After electing to skip the last Olympic qualifying World Cup in Turkey last week for more training in Whistler, Canada, Jarryd Hughes will rejoin the Aussie contingent for two more World Cups in Bankso, Bulgaria and Feldberg, Germany over the next two weekends before the Games begin in PyeongChang.

“I’m in Whistler for the first time. It’s pretty fun,” he said last week. “I’ve been here since December 24th with my coaches. It’s just about being here to do what I need to do without distractions.”

Hughes, who won the Montafon World Cup in December, has had a productive time in Canada ahead of the next round of events.

 “At Montafon it was good to finally put another win the column and walk away with a W – that’s just a side piece at the moment and going towards my confidence into the Games.”

“It was good to have my whole team there and work on a few crucial points, crucial points.”

Feeling “healthy, strong and ready”, Hughes says he is looking at the courses in Bansko and Feldberg as an important lead up for different reasons.

“We’ve only had two actual world cup courses this year in Argentina and Montafon with a World Cup standard course. The other two have not really been up to scratch,” he said.  

“Bansko is more of a sprint event, which isn’t really the crucial performance event for me and not a course that will be anything like we are going to race (in PyeongChang).  It’s more to get the team altogether again and touching on finer details.”

“Feldberg will be good to go back after having a strong result there with a podium last year and it was good to work on passing last year after not being where I wanted to be at the start. It’s really cool to work on the passing in that event and good practice going towards the Olympics.”

 “The course in PyeongChang will be 1.20minutes. That’s good for certain people."

The Sochi Olympian, who was just 18-years-old at the time has fond memories of the Opening Ceremony.

“It was really cool to walk out with my friends that I’d done training with and take in the whole Olympic experience,” he recalled. “And, really cool to facetime my parents during the Opening Ceremony. It was as much their opening ceremony as it was mine. They basically walked around with me.”  

The Bansko Snowboard Cross World Cup will be contested this Saturday, January 27. Feldberg on February 4.

Currently leading the World Cup standings is Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin. Adam Lambert is 6th, Jarryd Hughes 10th and Cam Bolton 21st. Also at the starting gate are NSWIS riders Matt Thomas (28th), Josh Miller (32nd) and Adam Dickson (41st).

Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 

Ezurum proved to be challenging for the first ever Snowboard Cross World Cup held in Turkey last weekend.After an unusual trip to the picturesque ski resort that required a detour through the mountains, the weather did not cooperate requiring the cancellation of training and qualifications.

Racing went directly to finals without the riders having the opportunity to train on the course and whilst the Aussies put on a good show with five of the six-man squad making it through the heats, the best result came from Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin placing fourth in the small final and eighth overall.

Pullin retained his leader’s yellow bib and overall number one world ranking, now sitting on 3,346 points.

“Chumpy feels pretty positive about the result, more just keeping his points up to stay with the yellow bib” coach Ben Wordsworth said.

Adam Lambert made it to the semi-final finishing overall in 13th, Matt Thomas 22nd, Cam Bolton 28th, Josh Miller 29th and Adam Dickson 38th.

Cam Bolton had been looking to build on his previous tenth place in Italy.

“I had OK result in Italy and was looking forward to building on that for Korea,” Bolton said.

“It was so windy (in Erzurum). Today was the first time that I even went to the top of the course because there was so much snow and wind. It was about who picked up the course the quickest today would be rewarded.”

“The start section was tricky because the first feature was changing because of the soft snow, so, how you rode it completely changed.”

“In the heats I started strongly in the start section. Then I was having a tough time of the heat.

In the second heat I got sucked behind and couldn’t make the pass I was planning on making.”

Getting to Erzurum was problematic after the plane that was carrying many of the SBX World Cup tour athletes was diverted to another airport near the Syrian border.

“It’s been a crazy trip so far and definitely made it a very interesting four or five days. Our flight was delayed and we couldn’t land (near Erzurum) but flew further south near the Syrian border. Then we were all on a bus and had a military escort through the mountains.”

The Australians found an upside in the situation. For Adam Lambert, making another semi in adverse conditions is a plus for the 20-year-old.

“Erzurum was definitely interesting. I’ve never done a World Cup and not done a qualification because of weather. They (the Turkish resort) put on a pretty decent show though,” Lambert said.

“Racing was alright. I did the best I could and put out the runs and ended up 13th.”

“Got a poor start in the quarters but tried my best to get through that heat. The track was a bit small and you do what you can do.”

“I’m happy that I got to the quarters again. That makes it every quarters this year. That’s pretty good.”

The Erzurum World Cup was the final race for Olympic qualification. Selection of the four male Snowboard Cross to the Australian Olympic Team is expected this week.

There are more events on the calendar before Pyeongchang and that’s the focus for the SBX team as they head to Bankso, Bulgaria for the next World Cup on January 27th and then to Germany for another event immediately prior to Korea.

Belinda Noonan
OWIA

There’s a quality about Jindabyne’s Adam Lambert, who Snowboard Cross head coach Ben Wordsworth described recently as “a perfect athlete”.

‘Lambo’ possesses a quiet resilience and focus on his burgeoning international career with a purpose that is laced with a willingness to learn, innate confidence in his own ability and a maturity that belies a young man just out of his teens.

“I know what I want to do and know what I have to do to get there,” Lambert said earlier this month. “It’s a matter of putting it together at the end.”

After breaking out of the Europa Cup circuit into World Cups last season, Lambert learned fast. His first World Cup result of 52nd was turned around in 24 hours to 7th in his second World Cup and ended last season with a sixth place in the World Championships.

The podium seemed not far away and that outcome was ticked off with a silver in last December at Val Thorens in France.

“It was pretty surreal,” he said of his first World Cup medal. “I’d raced on that course before and came in with a little bit of confidence. I felt it all day and made it to the finals.”

“Afterwards I was stoked. There’s always a twinge of ‘what if I’d done this’ but definitely it does heaps for my confidence knowing I can perform that well in a high-end event.”

Learning from his team mates, particularly Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, is valued by the young gun.  

“Chumpy, especially, talks to me when I ask him about his path and how he got there. He tells me.”

“All the guys are fun to hang around with. They’re all really awesome blokes.”  

“It helps that our sense of humour is pretty similar on the long drives we have to do every week, which is my least favourite part (the driving), but that’s OK. It’s just a really good group.”

Stepping up full-time onto the World Cup circuit has meant changes to his training, all of which he has embraced.

“The scale of training has changed. I’ve had a lot more on the courses. Before it was turns on mountains and now with these guys and the funding we have, we help organise the construction on the courses – a cost that is split with other countries.”

“Having the other guys (from OWIA) and NSWIS is great. We are all really good riders and it’s good to get out together to train. It all adds up. This is so much better.”

“This year there’s a lot more actual training time compared to last year. Last year we spent a lot of time driving from place to place. Every other day we were racing - having to squash Europa’s in. Not having to do that has knocked out about 16 races.”  

“There are eight different locations that I don’t have to go to this year, which takes a lot of stress away and off my body. It’s good not to have to do that every week.”

Australia has a strong squad of riders in Snowboard Cross and only four can be selected for PyeongChang. Lambert is planning to be one of those four and already thinking about the Olympic course and how he can get the most out of the World Cup this weekend in Turkey before team selections are announced.  

“It (Erzurum, Turkey) will be a good course and a copy of the Olympic start section.”
 
