Baff: Leading the Australian Snowboard Cross charge

Australia’s Josie Baff stormed on to the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup scene two years ago with a string of podium finishes, including her first World Cup win in Les Deux Alpes.

Baff ended that season, 2022/23, in third place overall in the World Cup, and also won silver at both the World Championships and Junior World Championships. Last year, she proved that she is a serious contender by finishing fourth on the World Cup tour, with five podium finishes – although no wins.

Just 22 years old, Baff started the 2024/25 season well with second place at the World Cup in Cervinia before Christmas. The result was a testament to the work she put in over the off-season, which was both physical and mental.

“The off season is a great time to work on weaknesses and minor tweaks that might take some time to improve, so I spent my time trying to do that and enjoy some cheeky holidays in between,” Baff says.

“On snow training it’s similar too, my main goals are consistency and to continue building on my skills one small thing at a time,” she adds.

Baff says this focus on constant improvement is something she takes into racing, too.

“Learning is such an enjoyable part of our sport, so I hope to improve my riding each race and feel satisfied with the energy I bring to each race as well as my riding and tactical abilities. If that goes to plan then I believe the results will follow and ultimately I’m chasing those podiums and wins,” she explains.

As a young rider, Baff’s potential was clear. She won gold at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games and made her senior World Cup debut in Bakuriani the following year. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, she finished 18th overall.

Baff is now preparing to head back to China for the World Cup in Beidahu next week, and she says she is looking forward to the experience.

“The Beijing Olympics were very special for me. It was both my first Olympic but also an Olympics during Covid, so I’m looking forward to going back to Asia with less restrictions and the possibility to explore the culture more.”

But she also has ambitions beyond tourism.

“I loved the Olympic track and the snow conditions were quite remarkable, this time I’m returning with a lot more racing experience and I’m ready to fight for a place on the podium,” Baff adds.

Three years on from Beijing, Baff has matured as a rider but her approach to Snowboard Cross remains the same.

“My expectations are higher for myself and I have more confidence, but my main goal remains the same, to always ride to my best and to have fun whilst doing so,” she says.

Helping her enjoy the sport is the current strength of the Australian Snowboard Cross team. Not only did Baff finish second in Cervinia, but her compatriot Cameron Bolton matched her achievement in the men’s competition, after he finished third overall in the standings last season.

Meanwhile Amber Essex and Mia Clift both made the women’s quarterfinals; Clift was the FIS Snowboard Cross female rookie of 2023/24.

Baff is thrilled to be part of the growth of the sport in Australia.

“I think the future for Australian SBX is very bright, in my opinion the team is the best it’s ever looked with depth it has never had, particularly on the women’s side. It’s exciting and that energy is definitely felt in the snow sports community, lots of young kids are eager to try Snowboard Cross,” she says.

Baff herself followed her older sister Georgia into the sport, after switching from Alpine Skiing when she was younger, and she says she was inspired to chase the dream by watching Georgia compete.

These days, she says “almost all” her competitors inspire her to keep improving.

“Everyone has different strengths and slightly different approaches which is cool to see,” Baff says.

“The field of girls is changing a fair bit at the moment with a few younger girls coming through and with Eva (Adamczyková) and Chloé (Trespeuch) both not racing this year it is going to be a great battle among the experienced riders and the younger girls coming through. I’m very eager to get racing again and to see who has what’s needed to be on the top box the most.”

As Baff travels to China for the Beidahu World Cup, which takes place between 31 January and 2 February, she is very much eyeing up that top box once again.