Biathlon New Zealand
The Olympic sport of cross-country skiing and shooting
Starting on Sunday 23 July, Wanaka Biathlon Club will run a season-long training program for aspiring biathletes. The aim of the program is to teach keen skiers of all ages the skills of biathlon and encourage participation in biathlon competitions to be held regularly by Wanaka Biathlon Club. The club, in tandem with Biathlon New Zealand, has an objective of growing the sport and this program is the first step.
The program is aimed at people aged 11 (School Year 7) and upwards. There will be two separate groups, Youth (Year 7-13) and Master (adult). Participants in the program must be paid up members of Wanaka Biathlon Club. This allows them to use the club rifles and club ammunition and also ensures that there is no need for a firearms certificate to use the rifles while under supervision on the range. Sign up for Wanaka Biathlon Club here.
Biathlon requires the skating technique of cross-country skiing. The Master group will be expected to have had some skate skiing experience, which can then be built upon by our coaching. The Youth group will be taught to skate from scratch - no skating experience is required for this group.
The program will commence on Sunday 23 July then run every Sunday for the duration of the season until Sunday September 17. The focus of the program will be the weekly Sunday training session which will run from 10 am until 1:30 pm. The Sunday session will be split between range work, skating technique instruction, and will finish with a fun competition for all participants. For those able to attend the Wednesday afternoon Mount Aspiring College Snow Farm program, additional instruction will be provided, either on skating skis or at the range.
Throughout the season, there will be fun biathlon events along with the Club and National Championships. There will be novice titles and prizes at these races. On Club and National Champs Sundays, instead of the program, the groups will take part in the races under the guidance of our coaches.
At the end of the season, there will be a club awards BBQ with each participant receiving their biathlon proficiency award as well as any event prizes they may have earned during the season.
If this all sounds appealing to you - or if you have further questions, please contact Wanaka Biathlon Club Secretary below.
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The programs are coached by Biathlon New Zealand and Snow Farm's coaching staff. We have all levels of ability covered from beginner to World Cup standard.
Our head coach, Jason has over thirty years of biathlon behind him, including fifteen as a professional biathelete on the GB team. Jason has raced, managed and coached at numerous Olympic Games and holds an MSc in Applied Exercise & Sports Nutrition as well as a Sports Science and Performance BSc.
Nicole has been cross country skiing for over twenty years and grew up skiing in Falls Creek, Australia. A passionate technician, Nicole wants to see every skier develop their ski technique as far as they can and will always look for ways to improve you.
Tim learnt his biathlon skills while in the UK Royal Marines Biathlon Team in the 90's. He also managed the GB Biathlon Team for three seasons culminating in the 1998 Olympic Games. Tim is dedicated to growing the sport in NZ and is current Chairman of Biathlon New Zealand.
Ernie has been one of the mainstays of NZ Biathlon since the first range was developed with his expertise at Snow Farm in the early 90's. Ernie has a deep technical knowledge of target shooting and has coached generations of young kiwi skiers to international standard. In 2023 Ernie attended the IBU Coaching course in Salzburg, AUT.
Campbell Wright burst onto the international biathlon circuit in 2021 with his debut on the IBU World Cup. Despite being the youngest on the circuit, he achieved an all-time best for NZ with a top 15 place cementing his selection for NZ's 2022 Beijing Olympic Games team. Since then Campbell has become World Junior Champion. Campbell is a full time athlete but we are also lucky to have him assist the program.
Dont hesitate, contact Wanaka Biathlon Club today to register for your Biathlon Training Program
