It’s back!
Every four years, the circus comes to town. Mainstream networks pipe live snowboarding to the eyeballs of the masses while cross-promoting reality TV shows, newspapers kick into gear with guy in the sky photos of our riders upside down missing a grab, and we get live crosses to on-ground experts – often ex-aerial skiers in fur lined Karbon jackets.
But, don’t get us wrong, we’re huge fans of the Olympics, and Transfer will be on the ground with full Five Ring Circus commentary throughout the Games, bringing you expert insight, schedules, details and insider hot-goss directly from our silver-tongued snowboard commentators Torah Bright, Jye Kearney and Mitch Tomlinson.
First things first. Today, Australia has officially named its snowboard team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The squad features a mix of seasoned veterans, previous medallists and emerging talent across Halfpipe and Slopestyle/Big Air and Boardercross.
Leading the charge are names you already know:
Snowboard Halfpipe
- Scotty James
- Valentino Guseli
- Amelie Haskell
- Emily Arthur
- Misaki Vaughan
Snowboard Slopestyle / Big Air
- Tess Coady
- Ally Hickman
- Meila Stalker
Snowboard Cross
- Abbey Wilson
- Adam Lambert
- Cam Bolton
- Jarryd Hughes
- Josie Baff
- Mia Clift
Of those selected, Scotty James, Tess Coady and Jarryd Hughes are previous Olympic medalists, giving this team some pedigree. Scotty won Olympic bronze in 2018 and silver in 2022 in halfpipe, while Tess took bronze in slopestyle in Beijing 2022 and Jarryd medaled in snowboard cross in Pyeong Chang, all confirming immortal legend status and ones you’ll want to tune in to watch.
No team selection though is without controversy. Multi-discipline super freak Val Guseli, who’s goal was to match Torah Bright as the only Australian snowboarder to compete in three disciplines at the same games, was only selected for Halfpipe, not Slopestyle or Big Air. This means that Australia will not have a male rider in either men’s Slopestyle or Big Air events; a surprising omission given Val’s talent and prior competition history. The stack of talent and number of rotations out there is heavy, and FIS points don’t lie, I guess.
On the women’s front, Australia has brand new representation with three riders – Meila Stalker, Tess Coady and Ally Hickman, all set to compete in Slope and Big Air. It’s a sign of the depth and up-and-coming talent in Australian women’s snowboarding – can’t be more keen to see how these girls go!
From the broader Olympic Winter Team announcement, Australia’s snowboard contingent is part of its second-largest Winter Olympic team ever, and it contributes to the record 62% female representation on the squad – the highest proportion of women Australia has ever sent to an Olympic Games. And let’s not forget the Paralympics, with 50-podiums now under his belt, Ben Tudhope is on a tear – more on that soon!
Stay tuned to Transfer for updates, unsanctioned insider commentary and hot action from Milano Cortina 2026. The Five Ring Circus is just beginning.
