Falls Creek, Australia, home of the 30+ year event the Kangaroo Hoppet. The arterial XC Ski trail at Falls Creek is potentially facing a new risk. Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV), is considering clearing the main arterial ski trail to allow for winter vehicle access to a proposed development next to the Kangaroo Hoppet course.

Nick Montgomery, Secretary of community group Cross-Country Skiing Association Victoria and former Australian Team Member, stated: “If implemented, this proposal will significantly harm cross-country skiing and ski touring at Falls Creek by removing the primary access trail to the broader network. It threatens Falls Creek’s status as one of the world’s greatest XC trail networks, where you don’t have to take your skis off for any cleared roads once you have started skiing. In particular, the inner trail network allows for amazing flow from one trail to the next, which will be lost as trails are cut in two or removed by the clearing. The local skiing community has come together to put a stop to this proposal using the legal process.”

See More: Kangaroo Hoppet – The first Ski Classics Challengers event in Australia

President of Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club in Australia, Andrew Hall states that “If the ski trail is ploughed there will be a devastating impact on our sport, particularly affecting beginners, school groups and racing.”

The proposed development at Falls Creek threatens significant losses, including but not limited to:

Loss of XC Ski Terrain and impact on xc ski racing: The primary XC ski trails, especially beginner-friendly and sheltered areas, will be lost, impacting accessibility, connections and fragmenting race loops. This will have devastating impacts on all FIS homologated courses currently at Falls Creek. There will also have a huge impact on Australia’s only Ski Classic Challengers, the Kangaroo Hoppet.

Destruction of World-Class Skiing: Falls Creek’s reputation as a world-class XC skiing destination will suffer, potentially discouraging international teams from training there.

Environmental Impact: Development could lead to environmental damage including habitat loss of critically endangered Australian wildlife.

Like to know more?

Visit Save Falls Creek’s website here: https://savefallscreekxc.org

What can you do? 

Save Falls Creek’s website has more information on how to take action: https://savefallscreekxc.org/take-action 

You can sign the petition here: https://chng.it/XqRw6nBJmM

Are you interested in long-distance skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.