“I race my own race. I go into every race with a good plan with what I want to do and figure out the places I can consistently make passes. My tactical races are pretty good and I’m patient. I’m not rushing things.”

Coming from the NSW Snowy Mountains, Adam Lambert is not missing anything about a hot Australian summer. He is exactly where he wants to be.

“I’m a winter person. Anything above 32 degrees and I’m out.”

The Erzurum Snowboard Cross World Cup in Turkey qualifying round begin this Friday evening 6.30pm (AEDT) with finals on Saturday from 6.30pm (AEDT) and can be viewed live on Eurosport, or follow OWIA on Twitter here for updates on all the Aussies competing.  

Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 

Snowboard Cross riders return to World Cup competition this weekend in the last Olympic qualifying event in Erzurum, Turkey with Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin looking to extend his comfortable lead on 3,026 points at the top of the world rankings.

The Erzurum event becomes the first ever Turkish ski resort to host a Snowboard Cross Word Cup and therefore a new venue for Australia’s strong team that includes Alex Pullin, Adam Lambert, Cam Bolton and NSWIS riders Josh Miller, Matt Thomas and Adam Dickson.

Jarryd Hughes is sitting Turkey out, electing instead to train in Whistler, Canada.
 
“We’ve never raced there,” Head SBX coach Ben Wordsworth said about Erzurum. “There won’t be a great deal of snow and we think the course will probably be something close to Cervinia (Italy).”

Pullin, who won double gold in Argentina at the start of the season and a bronze at Cervinia late last year, is an athlete making smart decision says Wordsworth.

“Chumpy is in a good place - a really good place. He didn’t have the results he wanted in December. He wanted to win one of the three races he had, but he managed to pull together some good results and bounced back.”

Coach and athlete have been working together for eight years, with Wordsworth seeing a positive shift in Pullin going towards PyeongChang.

“He’s an older athlete. His decision making is better now and more adaptable to all the situations and he is extremely talented.”

 “He is good at reading race situations, getting into heats and coming out the other end at the final - better than what I’ve seen in the past.”

“Certainly, Chumpy is making good decisions in his racing and it shows. Argentina was back to back (gold). Val Thorens was not so great and then Cervinia (with bronze).  All those decisions make the difference in the long run.”

“One of the big decisions is to stay healthy. (It’s about) racing to your potential.”  

Jindabyne’s Adam ‘Lambo’ Lambert stamped his claim to a potential Olympic selection last season and has only looked forward, now currently fourth on the world leader board on 1,690 points going into Erzurum.
 
According to Wordsworth, Lambert has fitted into the SBX team with ease.

“Lambo’s a good snowboarder and good racer. His results have shown that over the past two seasons,” Wordsworth said.

“There was silver at Val Thorens and he knows what he wants. Lambo is in the sport to have a career and he wants to win races. That’s what drives him – there’s nothing else he’s in it for.”

“He’s the perfect athlete.  He wants results and has fitted in really well - good to travel with and fits into the group. Just got on with it, got results and tried to keep it pretty simple.”  

Australia is looking to qualify four men to PyeongChang and with a strong team, Turkey is the last event to cement a place – a goal that will be high on Cam Bolton’s to do list.

“It was good for Cam being in the top again (Cervinia with a tenth place),” Wordsworth said. “He’s got the skills and we want to see him push toward the small final and final and believe he can do it. It was a super close race in Cervinia.”

“Turkey is the last qualifying. The other three have an opportunity. Should be an interesting race,” he added.

Qualifiers for the Erzurum World Cup stop are on Friday, 19 January from 6.30pm (AEDT).
Finals start at 6.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday. 
 
Live timing links for qualifiers and finals, can be found here
Follow OWIA Twitter for updates here and watch the Finals live on Eurosport from 6.30pm on Saturday, 20 January.
 
Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 

Revisiting an outstanding story by revered sports reporter Nicole Jeffrey that was published in The Weekend Australian  on January 6.

Snowboard cross world champion Alex “Chumpy’’ Pullin is out of air. He’s lying on the bottom of a swimming pool, there’s a man standing on his chest, his lungs are screaming but he’s trying to stay calm. He’s there voluntarily, after all.

This is a training drill, one that he hopes will teach him how to keep his cool in the cauldron of Olympic competition in South Korea next month, and emerge with the gold medal that was denied him at the Sochi Games four years ago.

Pullin was the reigning world champion, world No 1, Olympic gold medal favourite and Australian flag-bearer in Sochi, but his campaign unravelled, picked apart by internal and external factors. Aside from competing in one of the most unpredictable events on the Olympic program, Pullin was wrestling with physical and mental demons in Sochi.

His confidence was dented by a less-thanperfect preparation. Some of his lead-up events were cancelled; he picked up an injury; and there were distractions of dissent and jealousies in the Australian team. Then warm conditions in the Caucasus mountains reduced the snow on the Olympic course to Mr Whippy consistency rather than the hard, fast, technical conditions in which Pullin usually thrived.

The event became a lottery and Pullin picked out No 13. A lot of soul-searching followed. The consensus was that although Pullin was the fastest, fittest, strongest rider in the field, he had not been the most adaptable to circumstance, and that had brought him undone. In the past four years he has embraced far less regimented training.

He’s still fast, fit and strong but he’s more resilient when things aren’t going his way. And most of that is down to Nam Baldwin, the Gold Coast strength and conditioning expert who trained surfing world champion Mick Fanning.

When snowboard cross head coach Ben Wordsworth brought Baldwin in to do some group training with his riders, Pullin and Baldwin clicked immediately. “Chumpy took an instant liking to him,’’ Wordsworth said.

Pullin began making pilgrimages to the Gold Coast to work with Baldwin, who employs some unusual methods to improve the strength and agility of his athletes, in both body and mind. His signature is the breath-hold exercises he has athletes do under water. His sessions also include obstacle courses of hurdles and balance boards that Pullin has to complete while dodging the balls Baldwin is throwing at his head.

“Nam has been unreal,’’ Pullin said. “We moved up to the Gold Coast for two months after Argentina (the first two World Cup events in September) to be closer to him and it was a really great thing. I have been training since I was really young and it’s refreshing to see a new challenge like that.

“We talk and discuss each training session as if it’s a competition event and we look for those one percenters in every session. “With Nam I am really challenged. I am always a little nervous before a session because I don’t know what he will throw at me.

“The pool stuff is really different, the empty lung breath holds and doing wrestling under water. It’s always really difficult to get that exact feeling of race day, to get those nerves, but that’s what Nam tries to do. He brings the physical and mental side into play.

“If I exhale and then he pushes me to the bottom of the pool and stands on my chest, it means I have to stay calm and if I do, I gain confidence.’’

Pullin showed all of that confidence at the start of the season in Argentina. He dominated the first two World Cup events there in the hard, fast conditions he loves, riding at a level above all of his rivals. But when the circuit reached Europe last month, the conditions didn’t suit him at the next race in France, where he finished sixth, and then he crashed in training in Austria, injuring his shoulder, which forced him out of the next World Cup at Montafon.

He returned at Cervinia, in Italy the week before Christmas and bounced back to the podium, finishing third.

Wordsworth says things that once would have shaken Pullin no longer do.

“Nam has been really effective in making him aware that you have to be good in every situation, not just the ones that suit you,’’ he said.

