SKI CROSS: The finals of the season’s first World Cup ski cross event in Nakiska, Canada, were postponed today due to extreme cold.

Race organisers were able to complete the women’s qualification session yesterday and the men’s today but decided soon after to postpone the finals and cancel the second event in the double-header, which was scheduled for tomorrow.

Australia's head coach Matt Lyons said that the morning temperature was minus 35 degrees Celsius, which improved slightly to minus 28 degrees Celsius.

With this sort of extreme cold, athletes run the risk of suffering frost bite to areas of exposed skin when skiing at speed.

In the qualification, Anton Grimus was Australia’s best performer, clocking the 13th fastest time, Scott Kneller missed the cut for tomorrow, and Jenny Owens and Sami Kennedy-Sim recorded the 20th and 29th fastest times respectively.

The fifth member of the ski cross squad, Katya Crema, did not compete due to knee soreness and is receiving treatment.