Sunshine Coast snowboarder Mela Stalker eyeing off 2026 Olympic Games

A rare Sunshine Coast winter sports star who swapped the skateboard for a snowboard now has dreams of competing at the Winter Olympics following her European World Cup debut.

Sunshine Coast snowboarder Mela Stalker. Pictures: Lee Ponzio.

A Coolum Beach snowboarder who grew up skating on the Sunshine Coast now aims to compete against the world’s best at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Mela Stalker, who rode her first snowboard aged six, has recently returned home following her European World Cup debut for slopestyle snowboarding.

The 19-year-old finished eighth in the world after competing in events such as the Kreischberg Big Air in Austria, the quarterly Bakuriani World Championships in Georgia and the Silvaplana Slopestyle along with the LAAX Open Slopestyle in Switzerland.

She said her transition from the surf to snow was easy.

“Mum and Dad were pretty big frothers on the snow life before I was born so we had a few trips here and there growing up and then I had my first proper trip to Japan when I was nine,” she said.

“That set the fire for my future riding but obviously living on the Sunshine Coast it’s a bit warm for snow so I grew up skating with dad.

“We moved to New Zealand for six months and I went to Wakatipu High School before we moved back to the Sunshine Coast full-time and I graduated from Nambour State College.”

Stalker also competes alongside former Coolum State High School student Jesse Parkinson.

She said her sights are now firmly on the 2026 Winter Olympics and beyond.

“I’d say I’m pretty stoked on the results and fuelled to start climbing the ladder in the next few seasons after making my World Cup debut,” she said.

“Working towards the 2026 Winter Olympics is the major priority, so making my way up the rankings in World Cup events is what I’m looking for and I’m hoping to hit a few Southern Hemisphere comps before my next European tour.

Sunshine Coast snowboarder Mela Stalker. Picture: Contributed.

“For the moment it’s just getting stronger, increasing my trick list, focusing on my mindset, making a bit of coin to support myself for training blocks and overall just increasing my longevity.”

She said she wanted to be top of the field coming into the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics.

“My overall dream is to ride and be a part of the industry for as long as my body lets me do so,” she said.

“I want to make an impact in this sport and make people smile just the way snowboarding made me and continues to do.”

Stalker said her parents, her coach Mikey Williams, the Australian Institute of Snowsports and the entire winter sports community had all played significant parts in her rise.