“The training they have done has really calmed him down. Now he can take in any situation, bad weather or conditions or something happening off the course, and think his way through it.

“When we did the test event in South Korea (two years ago), we had a bad event. There was a lot of wind and other variables and that was unsettling for Chumpy, but now he’s a very different athlete.’’

Pullin said the entire aim of this Olympic cycle had been to prepare him “for what you don’t see coming’’.

He now regards his Olympic flop in Sochi as “an opportunity to grow as a human being’’ and he wants to show that he has.

“If I can be there feeling 100 per cent ready and I have enjoyed getting myself there, if I can enjoy it all, I think that’s the best way to bring out my best performance,’’ he said.

“I was ranked No 1 before the last Games and I’m currently the World Cup leader and that’s where I want to be, on top.

“(Olympic gold) is the one I would love to have in my career and I am pushing as hard as I can to be as ready as I can be for the Games.’’


By NICOLE JEFFERY
Senior Sports Reporter
06 Jan 2018 Weekend Australian, Australia

Dual Olympian Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin remains on top of the World Cup Snowboard Cross rankings after winning bronze last night in Cervinia, Italy.  
 
Pullin, who opened his season with a double gold weekend in Argentina, had retained his number 1 status despite electing not contest the finals at Montafon, Austria last week due to risky weather conditions.
 
Opening his Cervinia campaign in emphatic fashion and facing a large field of 79 riders, Pullin qualified in second place on his opening run, guaranteeing a top 16 seeding and entry to the 32-man final. Team mates Cam Bolton and Adam Lambert joined Pullin in the top 32 after hard racing in their second qualifying runs.
 
Pullin and Lambert both won their heats in the opening round of the finals and with Cam Bolton all moved through to the quarters, where Pullin again won but Lambert and Bolton were out in narrow thirds.
 
Experience and smart tactics in the semi delivered Pullin his third medal final of the season – an opportunity he was happy take.
 
“I had a good race and very happy to get a podium and continue to lead the world cup standings,” Pullin said. 
 
“The conditions were challenging with high wind which changed the speed of the features, but I managed to keep a good rhythm and make it to the podium.”
 
The bronze medal win at Cervinia marks his 21st World Cup medal in an international career that began in 2007 and which has included back-to-back World Championship wins and Crystal Globes. 
 
Cam Bolton had a return to the form and a result that he has been after for three seasons as the second highest qualifying Australian and final 10th place.
 
Like Bolton, Adam Lambert narrowly missed the semi-finals and finished overall in 12th.
 
Jarryd Hughes, who just five days ago won the Montafon World Cup, was disappointed to miss the top 32 qualifying time by 0.04 seconds, finding himself in 33rd position and out of the finals.  Matthew Thomas placed 41st,   Adam Dickson 52nd and Josh Miller 72nd.
 
The next Snowboard Cross World Cup will be contested in Ezerum, Turkey on January 19.

Despite suffering a serious knee injury last week, Snowboard Cross athlete Belle Brockhoff has declared she will do everything she can to make the start line at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.  
 
The 24-year-old suffered a bad crash in training in heavy weather conditions last week in Val Thorens, rupturing her ACL and chipping cartilage in her knee, forcing her to undergo surgery yesterday in Melbourne. 
 
But a determined Brockhoff has said even this won’t stop her from a second Olympic campaign. 
 
"I’m not giving up on the dream so easily," Brockhoff said. 
"I will be giving it my very best to come back since I know I'll regret it if I don't."
 
“I feel confident I can come back for the Olympics and perform as best I can."
 
2018 Chef de Mission, Ian Chesterman said the entire Olympic Team is behind her decision to push ahead towards the Olympic Games.
 
“Whilst this is a setback, Belle is still focussed on going to PyeongChang,” Chesterman said. 
 
“Her medical team have put a plan in place to treat the injury to give her every opportunity to compete in PyeongChang.
 
“Belle understands the risks involved in attempting to compete in PyeongChang but we will support her in every way possible to achieve her dream of competing at the Olympic Games next year.”
 
The Sochi Olympian has had an unfortunate 12 months of injury, starting with a crash at the 2017 World Championships in March, which saw her tear her ACL. 
 
After a intense five month rehabilitation period, the Melbourne-native got back on her board in August at Mt Buller, hoping to kick start her 2018 Olympic campaign.
 
"I know I have the support of my family, the OWI and the Australian Olympic Committee. Everyone is doing everything they can to get me back on a board in time for February."
 
Brockhoff finished the 2016/2017 season, third on the women’s world rankings and finished 8th in her Olympic debut four years ago in Sochi, Russia.

AOC

Australia’s exceptional start to the Snowboard Cross season has continued after Jarryd Hughes claimed the top spot on the podium at the World Cup event in Montafon, Austria last night.
 
After finishing 26th in qualification, Hughes confidently progressed through the eight final, quarter-finals and semis to make the four-man big final.
 
It was there that the NSWIS rider showed his best as he held off local favourites Alessandro Haemmerle and Markus Scharer of Austria to take the gold medal.
 
"I am absolutely stoked with this result," Hughes said.
 
"I have been working incredibly hard in the off season, so it feels amazing to have that pay off at this event.
 
"This is my second career World Cup win and it's given me a huge confidence boost heading into the Olympic season."
 

With the final featuring Olympic Champions and World Cup winners, Hughes knew he had to be in his best form to secure a victory.
 
“It was a great race with a super-hot and competitive field,” said the 22-year-old Sydney-sider.
 
“I knew I had to step up, calm any nerves and just put down the best run I could.
 
“The fact I was able to execute and get the win feels awesome.”
 
Both Matt Thomas (12th) and last week’s silver medallist Adam Lambert (16th) were knocked out in the quarter-finals. Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin chose to sit out of finals racing and rest up after a crash in training before qualifying.
 
“The depth of Australia’s snowboard cross athlete in the OWIA/NSWIS program is unbelievable right now,” Hughes said with this result seeing Pullin remain on top of the overall World Cup standings, with Hughes now in fourth and Lambert in fifth after four of twelve World Cups.
 
“It puts our country in a great spot leading into the Olympics and that is really exciting.”
 
 

After coming out all guns blazing last season Australia’s Adam Lambert has proved that he’s a force to be reckoned with, finishing second in the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup at Val Thorens, France overnight.
 
Lambert’s incredible result isn’t the only cause for celebration though, with the 20-year-old and his fellow OWIA teammate Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin having now taken out first and second places on the overall World Cup Standing.
 
“I’m super stoked, best result I’ve ever had,” a jubilant Lambert said.
 
“The whole day I was in second place, but those first few heats I was working pretty hard to get through. I was a bit slow at the start, I was in third and I was making my moves the last two, three turns but I got through.
 
“I feel like I raced really well and I backed up my qualification. Not quite the first place, but pretty close.”
 
The PyeongChang hopeful is the only Australian to have previously competed at Val Thorens, coming first in two of his races at the French resort during the 2016 Europa Cup.

Pullin said that he had a feeling on the morning of the finals that Lambert was going to have a great race day, especially after coming first in the qualifiers.
 
“He came in here, he’d raced here last year. He was feeling the groove early on in the track, put a lot of that into play, won qualifying convincingly and then this morning when we were just warming up, I looked over at him and I’m like, ‘Man!’,” he said.
 
“I didn’t want to jinx him but I was like ‘This kid’s got it, today he’s in the vibe’.
 
