His parents Matt and Katrina have been life-long competitors and Perisher’s mogul course is named “Toppa’s dream” after his uncle Peter. 

So it’s no surprise then at 16 Cooper has just represented Australia in the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan as part of a 30-strong Aussie contingent hand-picked by the Australian Olympic Committee.

“He just loves skiing, it really does run in his blood,” proud mum Katrina Woods said with a laugh. 

“He’s taken to the moguls like a duck to water and now it’s his passion, he’s very focused.”

Mrs Woods said Cooper had been on a pair of skis for just about as long as he could walk, but had become very good at the sport from a young age and now has dreams of reaching the Winter Olympics. 

Two finishes near the top 10 this week could see Cooper closing in on his dream after he was named in the Australian side before he turned 16 late last year. 

He also contested his first ever World Cup event, which was held at Deer Park in Utah where he finished 24^th globally. 

The result wasn’t just in his age group, but rather the open men’s contest. 

Mrs Woods said the Asia Games were a great stepping stone towards Cooper’s dream. 

“This is the first time Australia has been invited to compete at the Asia Winter Games,” Mrs Woods said. 

She described it as almost a trial run for future Olympic stars after the AOC named a young squad. 

“It’s a pathway of sorts,” she said. “it gets the team used to those conditions and they have an opening and closing ceremony.”

Cooper landed back in Australia on Tuesday after the week-long competition, but Mrs Woods said it would only be for about a month until he returned to the US for training. 

“He’s away a lot of the year,” she says, noting how useful social media had become to keep in touch. 

“He spends the winter here, but then from November to about March he’s overseas.”

He works with a team of skiers out of varying academies in the US, but his most recent trip was based out of Winter Park in Colorado. 

He’s also taken on camps and tours in places like Vermont, Quebec and Montreal, while Mrs Woods said he enjoyed a great affinity with his team-mates. 

Skiers like Brittany Cox and Matt Graham, who are leading the way for the Australians. 

“We’re very proud of his efforts,” Mrs Woods said. 

“Everything he’s doing and all he’s already achieved, we couldn’t be happier.”