Cross Country Australian Championship This Weekend
2008 Hoppet Photo: Charlie Brown
Accomplished skiers from Switzerland, Japan and New Zealand will compete against our best cross-country skiers at the Australian Championship and Australia – New Zealand Continental Cup events this weekend at Falls Creek, Vic.
It will be an exciting two-day tussle between the international and local skiers (sprinters and endurance athletes) on a well groomed courses at Falls Creek resort.
Open and junior athletes will compete in the Australian Sprint Championship on Saturday and on Sunday it is the turn for the endurance athletes who excel in longer, more demanding, 15/30km races.
Both competitions are part of the FIS Australia – New Zealand Continental Cup (ANC) series, and the contingent of skiers from Switzerland, Japan and New Zealand have flown in to attempt to upstage the elite Australians and win the series ahead of our champion skiers.
The high-energy, crowd-pleaser, sprint skiing event held on 600 & 1,000 metre courses culminates in head to head knockout finals. Under 16 athletes will race on a shorter 600m course and the elite skiers will contest a longer 1,000 metre course.
It is fast and furious, with each race completed in 2-3 minutes. Sunday’s women’s 15km and men’s 30km freestyle events will feature a mass start format on a 7.5km loop that starts and finishes in the Falls Creek Nordic Bowl.
The Australian Championship and Australia – New Zealand Continental Cup series concludes with Australia’s international ski marathon, the Kangaroo Hoppet, at Falls Creek on August 29.
Media release
AGL sponsors Australia’s international ski marathon – The Kangaroo Hoppet
AGL Energy Limited (AGL) is pleased to announce that it will be the major sponsor of Australia’s international ski marathon, the Kangaroo Hoppet 2009 at Falls Creek, for the second year in a row.
The event attracts up to 1,200 skiers from more than 20 countries, with approximately 200 local volunteers getting involved, including AGL employees. The Kangaroo Hoppet is Australia’s premier long distance cross country ski race and part of the Worldloppet series of international cross country ski events.
The Hoppet is the only southern hemisphere event in the 14-race international program. The course of the Kangaroo Hoppet passes around the shores of Rocky Valley Dam, AGL’s largest storage facility.
AGL’s employees at Mt Beauty have been taking part as volunteers since the event began in 1991.
“Our sponsorship of the Kangaroo Hoppet is an excellent opportunity for AGL to support an event of great value to the local community,” said Ken Woolley, General Manager Power Development at AGL.
“AGL is Australia’s leading integrated renewable energy company and AGL’s hydroelectric power is a very important part of our generation portfolio. We are building the 140 MW Bogong hydro power station in the upper catchments of the Kiewa Valley, due for completion at the end of this year.
“AGL prides itself on building strong relationships with the local communities in which we work and invest. With the Bogong hydroelectric power station set to open later this year, sponsoring the Kangaroo Hoppet is a timely opportunity for us to reinforce our support for the local community.”
“It will generate enough renewable energy to power more than 120,000 homes.” AGL has invested over $2 billion in renewable energy to help secure Australia’s sustainable energy future, and is the largest private owner, operator and developer of renewable energy projects.
