Ellen S. Lie on her way to the World Championship in Trondheim

In 2018, at 23 years old, Ellen fully committed to her skiing career. The goal was clear: to qualify for an international championship. After five years of hard work, she achieved her dream by lining up at the start of the 2023 World Championship in Planica.

The experience gave her even more motivation, and now she’s setting her sights even higher with the World Championship in Trondheim in 2025.

With a ski legend on the team

Øystein «Pølsa» Pettersen, tidligere skiløper med gull fra blant annet OL, har nå steppet inn som trener for Ellen. Sammen har de satt seg et ambisiøst mål: å løfte Australia til nye høyder i skisporet.

Øystein “Pølsa” Pettersen, former skier and Olympic gold medalist, has now stepped in as Ellen’s coach. Together, they’ve set an ambitious goal: to elevate Australia to new heights in the world of skiing.

Let’s hear what Ellen says about the collaboration:

Q: Hi Ellen, we see Øystein “Pølsa” Pettersen is now coaching you. How’s that going?

A: Honestly, it’s insanely awesome! You’d have difficulty finding someone more engaged, joyful, interested, and genuine! We complement each other well with honest and direct communication, which makes things easy.

Q: What have you learned from having Øystein as a coach/mentor?
A: He’s a mentor too! We have so much fun during training, but we switch focus at the right time. I’ve learned to work with a clear measure and narrow down my focus on what’s important as competitions approach.

Q: Tell us about skiing in Australia. Are there many skiers? Do you have snow?
A: A question that comes up a lot… Many people are surprised, but there’s snow and skiing in Australia, mainly at Falls Creek and Perisher. It can be incredibly beautiful there, but also quite harsh in terms of weather. We’re a small but tight-knit group who have fun and work together to elevate Australia as a skiing nation.

Q: With the World Championship in sight, what are your main goals for the upcoming season?

A: My biggest goal is to complete key training sessions with the highest quality, always aiming to improve and be satisfied when I’ve done something well. My top performance goal is to qualify for the sprint at the World Championship.

We’re excited to follow Ellen and Øystein on their journey towards the World Championship. Both are equipped with Swix clothing, poles, and ski wax.