Scott, the podium performance was the 17th of her World Cup career, and a strong start to defending her World Cup title of last season.

Scott qualified for the super-final in first place, and in the medal round scored 88.47 points for her double-full full jump.

Taking the win was Canadian Marion Thenault who scored 99.05 points for her full-double full jump, with Zhanbota Aldabergenova of Kazakhstan in third with 77.43 after jumping a lay-full.

Two-time World Champion Laura Peel again jumped her spectacular triple back somersault in finals, just missing the podium in fourth place by half a point, scoring 76.93 for her super difficult lay-full-full jump.

“Very happy, would have been nice to make it three wins in a row but that ok” said the 33-year-old Scott from NSW, who trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.

“I have had a pretty tough week, my legs have been cramping like no other, so it’s been really weird, but to end up on the podium I am super happy.”

“This season is going to be pretty chill for me, just keeping the body healthy doing some nice jumps, just maximising points.”

Also in action for Australia was Abbey Willcox who made the final in 12th place in her first World Cup since January 2022, and Airleigh Frigo in 17th.

The aerial skiing World Cup circuit now heads to Changchun, China, for a competition next weekend on December 16.

The first event for the FIS Freestyle World Cup season takes place this weekend in Ruka, Finland, with the Australian Aerial and Mogul skiing teams based at the Finish resort for a number of weeks, training on the World Cup courses in the lead in to the first event.

First up will be the Mogul World Cup on Saturday December 2, and the following day on Sunday December 3 it will be aerial skiers turn to compete, with Danielle Scott looking to defend her 2023 World Cup title alongside two-time World Champion and 2023 World Cup runner up Laura Peel.

Airleigh Frigo is keen to continue building momentum after her first full World Cup season and Abbey Willcox is returning to competition after a 12 month break.

"Training in Ruka has been good although slower than normal due to some weird muscles spasms in my quads," said Scott.

"Brisbane has been vital in my winter preparations for years now and I’m super grateful to be based on home soil with our own training times. I was able to spend a lot more time at home in between training which is huge for mental recovery."

"After a pretty big year last year, I’m just looking forward to some nice clean jumps and keeping my body feeling healthy."

"Right now with the slow start I’m just focusing on a day by day mentality."

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Seven new inductees were announced today for the nation’s most prestigious sporting organisation, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF).

Lydia Lassila OAM is one of the seven new inductees and stands as one of Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympic athletes. Her stellar career in aerial skiing culminated in a gold and bronze medal, becoming the first Australian female to compete in five Winter Games.

Lassila’s journey was marked by resilience, including a near career-ending knee injury in Torino 2006, but she persevered to win gold in Vancouver 2010. Her daring attempts, like the quad-twisting triple somersault in Sochi 2014, left an indelible mark on the sport, and she made history as the first Australian woman to compete in five Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018.

“What I used to do in my sporting career now feels quite distant," Lassila said. "Life has moved on I suppose pretty quickly, with family and living in a new country.

"It’s nice to be reminded that I used to be an aerial skier, and I did some really cool things in my career and achieved a lot.

"The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Award has always been a huge inspiration for me through hearing other athletes’ stories and journeys in their careers.”
 
The inductees will be honoured at a Sport Australia Hall of Fame event to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney on October 16.
 
The honour roll of induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame features the nation’s biggest sporting names and champions, including Sir Donald Bradman AC, Dawn Fraser AC MBE, Cathy Freeman OAM, Ian Thorpe AM, E.J. “Ted” Whitten OAM, Raelene Boyle AM MBE, Wally Lewis AM, Shane Gould OAM MBE, Sir Jack Brabham AO OBE, Greg Norman AO, Lauren Jackson AO, John Eales AM, Susie O’Neill AM, Rod Laver AC MBE, Bart Cummings AM, Louise Sauvage OAM and Layne Beachley AO, among other luminaries.
 
Those who are inducted into this elite group are our nation’s leading champions. They have not only excelled in their chosen field, but have done so with dignity, integrity, courage, modesty, pride and ambition.
 
Membership as an Athlete Member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is limited exclusively to the top echelon of Australian athletes who have all achieved the highest honours at the peak level of competition. Each year the Selection Committee picks the newest Hall of Famers to join their fellow top echelon of Australian leaders.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chair, Bruce McAvaney OAM said: "In a year where the drama of sport has held us captive as a nation, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame welcomes six elite athletes and a coach who’ve left an indelible mark in their field.

"Every one of this year’s inductees has been instrumental in providing this country with unforgettable moments – whether it be at summer or winter Olympics, rugby league State of Origin or football’s World Cup.
"It doesn’t get any bigger or better than that. Diverse in their sporting prowess, each has excelled over a lifetime, paving the way for those who follow and stamping their own mark on history."
 
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Induction and Awards program is sponsored by the Australia Sports Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport and proudly supported by Sportscover and Victoria University.

