THE face of Mt Buller snowboarder, Will McCarthy, has become more prominent since the new signage for Buller Sports (Mansfield) was installed just before the opening weekend.

Standing out on the huge billboard is the image of Will careering down the slopes of Buller in his bright yellow jacket.

Will has become the ambassador for Mt Buller and has a long association with the mountain and its programs.

Now aged 20, Will usually resides in Richmond, Melbourne.

He has been snowboarding on Buller for the past 12 years and is now considered one of the best up-and-coming snowboarders in the country.

“I was nominated to become an ambassador because of my love for Mount Buller,” Will told Buller News recently.

“My family and I have been coming here every year for nearly my whole life.

“I started doing photoshoots with Tony Harrington at a young age and representing the mountain,” Will said.

Will started skiing first before taking up snowboarding.

“My mum grew up skiing at Mount Baw Baw and has always loved skiing and she wanted to pass on her passion for the outdoors and the mountains to her kids, so I started skiing at a very young age,” Will explained.

“At around age 5, I began skiing every weekend with Team Extreme (now called Snow Squad) which was so much fun.

“However, being a keen skateboarder and surfer, I was always eager to try snowboarding. “Around age 8 I tried snowboarding for the first time and from then I never really wanted to take the snowboard off my feet!

“I joined Mount Buller Race Club and started competing in interschools and local races at Mt Buller.

“I’ve spent almost every winter of my life at Mt Buller which is a second home to me,” he said.

Will spent about six years with Mt Buller Race Club and for a short time at Mount Hotham Race Club before he was selected to the Australian Development Team (NSWIS).

“A lot of my domestic winter training is based at Jindabyne NSW where we train at Perisher and Thredbo,” Will said.

“I also compete in the Australian New Zealand Cup at Mount Hotham every year and we have a training block either side of this competition at Mount Hotham.

“When not training in Australia, I am in Europe for around five months of the year during the northern winter for competition and training.

“I am aiming to make it to the next Olympic Games in Milano Cortina (2026).

When asked what he loves most about snowboarding he replied: “My favourite part about snowboarding is the fast-paced snowboarding on the courses, the feeling of floating in fresh powder in back country and the freedom of free-riding around the mountain and in the park.”

Apart from his time competing around the world at snow competitions, Will is currently a university student at Monash studying a Bachelor of Law/Arts.

“I completed VCE at Melbourne Grammar school in 2023 and went on to university,” he said.

Will’s whole family are skiers, encouraged by his mum and has two older sisters, Bridget and Milly.

On Mt Buller his family has owned an apartment at Molonys since 2010 making it their winter home away-from-home.

After a hard day on the slopes either training or competing Will loves to head to the gym, do some stretching and lifting, before hanging out with friends around the village.

“My ambition for the future is to compete in World Cups all around the world for snowboard cross.”

Mt Buller fans will also be keen to watch Will on the slopes and I his competitions this season aiming for that sport at the 2026 Olympics.