“I’m just so pumped for him. Since starting to ride with him, especially the last year, year-and-a-half when he’s been on tour he’s just really put in some good performances and this one especially.”
 
Sochi Olympian Cam Bolton placed 27th overall after coming fourth in his eighth final alongside fellow Australian Matt Thomas who came 16th. Meanwhile, after progressing through to the quarterfinals, Josh Miller ranked 11th.
 
Despite coming second in the qualification runs on Tuesday, a fall in his final meant that OWIA athlete Jarryd Hughes came in at 25th following the conclusion of the World Cup.
 
Following double gold in Argentina earlier this year, Pullin said that every single run for him at Val Thorens “was a challenge” but nevertheless, the two-time Olympian managed to gain enough points to keep him in the top spot overall after finishing sixth.
 
“And now in the rankings, the first ever in history Australia [is] one and two in the world – it blows my mind,” he said.
 
“I’m so happy and it’s just really cool because we put in a lot of work, we enjoy it, we love our sport. Everyone’s having a good time. Lambo’s comment that really turned my head this morning, he just said ‘I’m just buzzing man, look at what we do. It’s just so fun.”
 
Pullin raced in the finals against long-time rival and Frenchman Pierre Vaultier, who finished seventh.
 
“We’ve had an incredible rivalry throughout our time, met him in the second round and we went the whole way through,” he said.
 
“He didn’t make it to the [big] final either so it was really on my mind to beat him in the small final, which I got the pass at the last turn. I had to elbow the fence out of the way and make some room in the track and that’s really cool.”
 
The team will now have one day off before they’re back in the start gate again in Montafon, Switzerland. 

Dave Barden
OWIA
 
 

Sochi Olympian and Snowboard Cross athlete, Belle Brockhoff has suffered a crash in Val Thorens and will now return to Australia to assess the damage. 

"This definitely wasn't the return I had hoped for," said Brockhoff who was hoping to compete in her first World Cup at the French event.

"The visibility was horrendous so I couldn't see the take off on a feature. I missed the timing and landed funky."
After a year of injury problems that included surgery in March and only getting back on the snow in August, the Melbourne-native is remaining positive.

"Right now I believe it is bone bruising but I'll get a MRI in Austria this Friday.

"It is what it is really, there was a lot of positives that came from yesterday regardless of the crash."

Brockhoff said she had hit the benchmarks she had set for herself and it was just an unfortunate occurrence.

"Anyone could of made that mistake. There were a bunch of crashes on that course, even Eva Samkova (2014 Olympic Champion) crashed and now needs surgery.

"I don't feel I came back too early or wasn't ready, it was just unlucky. I am flying home to do my rehab and get stronger."

Brockhoff said the thing she was most disappointed in was not being able to defend her title at Montafon this week.

"I'm a little bummed I can't do the next few races but I want to be in the sport for a long time so I'm thinking about the bigger picture."

The 24-year-old was excited for her Australian team-mate Adam Lambert, who took home the silver medal at the World Cup event.

"I'm so stoked for Adam for his first ever World Cup podium, a huge congratulations to him."

Brockhoff said 20-year-old Lambert's silver medal overnight is a step in the right direction for the next generation of Aussie snowboard cross athletes.

"I'm so excited by younger athletes coming up through the ranks, it's great for our sport and the future of Australian snowboarding," she said. "Plus it lights the fire under our bums and gives us a run for our money."

Ashleigh Knight
olympics.com.au 

​Australia’s Snowboard Cross athletes will kick off the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Cross Alps Tour in Val Thorens, France this week no less than three months after their last World Cup in Cerro Catedral, Argentina.
 
Adam Lambert, who came out all guns blazing last season winning three Europa World Cups – two of which were in Val Thorens – said that he’s in “a pretty good spot going into the next few races”.
 
“365 days ago I would not be thinking that I would be here. Everything last year had to go almost perfectly to the tee, I got those two wins at Val Thorens and that win at Grasgehren a month later and that just got me my first start,” he said.
 
“But if I hadn’t gotten those I probably wouldn’t have gotten start in Feldberg and if I hadn’t gotten seventh at Feldberg I probably wouldn’t have been able to race in Sierra Nevada at the World Championships.
 
“So everything last season happened really quick and it happened in a really good order for me I feel and I’m super excited.”
 
While the 20-year-old is the only one out of his OWIA teammates to have competed in Val Thorens, he believes it only gives him a “minute advantage” coming into the World Cup.
 
“The course is not going to be the same, Europa Cup course is smaller, it’s only made for four people. When we go to the World Cup it’s going to be much bigger, it’s going to be made for six people in the line,” he said.
 
“I guess I know the mountain but I don’t know the course, maybe there is a slight advantage there but I wouldn’t say it’s anything … it’s nothing major.”
 
As for the rest of the Aussies, the thought of having never competed in Val Thorens before doesn’t faze them at all – after all, as coach Ben Wordsworth pointed out, the team hadn’t competed in Cerro Catedral before either.
 
“We went to Argentina as well and we hadn’t been there before on that course and our guys are good, they’re good with learning courses pretty quickly through their skill level,” he said.
 
“I’m sure our guys will be quick.”
 
OWIA athlete and Sochi Olympian, Jarryd Hughes, added that the advantage of there having never been a World Cup in Val Thorens means “everyone is on a pretty level playing field”.
 
“I have been preparing for this event really well with the Reign Snowboarding team, we had an amazing camp in Finland and I think it’s setting me up for a great season ahead,” he said.

Sochi Olympian Cam Bolton is relishing the opportunity to compete at a fresh venue, which he believes will be “a good chance to race everyone on a new course”.
 
“People haven’t ridden the course, it’s not like [there’s] particular fall lines which people can look out for and have an advantage from previous years,” he said.
 
“It’s a really good opportunity to go and test yourself out and pick up the course as quick as you can and put down your best performance. By the time finals roll round you’ve probably had eight or nine runs in the course in total over a couple of days.”
 
Two-time Olympian Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin will head into the first event of the Cross Alps Tour after winning double gold in Argentina at the last World Cup meet -- but he’s taking it one day at a time and considers each race a fresh start.
 
“Winning the last two races doesn’t put me any step ahead for that next race in terms of deciding Val Thorens as a result. It doesn’t put me any further towards the finish line than any other of my competitors. We will all still start at the start line – even,” he said.
 
“I’ve been waking up every single day thinking about boards and working on the way I eat and training, imagining racing and trying to pull all these little tiny threads out of who I am as a competitor and as a person and how to be better every day so that when I get to the race I can win.”
 
Lambert, Bolton and Pullin recently joined up with Belle Brockhoff, to train in Pitztal, Austria ahead of the Cross Alps tour.
 
Brockhoff, who has already been in Europe for two months working on her technique, said that it was great to have her teammates around so that they could all work off of each other.
 
“The guys are a lot stronger than I am, so Cam, Chumpy and Adam are a lot faster,” Brockhoff said.
 
“I can jump in with any one of those guys and be challenged, which is awesome.”
 
The 24-year-old Sochi Olympian says that she’s heading into Val Thorens “aiming to compete” but just eight-and-a-half months out of knee surgery her number one priority will be to not risk another injury, taking it “day-by-day, heat-by-heat”.
 
“I don’t feel held back at all by my knee, I don’t think about my knee when I’m riding, I’m just purely working on technique,” she said.
 
