Thredbo sits on the traditional land of the Monero–Ngarigo people, who have looked after this land, water and community for over 60,000 years. We thank them for all they have done and continue to do to look after their country, a special place which we all love and respect.
Thredbo’s monster Cannonball Festival needs little introduction. This year’s juicier than ever, and you’ll want to know about what the folks up there in the alpine have in the works. Spoiler: it’s another insane schedule of racing, party vibes and good mountain livin’. Oh, and did we mention a $120,000 AUD prize purse is up for grabs?
In the words of the legend Jack Moir himself: “Hands down the biggest/funnest race of the year in Aus.”
So how big? How fun? Let’s delve.
Related:
- What’s new at Thredbo this summer?
- A Decade of Celebrating Our Gravity Community | Tom and Mick do the 10th Thredbo Cannonball Festival
- Flow Destination Hub | Thredbo, NSW
Five-times the gravity racing, five-times the fun
Race courses open from Sunday, February 9th, so the keenest of beans can start dialling in those race lines.
The first cab off the rank will be the Osprey All Mountain Enduro on Tuesday, February 11, in an all-new format. With the All Mountain Trail now divided into three named runs, the All Mountain Enduro is a 9km three-stage top-to-bottom race from the Eagles Nest to the lowest lift terminal, navigating Panorama, Pegasus, Dream Catcher, and the brand new Rockpools trail.
Also returning in a shiny new outfit is the Fox Flow Motion Cup, promising some tasty new trail and delectable berms on the revamped Kosciuszko Flow trail, which will include the newly installed section running alongside the Boost Mobile Jump Park — all tempered with some lung-destroying pedal work to keep the enduro purists satisfied. Deep breaths, folks!
The Fox Flow Motion Cup will span across two days (Feb 12-13), with the field split up into two groups based on racer category to prevent traffic jams on course.

This is Cannonball though, and there’s even more racing to be had provided you can still hang onto the bars.
The Maxxis Dual Slalom was introduced last year to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the festival. It was a foot-out-flat-out good time, and it’s coming back to close out Thursday afternoon (Feb 13). The event crew set up gates on a course feeding into Friday Flat. There were no berms or purpose-built features, just flat corners and a test of who could wrangle those side knobs the best.
Back again is the Oakley Pump Track Challenge which will be held on Friday, February 14. Seeding will take place in the morning, and the finals will run under the lights on The Village Green. With a DJ playing and a party atmosphere, it’s always a great time for riders and spectators alike, so remember to bring your loudest heckling paraphernalia.

Everything culminates in the final open race of the week on the infamous Cannonball DH. Seeding for the RockShox Australian Open DH starts Friday, and the main event will kick off the following morning. Taking in the full top-to-bottom Cannonball run, including the upper fire road, the sound barrier may well be broken in pursuit of the mega prize purse.
A full pro-rider announcement is promised soon, but word on the grapevine suggests names like Troy Brosnan, Sian A’Hern, Ollie Davis, Ellie Smith, the Zwars and the Meier-Smiths, and more will be in attendance.
The riding festivities finish up with the Deity Whip Wars. The invite-only event is always a crowd-pleaser, and taking place in the sweet, sweet afternoon light makes it all the more epic.

Be coronated as gravity royalty | The King and Queen of Cannonball
The honour every rider who comes to Thredbo each February is chasing is the elusive King or Queen of Cannonball.
Riders will gain points from all events across the weekend, with the exception of the Deity Whip War, and will be counted to reveal the overall King and Queen of Cannonball for each category — from U11 all the way up to Super Masters 50+ and everything in between.
With that said, unlike previous years, you don’t have to race in every event to be eligible for the crown. You’re entered into the running automatically by participating in any event at Cannonball, so you can see how you stack up against the likes of last year’s winners, Ellie Smith and Ryan Gilchrest. Should be easy enough to take the win, then…
You don’t even have to race to have a good time
Don’t fancy tussling with your mates between the tape? Post up track-side and watch some of the sport’s best rip turns on your behalf. Thirsty? Sink a delicious beverage and watch first-hand as riders decimate the law of physics at the Deity Whip Wars or the crowning of the 2025 King and Queen of Cannonball.
You might even spot some of your mountain biking heroes wandering the crowd or behind a signing desk at the pro meet and greets, or perhaps even win one of the massive prizes floating around.
There’s also a full expo with brands like RockShox, Maxxis, Deity and more on hand. Last year, the Norco tent even had the new high pivot Sight and Optic on display before they had officially been launched.

As ever, if racing isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty of riding to be done on the mountain, with daily DJ sets from Tuesday and a show from genre-bending Byron Bay surf-pop savants Babe Rainbow to whet one’s whistle ahead of the post-presentation Official Cannonball Closing Party — 9PM till late.
Registration is open now over at the official Thredbo website, so we strongly urge you to head over there and start planning your trip with a few keen mates. Gravity Season Pass holders at Thredbo will also receive a hefty 20% off ticket prices.

Photos: Nick Waygood / Thredbo, Flow MTB
Editorial Guidelines
At Flow Mountain Bike, we’re committed to delivering engaging and trustworthy content, from product reviews to destination showcases, news, interviews, and features. While many of the brands and destinations we cover may advertise with us, our editorial team operates independently, ensuring our content is guided by expertise and passion—not commercial influence. Sponsored content is always clearly disclosed, and we remain dedicated to providing honest and unbiased coverage across everything we publish. For more details, see our Transparency Report.