Industry News
The 2026-27 season is quickly approaching in North America, and the world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders are putting the finishing touches on their preseason training ahead of the season’s first competitions. And while the summer heat continues to blanket the continent, many of these athletes have taken Down Under to Australia, where winter is still in full swing.
For these elite athletes, offseason training in Australia allows them to get back on snow before podium finishes and prize winnings are on the line. After typically spending much of the spring and summer away from the slopes, athletes use the Southern Hemisphere’s winter to dial in old tricks, knock off the rust, and rebuild confidence on snow. Many athletes also use the time to experiment with new tricks that push progression, adding more degrees of rotation to already massive spins.
And when the athletes come, Australian resorts are ready. Park crews spend days building the most elite-level terrain parks, digging some of the most challenging features at each resort. Technical rails, massive jumps, and pro-level lines are included to ensure athletes can use each lap to throw their most difficult tricks.
One resort that has proven to be a preferred destination for elite skiers and snowboarders is Perisher, located in New South Wales. Dozens of these elite athletes have been dropping clips from Perisher throughout the past couple of weeks, showcasing their skills at the resort’s premier terrain park. Some of the snowboarders training at Australia’s largest resort include halfpipe legend Scotty James, hometown hero Valentino Guseli, the innovative Eli Bouchard, and up-and-coming legend Mia Brookes. On the skier side, slopestyle killer Colby Stevenson, Olympic champion Birk Ruud, and popular American Alex Hall have all been active on their social media accounts, posting new clips from Perisher.
Another resort that has drawn in big-name freestyle skiers and snowboarders is Thredbo, located just under an hour away from Perisher. All-time greats Anna Gasser and Tess Coady have both been throwing down at Thredbo, as well as big spinner Hiroto Ogiwara and reigning Olympic slopestyle champion Su Yiming.
One attractive aspect of Thredbo is its park build by Stomping Grounds Projects, which specializes in building pro-level terrain parks designed specifically for training. There are only two Stomping Grounds parks in the world, and Thredbo has one of them. Its park at the Australian resort includes a giant, big air style kicker, a cannon rail that shoots skiers and snowboarder deep into the landing, and dozens of other features that 90% of riders would never think of hitting. So far, Stomping Grounds Thredbo has seen some of the most difficult tricks in skiing and snowboarding this season. Backside double rodeo 1260s, backside 1080s, and frontside 1440s have all been documented at the park, and many more clips are sure to be on their way.
While part of the fun of offseason training is watching the clips, another exciting aspect is thinking about the tricks that are not posted. When an athlete performs a trick that has never been done before, includes a new grab, or has some other special maneuver, sometimes that trick never gets posted on social media until much later. Other times, that trick is never seen until competition. Either way, offseason training is typically the place where new tricks are born, and patiently waiting to see new tricks — whether its in a social media clip or in competition — is a part of the offseason excitement.
As summer winds down in North America, the first competitions of the 2026-27 season are just around the corner. The world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders have spent the past few weeks in Australia, making last-minute preparations before strapping in at the top of courses with money and glory on the line. While the offseason has been a long one, for some of the best athletes on the planet, it is finally coming to an end.
