Olympic Coaching Great Trennon Paynter Appointed Snow Australia Park and Pipe Director

Mountainwatch | News

Former Australian Olympian and highly decorated Canadian coach Trennon Paynter will lead the next generation of Australian Park & Pipe athletes, bringing a proven record of Olympic success as the nation builds towards the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympic Games.

Snow Australia has appointed Trennon Paynter as its new Park & Pipe Director, securing one of the sport’s most experienced high-performance coaches to lead the strategic direction and development of Australia’s Olympic pathway.

Paynter joins Snow Australia after 15 years as Head Coach of the Canadian National Halfpipe Ski Team, where he established one of the world’s most successful freestyle skiing programs, producing Olympic medallists across four consecutive Winter Olympic campaigns.

His appointment comes at an exciting time for Australian Park & Pipe, with an established group of international performers and an emerging generation of talented young athletes providing plenty of reasons for optimism.

Australia’s current crop includes snowboard stars Scotty James, Valentino Guseli, Tess Coady, Meila Stalker and Ally Hickman, alongside freeski talents Indra Brown, Daisy Thomas. and Abi Harrigan. Other emerging names making their mark include Maya Broadbent, Joey Elliss, Josh Robertson-Hahn and Amelie Haskell.

Paynter will oversee the development and technical delivery of Australia’s Park & Pipe pathway across six Olympic disciplines: Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air.

During his time in Canada, Paynter built the national halfpipe program from the ground up, overseeing its strategic direction, coaching structures and athlete development pathway.

His athletes collected five Olympic medals across the Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, including Cassie Sharpe’s gold medal in 2018.

The program also delivered 15 FIS World Championship medals across 11 athletes, 95 FIS World Cup podiums, nine Crystal Globe season titles and 36 Winter X Games medals. Remarkably, Canadian athletes reached the podium at every X Games ski superpipe event from 2005 onwards during his program’s era.

Paynter also played an important role in working with national federations and the International Olympic Committee to secure halfpipe skiing’s inclusion in the Olympic program.

Despite spending most of his professional career in Canada, Paynter has strong Australian connections. Born in Sydney, he learned to ski at Thredbo before representing Australia in moguls at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. He is also a Snow Australia Medalist.

Snow Australia General Manager – Sport Ben Bond said Paynter’s international experience and understanding of the Australian sporting system made him an outstanding appointment.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Trennon. He has led a program that has won Olympic medals at every Games since 2014, and he knows how to build the systems, coaching teams and pathways that deliver sustained success,” Bond said.

“He also understands the Australian system and shares our ambition for a clear pathway from club to podium.”

Paynter brings an impressive coaching resume to the position, having received the Coaching Association of Canada’s Coaching Excellence Award on 10 occasions. He was also named among ESPN’s 50 Most Influential People in Action Sports in 2012.

Away from national team responsibilities, he has regularly worked with Red Bull and previously partnered with Surfing Australia to deliver acrobatics-specific aerial awareness camps.

Bond said the appointment was a significant step in Snow Australia’s broader strategy, developed in partnership with the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA), to build a sustainable high-performance system capable of delivering consistent international results.

“Our Park & Pipe community has asked for dedicated leadership and a clearer pathway, and this appointment delivers on that,” Bond said.

“With the National Snowsports Training Centre (NSTC), proven athletes and an exciting junior cohort, Trennon arrives at the right time as we build towards 2030 and 2034.”

For Paynter, the opportunity represents a return to his roots and the chance to contribute to the next chapter of Australian winter sport.

“I’m so honoured and excited to be working with Snow Australia. As an Australian Olympian whose first day on skis was in New South Wales’ Snowy Mountains, it brings great pride to take up such an accomplished and respected organisation in this role,” Paynter said.

“Australia’s sustained performance in snowsports, across multiple Olympic Games, has long been an inspiring sport story. I’m thrilled about the prospect of contributing to the next chapter, and working closely with all involved across the entire Park & Pipe ecosystem and pathway.

“The culture around sport in this country is second to none, and it’s a culture that I look forward to both learning from and contributing to, as we move towards the next Winter Olympics with our eyes on the podium.”

Paynter will officially commence as Snow Australia’s Park & Pipe Director on November 23, 2026. His appointment follows a range of recent investments and changes, including capital works at the NSTC and the publication of new National Institute Network (NSWIS) scholarship selection guidelines for Park and Pipe.