“I’ll watch the course testing, I’ll do the training if everything is up for it.”
 
Val Thorens signals the start of a jam-packed schedule that will see our Aussies compete in three World Cups within two weeks crossing the European continent and racing in Montafon, Austria and Cervinia, Italy.
 
You can keep up to date with the live results HERE and on OWIA’s Twitter account. 

David Barden
OWIA

OWIA/NSWIS Snowboard Cross athlete Belle Brockhoff, has made a successful return to competition, advancing through two rounds to the semi-final stage at the first of two Europa Cup events in Pitztal, Austria.
 
The event is Brockhoff’s first since injuring her right knee at the 2017 World Championships in March.
 
Brockhoff started strongly in the first few rounds of of head-to-head racing, progressing through the round of 32 and 16.

Belle elected to end her day at the semi-final round, and not compete further.

After the race Brockhoff was happy with her return.

"First race of the season went really well. I made it through every heat including advancing into semis but I decided to pull out as it was my first time in a full track and didn't want to rush things.

I felt really good on the board and worked on the things I needed to improve on as well as feeling confident that my knee can hold up pushing it at a higher intensity. Really excited for the upcoming World Cup in France! Feeling really happy to be back!"

In the men’s event, Adam Lambert was Australia’s highest placed finished in tenth, with Josh Miller close behind in 11th.
 
Other Australian’s who advanced through to the round of 32 stage finals included Cam Bolton in 19th and Matthew Thomas placing 20th.

With many of the best athletes in the world based in Pitztal early in the season to make the most of the resort's high alpine terrain, the field at these events often contains many top World Cup athletes.
 
Brockhoff and Bolton both elected not to compete in the second Europa Cup event, with the best results came from NSWIS riders Adam Dickson and Matthew Thomas, who both placed ninth. Henry Collins also made the round of 32 finals, finishing in 17th.

Andrew Pattison
OWIA

IMAGE: Belle Brockhoff in Europe © Belle Brockhoff Instagram

“Looking back at the crash in March it feels like it’s gone really quick,” Australia’s queen of Snowboard Cross Belle Brockhoff said from Switzerland late last week.
 
“It feels like just yesterday that I was flying home for surgery.”
 
After intensive rehab following reconstruction to her knee that took her out of the World Championships and unable to finish the World Cup season, Brockhoff was always one hundred percent convinced that not only would she be back, but better. The time allowed the seven-time World Cup medallist (including three gold), to strengthen mind, body and soul. 
 
After returning to snow in the domestic season under the watchful eye of OWIA Head of Rehab, Ashley Merkur, Brockhoff has continued on to Switzerland.  

“I am training in Saas Fee with my coach, physio and sport psych,” she explained. “We are working on many things technically and also a lot of basics, which I find really important. I’m also meditating heaps and working on that state of flow mentality.” 
 
“There’s definitely a new bounce in my step. Having not being able to ride for so long makes each day all the more exciting and sweeter.”
 
Her OWIA boardercross team mates Alex Pullin, Cam Bolton and Adam Lambert are due to join up in late November before the next World Cup  in Val Thorens, France on December 12.

“Yeah, I'm really looking forward to all the boys to come over. I really enjoy riding and training with them since I can learn heaps from them. We have a ton of fun together.

August 28 was a momentous day for Snowboard cross rider and Sochi Olympian, Belle Brockhoff who got back on a board and hit the slopes for the first time in over five months.

“It feels really good to be back,” said Brockhoff who has undergone serious knee surgery after a crash before World Championships saw her tear her ACL.

“I’m really happy to get on a snowboard again.”

Five months out from a Winter Olympic Games, most athletes would have spent plenty of time on the snow but the 24-year-old has taken another route - undergoing surgery and focusing on a full recovery before she takes on international competition.  

“Rehabilitation is going really well. My knee feels good and there weren’t any issues on snow.

“Right now, I’m just over preparing it since it’ll be a full-on schedule this tour,” said Brockhoff who is aiming to return to international competition this December.

“There’s no rush to compete but to really make sure things are solid with my knee. The priority is the Games in February.”

Brockhoff’s Australian boardercross team mates kicked off their Olympic season in Argentina last week with race one and two of the World Cup circuit, displaying performances Brockhoff described as “really amazing!”

Two-time Olympian and Brockhoff’s close friend, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin proved his means business in 2017, taking out both races. 

“The boys did so well, especially with Chumpy’s double win, what a legend! I’m really happy for him.”

Brockhoff who is hoping to replicate this success at her second Olympics in February, which she believes she can do if she focuses on being fit, both mentally and physically.

“I know once I get to the Games, I won’t be able to improve my skill level that much more but trust myself with my skill set and make sure I’m in a good headspace,” said Brockhoff who has been using meditation a tool for best performance. 
 
“I’ve been working with Tom, the Olympic Winter Institute’s Sport psychologist, on many things.

“I’m really excited about the progress I’ve made and looking forward to using the tools I have in action.

In her spare time between recovery and training, Brockhoff has started her own clothing label, a unisex line called Yuzoko.

“It’s going really well, ticking along slowly like any other start-up business.

“It does keep me busy but I love what I’m learning from it and enjoy the marketing side of it.

“It’s definitely something that I’ll want to keep doing 5-10 years from now if i keep working at it.”

Brockhoff will train in Melbourne for two more weeks, before heading to Europe to begin on snow training. 

Ash Knight
olympics.com.au
 

CHUMPY WINS AGAIN: Story update from yesterday:
Australia’s march toward PyeongChang 2018 has been boosted by Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin’s double gold medal haul in the season’s opening Snowboard Cross World Cups in Cerro Catedral, Argentina.
 
The two extraordinary victories under glorious skies makes it the eighth and ninth career World Cup golds for Pullin and marks the start of the medal count for Australia’s winter athletes this season. 
 
Double World Champion Pullin was dominant in the two Snowboard Cross World Cups held in the South American ski resort over the weekend.

Pullin, the second fastest qualifier lived up to expectations in the first World Cup, charging out of the gate in the final four to dominate the race by a wide lead from start to finish over Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner and Jonathan Cheever from USA.

“I’m stoked to take the win at the first World Cup of the tour. The track and the weather were both bloody beautiful,” Pullin said after the first win. “The course was great. I'm just very excited that I put down a win. There is no feeling than crossing the line when there is no one in front of you.”
 
Backing up for the second World Cup was almost a repeat of the previous day. 
 
“I felt fast in training so I knew I should be pretty good today with the racing again.  I just had to keep the body feeling good and positive vibes,” he said this morning. 
 
“The first few heats got underway and they were pretty good and then, yeah, I was just able to do it again and lead the heat from the start, find some daylight and go. Feels amazing, unreal. I couldn’t be happier to be honest. It’s a perfect way to start the season.”

Pullin won his second gold ahead of Alessandro Haemmerle from Italy and Mick Dierdorff (USA).
 
Australia was heavily represented in Argentina, having qualified all its men into for the first World Cup with only Pullin making it into the finals. Cameron Bolton finished 14th, Jarryd Hughes 15th, Josh Miller 20th, Matt Thomas 23rd, Adam Lambert 24th and Adam Dickson 32nd.
 