2023 SAHOF Inductees

• Lydia Lassila OAM (Aerial Skiing)
• Tim Cahill AO (Football)
• Nova Peris (Athletics & Hockey)
• Tim McLaren (Rowing)
• Kim Brennan AM (Rowing) 
• Kurt Fearnley AO (Para-Athletics)
• Johnathan Thurston AM (Ruby League)

Article Courtesy Snow Australia/SAHOF

A glorious Brisbane day greeted competitors for the final of the FIS Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix Series, with competitors from Australia, Switzerland and Ukraine taking part.

The Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre at Sleeman Sports Complex hosted the final round of the Series which launched earlier this year with the opening two rounds taking place in USA and Switzerland.

Australian Airleigh Frigo took out today’s Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix, with a score of 85.36. The 24 year old finished ahead of fellow Aussie team mate Abbey Willcox (79.69) and Ukraine’s Diana Yablonska (68.44).

With today’s competition the first time in almost 20 years the Aussies have had the chance to compete on home soil, Frigo couldn’t be happier.

“It felt amazing, it was the first win for me in an Aerials competition and it was great to do it on home soil,” said Frigo.
“I train here all year round so I really know the facility and I think that was a huge advantage.

“It’s a great place to train, the weather is always great… hopefully there are more [events] to come in the future.
“With this facility we are able to train more and more often and get our jumps really good so when the winter comes it’ll all carry through.

“I’ll now finish off the water ramping season and then head overseas to start competing in World Cups.  We’ll be overseas until about March,” she said.

Missing from today’s line up was triple Olympian Laura Peel, who sadly sustained a calf injury during yesterday’s training. Despite not lining up, Peel took second overall in the Series.

In the men’s it came down to Switzerland's Pirmin Werner and Noe Roth.  Roth was the last athlete on course and favored to win the day and the Series crown. But on his last run he lost a ski mid air and while the rules permitted a rerun, it wasn’t enough to secure the win over his teammate Werner.

Werner said: “It feels amazing, it’s always nice when you win. It’s my second time here in Australia. We were here last year for a training camp and then our winter season was pretty successful so we decided to come again.”

Hundreds of fans turned out to watch the showcase event, with Werner admitting it added to the festivities.
“It’s always nice when you have a crowd.  I would love to come next year to compete. It’s awesome here, we always have a good time and the weather is awesome, and we can do a lot of good and difficult jumps,” he said.

Today’s event capped off the inaugural FIS Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix Series, with competitors set to return to training and finalise preparations ahead of the World Cup season in the northern hemisphere. 

For full results from today’s competition - click here.

MEDALISTS I Brisbane Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix Series

Women
1.    Airleigh Frigo (AUS) 85.36
2.    Abbey Willcox (AUS) 79.69
3.    Diana Yablonska (UKR) 68.44

Men
1.    Pirmin Werner (SUI) 146.37
2.    Dmytro Kotovskyi (UKR) 122.62
3.    Oleksandr Okipniuk (UKR) 120.00

Article courtesy BTB/Lauren Ryan
Images - Rogue Gun Photography

Laura Peel with Geoff Henke and her coach Mich Roth

Brisbane is all set to host the final leg of the inaugural FIS Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix Series tomorrow Saturday 9 September, at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre at Sleeman Sports Complex.

Athletes got their first taste of the venue at a training session today, with teams from Australia, Ukraine and Switzerland set to go head to head. 

Among the lineup is Australia’s triple Olympian and World Champion Laura Peel, who currently leads the Series. 
World Cup medalist and Olympic hopefully Abbey Willcox will be one of the Aussies featured in the line up tomorrow. She’s hoping to take advantage of her home ground. 

“Training went really well, this facility is absolutely incredible, it’s such a privilege to train here. I’m just working on a few little basics at the moment and looking forward to putting it down in competition tomorrow. 

“I don’t think Australia has held an aerials competition here in close to 20 years, so to be here in the Sunshine State competing in aerials skiing is a really cool experience.”

Switzerland's Noé Roth, Current World Champion, said the Brisbane facility is looking great and he’s excited to be down under to cap off the new Series. 

“I love it here, it’s a super beautiful place to be, it’s always a good time [in Brisbane]. I’m excited to jump tomorrow. 
“It’s going to be a really good show [tomorrow]... we’ve also got the Ukraine team here as well as the Australians. It’s going to be really good,” he said. 

Snow Australia CEO Michael Kennedy, said he hopes Brisbane locals will come along to enjoy this unique event. 
“We are thrilled to have Brisbane as the final destination of this inaugural FIS Freestyle Ski Summer Grand Prix Series.
“We have made this event free to the public to encourage as many locals to come along and see world class freestyle skiers in action.”

The FIS Summer Grand Prix will be held on Saturday 9 September at Sleeman Sports Complex, Old Cleveland Rd &, Tilley Rd, Chandler, Brisbane.

Gates open from 12:30pm with finals starting 1:00pm.  While tickets are free, spectators must register their attendance here.

Top Image - Abbey Willcox in action during official training © Rogue Gun Photography & Media

Swiss team Noe Roth (left) with his father and coach Mich Roth, and teammate Primin Werner