First jumps taken on Olympic sized dry slope airbag at National Snowsports Training Centre

The first jumps were taken this week on the Olympic sized dry slope airbag jump constructed at Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre as part of Stage 1 of the $5 million Snow Australia National Snowsports Training Centre (NSTC).

Preparations are also in works for the smaller development bag, with Stage 2 also to deliver a significant upgrade and expansion of the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre which will commence early in the new year.

Progressing through the next stages, in partnership with the NSW Government, the National Snowsports Training Centre will have a profound impact on Australian athletes’ capacity to maintain and enhance their international competitiveness.

NSW Minister for Sport Natalie Ward said the National Snowsports Training Centre would enable winter sport athletes to train year-round, providing an edge against their international competitors.

Minister Ward notes “with just over 50 days until the start of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, excitement is building that our winter sports athletes will continue our proud history of success at the Olympics.

“The commissioning and testing of the airbag at the National Snowsports Training Centre is an exciting milestone in a project that will be a game-changer for Australian winter sport.”

Snow Australia Chief Executive Michael Kennedy marked the commissioning of the airbag as a historic day for snowsport in Australia advising “this is a significant milestone for snowsports in our country. It is incredible to believe that the collective vision of developing a world class snowsport training centre in Jindabyne is becoming a reality.

“Snow Australia has held the vision of creating a home for Snowsport in Australia which serves the needs of high performance programs alongside the needs of our passionate and growing community,”   

“This facility is critical to the sustained success of our athletes in an increasingly competitive international sporting environment.

“It will serve as a base for our high performance programs and will also provide a focal point for pathway programs and the broader snowsport community to come together.”

Minister Ward added that the National Snowsport Training Centre would provide benefits to the region through jobs, investment and tourism adding “The National Snowsports Training Centre will cement Jindabyne’s status as Australia’s winter sport home.

“It will be available for community use, providing year-round access to the local skiing and snowboarding community as well as winter sport enthusiasts from across the country.”

Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program (ETP) have been lucky enough to be among the first athletes to test the facility that will become a regular training venue for them.

ETP Freeski athlete Daisy Thomas said she was grateful for the opportunity, despite being nervous ahead of her first run.

“Before my first run I was freaking out, but at the same time had a huge adrenaline rush and was really excited to hit the jump,” Thomas said.

“The new airbag will be super helpful in learning new tricks, try new ones and working on our technique.

“Now that we have an airbag in Australia, it means we are able to train at home in the summer months without having to go overseas.

“Because it is a year round facility, we can practice our tricks on the airbag, and then go out on the slopes and try it out.

“It’s so great, because when we don’t have snow, we can still be training and developing,” she said.