NSWIS snowboard cross riders Cam Bolton and Josie Baff have finished the season impressively at a double World Cup event in Mont Saint Anne, Canada, where Bolton claimed silver medals on both days and bronze for Baff on day two after just missing a medal on day one.

Bolton finished the season in a career best ranking of third on the World Cup standings, while in the women’s standings Baff just missed her career best ranking, finishing in fourth place with teammate Belle Brockhoff sixth.

Bolton won each round of the finals to advance to the big-final, where he would face off against world number one Eliot Grondin of Canada who had already secured the World Cup Crystal Globe for the season. In the big-final Grondin led from start to finish to take the gold, with Bolton making two impressive passing moves down the course to claim the silver in a photo finish where he edged out German Leon Ulbricht in third.

For Bolton, the silver medal was his fourth podium of the winter and ended his season in career best form.
“First time for sure in the top-3 (on the standings), and these things are pretty hard to win, so very happy to come away with it” said the 33-year-old from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

“Always tricky to back up the second race in a double event, but the sun has come out and the course is maintained so well and an absolute pleasure to race today and was able to come up and put in a pretty good performance and happy with my result and of course the overall.”

Also in action in the men's event was Adam Lambert, who won the small-final to finish in fifth place on day one but was well back in 32nd on day two.

In the women’s event on day one, Baff just missed the podium in fourth place, with Mia Clift making it through to semi-finals for the first time in her career in eighth and Belle Brockhoff in ninth.

On day two Baff and Brockhoff both made it through to the semi-final stage, where Baff won her semi-final to advance to the big-final, while Brockhoff just missed in third. In the small final to decide places five to eight, Brockhoff was also third and finished in seventh.

The women’s big-final featured the top four in the world, and it did not disappoint with tight racing to the finish line. Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain took the victory ahead of Italian Michela Moioli in second and Baff third, to just finish ahead of world number one, Chloe Trespeuch of France.

Baff now has nine World Cup career podiums, five coming this season.

“It was super-fun, I really wanted to do one better after yesterday (fourth place), and I managed to do that, I would have loved something more, but I am very satisfied with the third” said the 21-year-old from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

“It was super tight racing with all of the girls, and I think we all showed our best riding and wanted to give it our best for the last two races of the season.”

Trespeuch of France finished first on the women’s World Cup standings on 792 points, followed by Bankes on 757, Moioli 704 and Baff 608.

19-year-old Mia Clift from Melbourne was awarded the FIS Snowboard Cross female rookie of the year, after a promising first full World Cup season, which included a personal best finish of eighth on day one in Mont Saint Anne, and a final ranking of 19th on the standings.

Canadian Eliot Grondin ended well ahead in the men’s standings to finish on 952 points, Austrian Alessandro Haemmerle was second on 604, and Bolton third with 552. Adam Lambert finished the season ranked 12th and Jarryd Hughes was 30th after missing the final three events due to injury.

NSWIS rider Josie Baff has continued her consistent from across the 2023-2024 FIS World Cup season, with a double bronze medal performance in Montafon, Austria. Baff has now claimed four medals this season and is currently ranked fourth on the FIS World Cup standings with two events remaining.

On the first day of World Cup competition at the Austrian resort, Baff moved through to the big-final after advancing through each heat in second place. In the big-final Baff crossed the line in third, behind event winner Michela Moioli of Italy, with Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain the runner up.

In the second and final day in Montafon, Baff this time won every heat to make it through to the big-final, crossing the line in the bronze medal position to claim the eighth World Cup podium of the 21-year-old from Jindabyne’s career. Finishing ahead of Baff on the podium was Chloe Trespeuch of France with the gold medal with American Lindsey Jacobellis in silver.

Belle Brockhoff finished in 13th place on day one, then improved to reach the small-final on day two, to finishin sixth place which is also her current World Cup ranking.

19-year-old Mia Clift had two personal best performances, firstly in qualifying advancing to finals in fifth, and then finishing in ninth place on day one. On day two Clift placed 16th.

In the men’s competition, Adam Lambert was the best performed with a fifth place finish on day one, while Cam Bolton the highest placed on day two in ninth.

Unfortunately, Jarryd Hughes had a fall on day one while finishing 32nd, and forcing him out of the second day event.
Bolton is the highest ranked male on the standings in a career best third, with Adam Lambert still aiming to finish in the top-ten and improve on his current ranking of 11th.

The final competition of the World Cup season will take next weekend at Mont Saint Anne in Quebec, Canada, with two events scheduled for March 23 and 24.

Jarryd Hughes has returned to the World Cup podium for the first time in over six years, with a bronze medal performance under lights in Cortina d’Amprezzo, Italy, with four Australian riders finishing in the top-eight at the future site of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The NSWIS rider made a great start to the event, with his best qualifying performance of the season, making it through to finals in fourth place. In finals, Hughes won his heat in the round of 32 and quarter-final to advance to the semi-final round where teammate Cameron Bolton joined him.

