By NICK HIGGINSON
Freeriders from Hotham and Falls Creek have returned from a European competition winter with some experience and some serious accolades to show for their hard work. Howard Barraclough and Grady Mitchell from Falls Creek competed in the Freeride World Tour Junior competitions in Montafon and Kuhtai, capping a month-long trip to hone their skills with development camp Higher Freeride.
Grady and Howard both train with Falls Creek’s Freeride team and followed up their European competitions with a stint in Whistler through the spring.
This European winter was a bit of a low tide affair, with early competitions postponed for snow conditions.
Both young guns acquitted themselves well on a larger stage, competing against elite European talents and holding their own.
This year Falls Creek will host its first certified freeride competition, and they are sure to be among those fighting for podium positions.
Joining them on the road was Lulu Laird, Harrietville local who was in her first year competing with senior athletes after an impressive junior career.
Lulu stamped her authority on the Qualifier series in Europe this winter, with five podiums and four wins leaving her a near certainty for qualification for the Challenger series in 2027.
An 18-year-old in their first senior competition winter arriving and setting the circuit on fire is an anomaly, and through the second half of the winter she was posting wins nearly every competition.
Having known Lulu for years as part of the Hotham community, one of the things that shines through is her love for skiing, a guiding north star which pulls her like a tractor beam into higher echelons of the sport with each passing year.
“My drive to be better comes from a lot of things, but I’ve never found anything more fun than going skiing,” she said.
“The more I improve, the more fun skiing becomes, so the learning is a tool that unlocks the fun.
“The flip side of that is though is that I am very competitive, and I can be quite a harsh critic of myself.
“I have grown with that this season though, and I am probably now more able to accept some things not going my way without being angry or disappointed.
‘If I make a mistake, I will probably still be upset with myself but if it is things that are outside of my control, I am more able to laugh at them now and accept that is part of Freeride.”
Unable to put it together in the first three competitions, but with flashes of brilliance, Lulu broke through on a day she was fighting off sickness at Kappl, winning her first competition for the season.
From there the floodgates opened, with wins at Verbier and La Rosier, a second place at Nendaz despite a crash that she recalls as a pivotal moment in her season.
Reflecting on the winter Lulu takes some confidence in coming through the early season mental trials which left her in doubt, and after seeing the results of her dedication and self-belief paying off.
“This season exceeded expectations, and I feel like I have a lot of confidence in my ability moving forward,” she said.