In the second World Cup Adam Lambert and Jarryd Hughes both made it the small final, finishing 5th and 8th respectively. Other Aussie placings were Adam Dickson 12th, Cam Bolton 16th, Josh Miller 28th. Matt Thomas was unable to qualify. 
 
Pullin and the majority of Australia’s SBX team head back to Australia for more training. The next Snowboard Cross World Cup will be held in mid-December in Val Thorens, France.
 
World Cup winner Belle Brockhoff hopes to rejoin the team in Europe during November after completing rehabilitation from a knee injury suffered at the World Championships in March.
 
Alex Pullin’s dominant first race to gold on Sunday morning can be viewed here.

His second World Cup victory can be viewed here

Australia’s march toward PyeongChang 2018 has been boosted by Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin’s gold medal in the season’s opening Snowboard Cross World Cup in Cerro Catedral, Argentina today.

The victory under glorious skies makes it his eighth career World Cup gold.

“I’m stoked to take the win at the first World Cup of the tour. The track and the weather were both bloody beautiful,” Pullin said.

The men's final turned into a one man show as Alex Pullin lived up to expectations as the second best qualifier, charging out of the gate to dominate the race by a wide lead from start to finish.  
 
“It's been a super exciting day. It was a really nice environment to go out and race in today. The racing was really close, and the course was great. I'm just very excited that I put down a win. There is no feeling than crossing the line when there is no one in front of you,” said the two-time World Champion.

Italy's Emanuel Perathoner and US racer Jonathan Cheever took silver and bronze.

Australia had qualified all its men into the main drawer with only Pullin making it into the finals. Cameron Bolton finished 14th, Jarryd Hughes 15th, Josh Miller 20th, Matt Thomas 23rd, Adam Lambert 24 and Adam Dickson 32nd.
Full results from today’s World Cup can be found here.

The FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup tour will continue tomorrow with the second SBX race staged on the 1,000 metres long technical course of Cerro Catedral which became the second Argentinian host to ever host a SBX World Cup since Chapelco back in 2008 and 2009.

Qualifiers for the second World Cup is scheduled for 11pm (AEST) tonight with finals from 2am Monday morning (AEST).

The world's best boardercross athletes are ready to kick off their season in Argentina this weekend with qualifying tonight at the majestic Cerro Catedral.

Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, Jarryd Hughes, Cam Bolton and Adam Lambert will all be looking for a huge start to their Olympic season with back-to-back races from Friday night until early Monday morning (AEST time) on a 1,000 metres long technical course.  

The Patagonian resort becomes the second ever in Argentina to organise a FIS Snowboard World Cup event since snowboard cross races were staged in Bariloche in 2008 and 2009.

Two-time world champion and 2017 World Championship bronze medallist Alex Pullin arrived in Argentina after winning the Australian New Zealand Cup tour at Mt Hotham in late August.

Jarryd Hughes says the conditions are excellent and he “can't wait for the first race of the season.”

Cam Bolton is very happy with the course saying, “Now that's a start section.”

Coach Ben Wordsworth is happy with his squad.

“The course and conditions in Catedral have been excellent. We had training yesterday, which went well and all the athletes are riding at a high level. The course is technical and that suits our athletes.”


Time schedule

• Friday, Sep 8: Qualifiers SBX 1 at11.30pm AEST.
• Sunday, Sep 10: Finals SBX 1 at 1am AEST.
• Monday: Qualifiers SBX 2 at 10pm AEST, finals at 2am AEST.  

The latest time schedule for the Cerro Catedral World Cup weekend is available online.
 

Sochi Olympians Sami Kennedy-Sim and Alex ’Chumpy’ Pullin both secured double victories in pristine conditions at the Australian New Zealand Cup events at Mount Hotham last weekend.

After wins at the first two Ski Cross Australia NZ Cup races at Mount Buller in early July, Kennedy-Sim matched that result in Hotham for a clean sweep of the series.

With the World Cup season kicking off in December, the 29-year-old is using this season to iron out any kinks in her performance to ensure she is in an optimal state during the Olympic qualification period.

“I was using the Hotham ANC race to try and apply the technical changes I have made in training, into the race environment,” the Sydney-sider said.

“Some things worked and others did not - the best training for racing is racing!”

In both races at Hotham, Nikol Kucherova of the Czech Republic won silver, and USA’s Mazie Harden rounded out the podium in third.

Lily Speiser was the next best placed Aussie, finishing sixth in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2.

In the men’s Ski Cross events, New Zealander Jamie Prebble took out Race 1, followed by USA’s Tyler Wallasch and Brant Crossan in second and third. Robbie Marrison was the first placed Aussie in fifth place.

Race 2 saw Wallasch increase his standing to take home gold, followed by fellow American Erik Sparkowski and Australia’s Doug Crawford in third.

The weekend’s competition wraps up the Southern Hemisphere season for Kennedy-Sim.

“I now enter a big strength and conditioning block, and then depart for Europe at the end of the month to train alongside the Canadian team.

“World Cup season kicks off early December so I am looking forward to that,” she said.

In the men’s Snowboard Cross events, Chumpy added his two gold medals to his gold and bronze from the first Australia NZ Cup races in July.

Fellow PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls Matt Thomas and Adam Lambert rounded out the podium respectively in both races.

In the women’s events, the field opened up with top riders Belle Brockhoff and Georgia Baff sidelined due to injury.
17-year-old Emily Boyce took out both races, followed by Christina Taylor in second and Georgia Crisp in third.

Pullin and his fellow PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls will now join Australian teammate Jarryd Hughes in Argentina for the first World Cup event from 8-10 September.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

Triple World Cup gold medallist Belle Brockhoff is back on her snowboard at Mt Buller doing what she loves best after her awaited return-to-snow came to fruition today.

Anyone who follows Belle on twitter or Instagram will know how excited the world number three is to be back on snow following a knee surgery in January, which cut her season short before the World Championships and final World Cup.
 
“I see snowboarding days approaching! ,” an excited Brockhoff said in the countdown to today’s return.

“I’ve never been sent home for injury before and it’s been five months off snow. Longest time ever,” Brockhoff told OWIA.   

“This is the first time on snow since my crash at the world champs in Spain in March this year. I’m so excited.”

The Sochi Olympian was in the hunt to take last season’s world number one spot when she crashed at the World Championships in March, leaving the coveted Crystal Globe to her competitors.

Immediate surgery to her right knee required a full ACL reconstruction with the hamstring then a dedicated five months rehabilitation.

“It is what it is and you try your best,” a philosophical Brockhoff said. “I’ve had knee issues for a few years but I’m really happy now.”

“I’m making sure that I’m over prepared – making sure I have more icing on the cake. I told everyone on the day I had the injury that I would come back stronger.”
 
“Every weak point on my body is being worked on and mentally I feel stronger now too,” she added.
 
Brockhoff is more than satisfied with where she is currently at and has added meditation into her schedule.
 
“I’ve been right into meditation during the last few months. Tom Hammond (OWIA psychologist) has helped me fine-tune it.”
 
The 2016/17 season was a personal best for Australia’s queen of Snowboard Cross, starting out with two Europa Cup victories then capturing two World Cup golds (Austria and Bulgaria) and a silver in Germany before her crash in January.

Despite not being able to compete in the final World Cup, Brockhoff scored enough points to be awarded the World number three spot.  

“Looking back, it was a personal best and with a knee injury. Snowboard Cross is incredibly hard and I’m really excited being World number three and making history doing so back-to-back.”

