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Western Australia is one of the least likely places to record snow in the world.
Despite that, in a storyline reminiscent of the film Cool Runnings, it's produced a snowboarder who's been invited to attend a prestigious junior world championship event in Austria next January.
Denmark on Western Australia's south coast is home to Henry Edmondson, 18, who has only been snowboarding for about four years.
The surf town's highest peak is a little over 307 metres tall and the closest thing to snow is the region's white sandy beaches.
So how did this surfer turn to the slopes?
Edmondson's passion for snowboarding was initially sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and social media.
"Through COVID I couldn't do anything, so I started to watch a lot of snowboard content on YouTube," he said.
The first time he ever jumped on a snowboard was during a family holiday to Japan, where he was kicked out of a beginners class for being too good.
"I didn't really start snowboarding until I was 14," he said.
From WA to Europe
After loving his first taste of the sport, Edmondson saved enough money to head off for a week on the slopes in Victoria in between lockdowns in the state.
It was then he decided to take a punt on Europe.
He spent his time after school washing dishes to save for an airfare to Europe to try his luck at a junior competition.
"I had two weeks on snow in my whole life … it's a bit stupid, but I thought I'm ready to go to Europe and compete against people who have been snowboarding their entire life," he said.
It was during a competition in Europe he gained attention after finishing third.
After competing in a few competitions, Edmondson finished last year with a junior ranking of seventh in the Europe and Oceania division for freeriding — a mix of downhill, tricks and style — earning him a place at the junior world championship in 2024.
"Freeride is hard to explain," he said.
Edmondson said where half-pipe riders were scored on their skills in the half-pipe, freeriders were given a section of mountain on which to show their abilities.
"You get an open mountain face with cliff drops, wind lifts, different terrain — you get to look at it, no practice ride," he said.
"Then you get one run to … get the highest score you can on the fluidity [and] complexity of what you're doing, if you do tricks."
From the coast to the alps
Edmondson said a lot of snowboarders assumed he was from the east coast of Australia, where the country's limited ski resorts exist.
"The fact I'm from Australia alone is enough to be impressive … the fact I'm from the other half that doesn't get snow doesn't register with most in Europe," he said.
Mum Deb Edmondson said her son's interest in the sport had grown rapidly.
"He took to it really quickly in Japan," she said.
Henry Edmondson will head to the United States and Canada in coming weeks to prepare for the world championship.
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