Harry Laidlaw

Sport: Alpine Skiing
Events: Giant Slalom, Super-G, Slalom
Olympic History: PyeongChang 2018
Highlights: First person to qualify for a second run in Giant Slalom World Cup in Bankso
Year Born: 1996
State Born: Victoria

Melbourne–born alpine skier Harry Laidlaw grew up on the slopes of Mount Hotham, began skiing as a toddler and, as a teenager, moved to Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont to pursue racing year–round. He lists Fitzroy, Victoria, as his birthplace and Melbourne as home, and has long focused his international career in giant slalom.  

A Youth Olympian in Innsbruck in 2012, Laidlaw competed across multiple events; his best finish was 17th in the slalom as he gained early experience at international level.  

By the 2016–2017 northern winter Laidlaw had stepped into senior championships, making his World Championship debut in St Moritz. The following year he realised a childhood ambition in PyeongChang, selected for the giant slalom and slalom at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. He was forced out of the super‑G after a back issue, and in the giant slalom he was disqualified after missing a gate in the first run.

Laidlaw returned to the global stage at the 2019 World Championships in Åre, placing 37th in the super‑G, while continuing to build results across North American and European circuits.  

A serious knee injury in November 2020 cost him the ensuing northern winter, but the comeback season that followed proved transformative. In February 2022 he won three Nor‑Am Cup giant slaloms in quick succession at Whiteface Mountain and Burke, becoming the first Australian in two decades to top a Nor‑Am podium in the discipline. 

Momentum continued into 2022–23. Laidlaw collected Australia’s first men’s European Cup giant slalom podium with silver at Folgaria, then produced a personal‑best 25th in the giant slalom at the 2023 FIS Alpine World Championships in Courchevel‑Méribel. 

The 2023–24 season showcased further progress despite an interrupted start. He returned with a breakthrough in Bansko, where he became the first Australian male to qualify for a World Cup giant slalom second run, sitting 24th after the first leg before crashing late in run two while pushing for points.  

Back in the Southern Hemisphere, Laidlaw won the men’s giant slalom at the New Zealand national championships at Coronet Peak in August 2024, underlining his form at the start of the Olympic qualification cycle. Unfortunately the remainder of his season was limited by injury and was unable to compete again in the 2024-2025 northern hemisphere winter. 

Away from the start gate Laidlaw has spent much his time based in Innsbruck and has been studying a Bachelor of Paramedicine, balancing university work with training and racing.