In the semi-final, Hughes advanced to the big-final medal round after crossing the line in second place, with Bolton in fourth place which put him in the small-final to decide places five through eight.

Hughes crossed the line in third place in the big-final to give him the fourth World Cup podium of his career, while world number one Eliot Grondin of Canada claimed the victory and Jake Veder of the USA was second. Bolton won the small-final to finish in fifth place.

In the women’s event, Josie Baff and Belle Brockhoff were both drawn in the same heat in finals, and advanced through to the semi-finals together after placing first and second in the quarter-final. In the semi-final Brockhoff placed third and Baff fourth, which put them in the small-final.

Baff won the small-final, giving her a final ranking of fifth, with Brockhoff unfortunately crashing in the bottom section after clipping a control gate and finished seventh.

After the race the 28-year-old PyeongChang Olympic silver medallist from Sydney posted on his social media.

"18-months off and third place in Cortina! Thanks to everyone who supported me through the time off. So good to be back on the box!"

Also in action for Australia was Mia Clift in 12th place, which matches her personal best World Cup result set last week in Spain, Adam Lambert was 43rd and Declan Dent 56th.

With only four events remaining in the season, Cameron Bolton is the highest ranked Australian on the World Cup standings in third place, in the women Josie Baff is fifth and Belle Brockhoff is sixth.

Next weekend a double event takes place in Montafon, Austria, on March 16 and 17.

NSWIS rider Josie Baff claimed the sixth World Cup podium of her career, placing second overnight at the second Sierra Nevada Snowboard Cross World Cup event in Spain, in what could be described as her very own “Steven Bradbury” moment.

In the women’s final, the 21-year-old was trailing at the back of the field and looking likely to miss the podium, but on the finish line, race leaders Chloe Trespeuch of France and Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes sensationally collided, leaving Italy's Michela Moioli and Baff to cross the line and take the gold and silver medals.

As the race jury reviewed the contact, both riders remained down. Trespeuch was lying flat on her back only centimetres on the wrong side of the finish line, while Bankes had the presence of mind to shuffle over it on her backside. With the result confirmed, a concerned Baff then dashed back from the finish area to help Trespeuch onto her feet, while Bankes was able to walk gingerly down the slope alongside Moioli.

Teammate Belle Brockhoff was unfortunately on the wrong side of the close racing on the tight course in Spain, when the three-time Olympian was taken out in her quarter-final heat during a three-rider collision. Brockhoff was subsequently advanced to the semi-final, but was unable to start after the crash, giving her a final ranking of eighth.

The third female rider in the top-16 for Australia was 19-year-old NSWIS rider Mia Clift, who had a personal best result after finishing in 12th place.

“Today was a lot of fun,” said the 2023 World Championship medallist Baff from Jindabyne in the NSW Snow Mountains.

“I was making a few mistakes in the earlier heats and I’m glad I was able to get my head in the right place and be in the game.”

“I seem to have been in a small-final curse for the last couple of races, so I was super happy to make the big-final. Hopefully everyone can get to Cortina in good nick – there was a nasty crash in the final, so I hope everyone is all good and ready to race again.”

In the men’s event NSWIS riders Cam Bolton and Adam Lambert both performed well making it through to the small-final, finishing in fifth and sixth place respectively. Also in action for Australia was Jarryd Hughes in 24th and Declan Dent 59th. 

The podium performance sees Baff move into third place on the FIS World Cup standings on 333 points, trailing Trespeuch in first place on 490, with Brockhoff in fifth with 323.

Canadian Eliot Grondin is in first place on the men’s standings with 620 points, with Bolton in third place on 292 and Lambert in ninth on 177.

Five events remain this season, with the next event set to take place on March 9 in Cortina d’Amprezzo, Italy, site of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Sierra Nevada WC #1: Small-final for Brockhoff and Baff

In the first of two snowboard cross World Cup events in Sierra Nevada, Spain, the competition was held under difficult conditions, with poor visibility forcing a number of course delays throughout the event.

Belle Brockhoff and Josie Baff both advanced through to the semi-final round and were drawn in the same heat, but unfortunately finished outside the top-two required to advance to the big-final, which relegated both to the small-final consolation round to decide places five to eight.

In the small final, Brockhoff finished third and had a final ranking of seventh, with Baff one place behind in eighth. Mia Clift just missed out qualifying for the top-16 finals, finishing 18th.

In the men's event, Cam Bolton was the only Australian rider to qualify for finals, finishing in 23rd place, with NSWIS teammates Adam Lambert 36th, Jarryd Hughes 42nd and Declan Dent 61st.