“Last season was a learning curve for me. I had the leader jersey for most of the season, which was really awesome. My main rival grabbed it off me at the last World Cup but it’s still nice coming into the Games with a target on your back.”

Ashley Merkur, OWIA Medical Services & Rehabilitation Manager says Brockhoff is on track.

“Belle has been meticulous in her rehab so far and has moved onto the next phase now by returning to snow. She will continue to steadily progress her training over the next couple of months,” Merkur advises.

Making Australian sporting history is high on Brockhoff’s agenda.

She is aiming for her first 2017/18 First World Cup at Montafon, Austrai in mid-December and a good run-up to PyeongChang.

“When I ride my best on the day I can come away with a medal,” she said. “It’s not easy either. All the competitors will be training their arses off too.”

 “You see the same people, same routine, but we get two training days instead and a lot more media.”

“There’s a lot of waiting between features in the PyeongChang course, which doesn’t work well with the winds there and causes a lot of drafting and waiting.”

“’Conditions affect the strategy. If it’s a big head wind, it’s a bit tricky – you’ve got to plan it right.”

“I’m not one to stay in the start gate. I like to rev up and go. I’m not going to rely on others to do the work for me while I sit behind (drafting).”

The Olympic Village atmosphere is one she is looking forward to, having experienced it at Sochi where she came away with an eighth place.  

“You get to know your Australian team. It’s actually really cool.”

“The World Cups are like a big family on tour and we just see our own team but when we go to the Games we get to see the other sports.”

Brockhoff has already created Australian Snowboard Cross history but she has a lot more in store.

“I have another ten years in me after this Olympics and I want to bring the younger generation of snowboard cross riders with me. What I do will filter down to the younger riders,” she said.   

“I want them to try and beat me and I will do everything I  an for them to overtake me. I want the girls to beat me because it only betters me. There are no secrets and I don’t hide anything. I won’t hold anything back from the younger generation because I want them to have the information.”

“It’s important because one day (not any time soon) when I retire from the sport, who is going to keep it going for the females?”  

Brockhoff’s credits the driving desire to encourage other Australians to join her on the podium to her mother, Kristine.
“Mum has brought me up to help others. Sharing is caring. That not only makes you a better person but a better athlete,” Brockhoff said.  
 
There’s been no lazing around between rehab sessions over the past five months. Belle has also been busy expanding her unisex clothing brand Yuzoko, which is the combination of two Japanese words meaning ‘snow’ and ‘family’.

 “I’ve always loved to go to Japan snowboarding and I liked the sound of the two words together,” she explained.

The online clothing brand was founded in 2016 and launched in April 2017 and includes long sleeve shirts, tank tops and T-shirts.  

“We wanted high-quality products that endure, look good and have a design simplicity. Yuzoko.com is about good fabric with not overly complicated design that can take a lot of washing, gym work outs and be really tough.”  

“I’m learning how to market, seeing what works what doesn’t.”
 

Australia’s ski fields have taken on a glow this week as the snow continues to dump and our winter athletes revel in the improved training conditions.  

Snowboard Cross World Cup medallist and Sochi Olympian Jarryd Hughes has been training in Thredbo and took to social media saying the latest falls have produced “possibly some of the best snow I have ever had in Australia.”

The 22-year-old Sydney-sider is ramping up his training ahead of the first World Cup this season in Argentina in early September.

“I’m pretty excited about the coming season – actually very excited to be healthy. That’s a big plus for me,” Hughes said.
“This is my first season without knee surgery – yahoo.”

Hughes has had five surgeries on his left knee in previous seasons, but this year is different.

“I’ve spent hours this winter getting fit in the gym. Up to eighteen sessions a week and working with ex Waratah Hall of Famer Tom Carter.”

“I came out of last season with a not-so-great World Championship result that I was not really happy about. The World Cup silver (in Feldberg, Germany in February 2017) was great, but you’re never going to be happy with second. I want to be first – that’s why I train so hard.”

Hughes’ off season has included training Waratah and Wallaby Rugby Union players and picking up some cross-training tips from Olympic Kayakers – a sport Hughes has enjoyed this year.

“I’ve been focussing on my sport full-time this year and knuckling down and been very fortunate that I get to work with many Olympians,” he said. “Sport is sport and I enjoy different sports. It’s all about how you deal with the pressure.”

Snowboard Cross is all about racing. Four people against each other vying for the top two places to eventually advance to a four-man final where anything can happen.

On his favoured NSW snowfields, Hughes has made the best of improved conditions.

“Getting in training runs with other riders such as Josh Miller, Adam Lambert and Adam Dickson is good. I’m making sure I rehab correctly and that I’m not missing a step.”

Hughes credits his father and coaches for his success to date.

"Dad tries to make as many World Cups as he can. he's a big part of the team and a big reason why I've been able to gather the success that I have."

Along with coaches Rob Fagan, John Shelley and Ross Dunlop, Hughes is confident.

“We do as much as we can and train to make sure those instincts (on race day) are correct.”

“The moment my hands get on that start gate, my instincts kick in.”

By Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 
 

With less than 200 days to go to the Opening Ceremony in PyeongChang, many of Australia’s winter athletes are preparing on home snow.  

Snowboard Cross rider Cam Bolton, who has one Olympics under his belt - finishing 11th in Sochi in 2014, is one such athlete who is motivated to return for a second Olympics in PyeongChang fitter and healthier.  

Making it back to full strength after a broken back, shoulder and wrist between Sochi and now spells out the extreme risk many winter athletes face and take in their stride.

“I’m happy to have a year of injury free training in the lead up to the Olympics,” Bolton said at the conclusion of the World Championships in March.

The off-season at home for Bolton since the world titles has required intense strength and conditioning in Melbourne or near his home base on the Mornington Peninsula, which also afforded his love of surfing, which he happily calls ‘cross training’.   

 “This is the first time since the 2014/15 season that I’ve been healthy and I’m really motivated,” Bolton said.
Despite not competing at the PyeongChang test event in March 2016, he has checked out the venue.

“PyeongChang looks like a great course. It’s going to flow and be fast,” is Bolton’s assessment.

“I expect it to be windy. There’s wind turbines near the course for good reason and it can be incredibly gusty from any direction.”

Snowboard Cross might look like four guys lining up against each other at the start gate before racing to the finish line in the quest to place in the top two to advance to the ultimate final and medal round, but there’s more to this sport than meets the casual eye.

The Uiyaji Wind Village is located on the highlands of PyeongChang, attracting tourists for cheese and ice cream making and to view the ‘sight of wind-mills standing high above the frozen plain’.

How just one weather factor, such as wind, can affect racing on any given day poses a significant challenge for the PyeongChang course.

“The wind can change every twenty seconds, which makes it hard to plan for everyone. There will be an element of luck and qualifying could be all over the place.”

 “There is an incredible difference between a headwind, or a possible tailwind and that can play with your mind,” Bolton said.

“Hitting big is about aerodynamics. If you go high, you lose speed. Staying low - weight helps if you have a headwind and the ability to generate speed through transitions.”

An exciting Snowboard Cross event next February is on the cards. In the meantime, it’s training on the Aussie snowfields at Mt Hotham for our Olympic SBX team until the first World Cup in Argentina gets underway in early September.

And spare a thought for winter athletes like Bolton who lug close to 100 kilos of baggage with up to eight snowboards.

