Australia’s Bolton and Baff shine in first Snowboard Cross Team race of the season
Mar 02, 2025·Snowboard Cross)
Australia triumphed in the first Snowboard Cross team competition of the season at the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup in Erzurum, Türkiye, on Sunday.
Cameron Bolton (AUS) and Josie Baff (AUS) beat reigning world champions Huw Nightingale (GBR) and Charlotte Bankes (GBR) by just four 100ths of a second to take the inaugural team race this year.
But despite their athletes impressing on the individual stage this season, there was no podium for France after a collision between Michela Moioli (ITA) and Lea Casta (FRA1) in the semifinals.
Consistency and teamwork pay off for Australia
A total of 16 teams from 11 nations lined up for the competition. From the start Australia 1 and Great Britain looked like strong contenders, coming first and second in the first quarterfinal after Bankes cruised past Brianna Schnorrbusch (USA1) on the women’s leg.
The second quarterfinal was marked by a big crash in the men’s leg between Liam Moffatt (CAN) and Kalle Koblet (SUI1), which saw Canada relegated. Noemie Wiedmer (SUI1) had too much to do to close the gap and France 1 and Switzerland 2 progressed.
Italy won the third quarterfinal, after Omar Visintin pipped Radek Houser (CZE) for second on the line in the men’s leg and Michela Moioli came through into the lead in the closing jumps; Pia Zerkhold (AUT) held off Karolina Hrusova (CZE) for second.
There were more crashes in the fourth quarterfinal as Jarryd Hughes (AUS2) and later his teammate Mia Clift (AUS2) both fell out of contention. At the front, there was a great race between Nathan Pare (USA2) and Julien Tomas (FRA1), exchanging the lead throughout with Pare crossing first.
But Lea Casta (FRA1) showed her speed in the women’s leg, easily overtaking Aicy Craig (USA2) to win by two seconds.
Australia 1’s Bolton had another good start in the semifinal and held the lead to the end, with Leo le Ble Jacques (FRA2) sticking close to his tail and Nightingale overtaking Valerio Jud (SUI2) halfway for third.
Bankes, however, soon made up the difference to Julia Pereira (FRA2) and pipped Josie Baff (AUS1) on the line for the win.
Tomas and Pare had another close race in their semifinal, but Lukas Pachner (AUT) was in front throughout.
On the women’s leg, Moioli, working to catch the leaders, misjudged an overtake and crashed into Casta, knocking both Italy and France 1 out of contention and allowing Austria and USA 2 a clear run to the big final.
In the men’s leg of the big final Bolton again had a perfect run, edging out Pare by 0.03 seconds, ahead of Pachner and Nightingale. That left Bankes with a 0.22 second margin to make up to reach the medals, and a 0.52 margin to catch Baff for victory.
After passing Craig, Bankes then found a way past Zerkhold and was into second place. A couple of good jumps had her close behind Baff, but Baff just had enough speed into the finish to hold on for victory by 0.04 seconds. Pachner and Zerkhold took third for Austria and Pare and Craig were fourth for USA2.
“It was a lot of fun today; the course is running a little bit faster,” said Baff after the race.
Bolton added: “It’s so good to be sharing a team with Jojo, we’re close friends and close teammates.
“She’s riding so, so well, so I just wanted to come out and make sure that I rode as well as I could and give her every opportunity to shine, and shine she did.”
In the small final, Tomas and Casta of France 1 beat le Ble Jacques and Pereira of France 2 to take fifth overall, after a very even first leg between the men. Switzerland 2, Valerio Jud and Noemie Wiedmer, were seventh overall.
The next stop on the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup tour is Gudauri, Georgia, with two individual events taking place between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 March.
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