“It’s a small price to pay for doing what we love.”

He’s only nineteen years old, but Jindabyne snowboarder Adam Lambert came out all guns blazing last season with a breakthrough that landed him with an overall World Cup Snowboard Cross ranking of 22nd.

Not bad considering his first World Cup was not until February this year.

Certainly, he was born to ride and  began snowboarding when he was 18-months old. It  helps that his parents own and operate a snowboard shop in Jindabyne, NSW.   

His ‘sudden’ rise to the elite end of Snowboard Cross doesn’t feel that quick to Lambert.

“The season before last I didn’t do the best that I could,” he said. “I choked and could have done much better – because I kept making stupid mistakes.”

“That season (2016/17) I learned to be resilient, then it all flowed.”

Lambert didn’t race in the first four World Cups in the 2017/18 season because he was yet to qualify at that level but after three podiums in the Europa Cup series, he was on his way.

“I got that,” Lambert remarked on his overall Europa Cup Snowboard Cross title after impressive wins in three out of five Europa Cups.

On his first World Cup appearance in February this year at Feldberg, Lambert is disparaging.

“On the first day (in Feldberg), I did terrible – 52nd. And to choke like that at my first World Cup was pretty rough.”
“I came back the next day though, qualified and won through to the second final (placing 7th).”

He went on to his second World Cup in La Molina Spain to finish overall sixth and onto his first World Championships, again in Spain, with another sixth.

As probably the shortest Snowboard Cross rider on the circuit at 170cm (5’7”), Lambert is nicknamed ‘nugget’.

“I’m called ‘nugget’ because I’m short and powerful,” he laughed. “Being shorter than the other guys is an advantage and a disadvantage.”

The advantage is his canny ability to find the gaps and then there’s the level of power required to excel in the rollers.

“When I’m riding rollers that are deep I probably have to work fifty percent harder. The most important part of the roller is the entry because if you mistime it, you’re in trouble.”

For the kid with a bullet who was into slopestyle until he was 15-years-old, Snowboard Cross didn’t enter his world until a few years ago.

“I had to give up Slopestyle when I was fifteen because I had a knee meniscus tear and for almost five months, I had nothing to else to do but sit on the couch. That time helped me in the end because I had previously enjoyed racing and did my first boardercross program when I was seventeen.”

Lambert’s first overseas event came in the 2014/15 season and just two seasons on, he thinks his chances to make the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games team as the third highest ranked Australian are “pretty good right now” and the rookie is “super proud”.

“The possibilities of making the Olympics sunk in three weeks after the World Championships (in Spain, March 2017) and I couldn’t sleep. I was so excited.”

The young gun lists Alex “Chumpy” Pullin and Cam Bolton as his heroes in the sport since he first met them three years ago.

“When I was fifteen I did my first FIS event and Futures Camp at Hotham, which Chumpy and Cam ran. They’re the top guys.”  

His ultimate dream is to “win the Olympics. What else is there?” he said.

“I have put expectations on myself but I’m taking it one step at a time.”

International racing at the highest level has taught Lambert a thing or two. “You make friends pretty quickly when you win and people want to talk to you.”

Lambert has been training on home snow in NSW before his opening race of the season at Mt Hotham in August and then onto Argentina for the first-ever World Cup in Argentina in September.

To find out more about Adam Lambert, visit his OWIA Athlete Profile page at http://www.owia.org/adam-lambert.html

By Belinda Noonan OWIA

After five World Cups and the world championships events completed, the best snowboard cross riders are in Veysonnaz, Switzerland for the final 2016/17 World Cup and Team SBX event with Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin coming into the race currently ranked fourth overall in the world on 2,790 points.

Joining Pullin in Veysonnaz is Cam Bolton and NSWIS skiers Adam Lambert, Matt Thomas and Adam Dickson.
Jarryd Hughes decided not to contest the final race and three-time Ladies World Cup winner Belle Brockhoff is recovering from injury.

Two-time world champion and recent World Championship bronze medal winner Alex Pullin is well within reach of the overall podium and has had a strong season, having been consistently in the top five during this season, collecting a gold (Feldberg) and bronze (Montafon) along the way.

Despite the course in Veysonnaz being described as becoming more ‘mellow’ over the years, Australian coach Ben Wordsworth says everyone is “looking forward to the final World Cup to finish the season strongly.”

“The course here has always suited riders like Alex Pullin as it has always been fast and technical,” he said.  

Men’s qualifying gets underway on Friday evening 24 March at 8.45pm with the finals on Saturday night from 11.30pm.
 

After three World Cup victories in 12 months, Belle Brockhoff’s best season of her career has ended abruptly because of a serious knee injury.

The Sochi Olympian crashed while testing the World Championships course in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

“I didn’t think much of it at the time, it felt like another crash.”

However, after tests and a quick realisation that she lacked the movement to turn her board, Brockhoff decided to withdraw from the 2017 World Championships.

An MRI scan later revealed, the worst result, she had torn her ACL apart.

Australia’s top female boardercross rider miscalculated a feature, smashing her into the snow.

“I didn’t have the speed for it when I was approaching it,” Brockhoff said.

“So I made a different move which slammed me onto the up ramp of a roller and spat me upside down off the back of it.”

She said everything else felt fine, but her knee was sore and she anticipated a decent sprain or at worst bone bruising.

 “I’ve had a lot of issues with my knee in the past and I believe it has been slowly tearing bit by bit,” said Brockhoff who has never had a season ending injury before.

"This is my first injury that has made me pull out from the season.

"All my other seasons have been consistently healthy and climbing up the ranks."

But the 24-year-old won’t let a torn ACL keep her from making her second Olympic appearance, and her positive attitude may be her ticket to success in 2018 in PyeongChang.

“Yeah look it sucks but it doesn’t,” she said.

“There’s a positive side coming out of the season with no World Champ title or as the tour leader.

“It means I have nothing coming into PyeongChang and I’ll be hunting for it.

“I’ll also be a lot stronger physically - with a new knee - and mentally,” said Brockhoff who is still adjusting to being home on Australian soil three weeks earlier than anticipated.

The Olympic Winter Institute Scholarship holder now faces a solid nine-month recovery period but is thankful the injury happened when it did.

“I’m excited for this process. I’m not worried or nervous.

“I believe this knee injury is going to put me in a better path than before and I am already looking forward to next season to kick off.”

Helping her through the up and downs of being an elite athlete is fellow snowboard cross rider and Sochi Olympian Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin.

“We get closer each year. We have a good friendship going on in the team and it just makes snowboard that much more fun,” said Brockhoff who often turns to the two-time World Championships title holder for tips and advice.

“It’s also really cool that we have been able to share some pretty sweet success in the last few years together too.”

Currently sitting in the number 2 spot in the FIS world rankings, Brockhoff understands this latest injury will cost her the number one ranking, but is determined to put that out of her mind.

“It’s a bit emotionally confusing if I think too much about the injury.

“I’ll probably drop down to rank 3 like last year but if I did do the last World Cup and did well then I probably would have gotten back up to the number 1 spot.”

Despite this bump on the road to PyeongChang 2018, Brockhoff knows she sits amongst the world’s best snowboard cross athletes.

“That gives me confidence in knowing I can be the best. It was just a mix of bad and good timing for the knee injury.”

Ashleigh Knight – AOC