The top Canadian ski cross athletes are set to chase the podium at the freestyle ski world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland this week.
The FIS snowboard, freestyle and freeski world championships, which began Wednesday and run through to Sunday, March 30 includes the ski cross events. The ski cross athletes begin their competition on Thursday, with the finals set for Saturday and Sunday. The competition will be live streamed on CBC Sports, and also available on CBC Gem.
Two-time Crystal Globe winner Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C. currently sits in second place in the overall standings and is set to compete along with Toronto veteran Kevin Drury, who sits in sixth overall.
Other members of the Canadian men’s team include Jared Schmidt, ranked 14th overall, and Gavin Rowell who sits in 24th.
WATCH | Canadian athletes ready for worlds:
We had Canada’s top ski cross athletes visualize themselves at the start gate and share what thoughts and feelings they have right before a race. From upset stomachs to a complete sense of calm these racers got candid about their pre-race mindset.
Canadian women owning podiums
On the women’s side, the Canadians are consistently finding success on the slopes this season — and Abby McEwen, Courtney Hoffos, and India Sherret, are hoping to keep the momentum going.
Heading into the world championships, Sherret is in second place in the World Cup overall standings, and Hoffos sits in seventh place, followed by McEwen in eighth.
At the Craigleith Ski Club stop, the final leg of the circuit ahead of world championships, two Canadian women made it onto the podium: Hoffos placed second, and McEwen took third.
Sherret finished fifth overall after taking the top spot in the small final.
WATCH: Sherret has momentum on her side:
Canadian ski cross racer is ranked No. 1 on the World Cup circuit and is realizing her skiing dreams one race at a time. CBC Sports host Anastasia Bucsis spoke to her about success, the team dynamic and what her expectations are going into the Craigleith World Cup and the world championships in St. Moritz., Switzerland.
Both the men and women will compete in the qualifying race on Thursday, where the top two in each heat advance to the next round with the final four remaining heading to the Big finals for medals.
“The girls on our team have been so strong for so long, I think that there has always been a really incredible Canadian presence in ski cross,” Sherret said in an interview with CBC Sports.
The Cranbrook, B.C. native is quick to list off retired Olympic gold medallists Ashley McIvor and Kelsey Serwa as legacy athletes, as well as current fellow teammate Marielle Thompson who has competed in three Olympic Games.
“Someone is always pushing the envelope for winning Olympic medals and world championships and overalls,” Sherret said.
Last month, Thompson won three straight gold medals on the World Cup circuit after topping the podium at World Cup event in Val di Fassa, Italy — effectively qualifying herself for Milano Cortina 2026.
After reaching the podium at two of five events that had been pre-designated by the federation, her success on the slopes led her to qualify for nomination for the 2026 Canadian Olympic Team.
‘Watching those girls, it is inspiring,” Drury, a 10-year vet of the sport, told CBC Sports. “If I’m in the Big finals, the girls Big finals is always before the guys and I’m always asking the coaches, ‘who won?'”
After a crash on the Georgia stop of the World Cup circuit led Thompson to undergo surgery, she was forced to sit out for the remainder of the season, unable to defend her World Cup overall title from last season.
WATCH | Part of Howden’s success is attributed to his hobby:
Canadian ski cross racer is the top Canadian man on the World Cup circuit and part of his success may be attributed to his hobby in the off-season. The Chilliwack, B.C., native has been living that rancher life when he’s not on skis and that does include bull riding.
Medal caps off 2024
To cap off 2024, Drury hit the World Cup circuit podium for the first time since 2022 in Val Thorens, France in Dec. 2024, after winning bronze.
This past weekend at Craigleith Drury won another bronze medal to finish off the World Cup circuit.
He joined Howden on the podium, who won his third gold medal of the season after securing first place on Canadian soil.
“The men get confidence from the women, the women get confidence from the men. It’s a special sport in that sense,” Kris Mahler, who currently sits in 15th place overall, told CBC Sports. “It’s incredible to watch what they’re doing right now.”
WATCH | Howden, Drury reach the podium:
Reece Howden of Cultus Lake, B.C., finishes first and Toronto’s Kevin Drury places third in the men’s ski cross big final at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup stop in Craigleith, Ont.
Mahler competed this season after recovering from a broken neck after a crash at the the FIS Ski Cross World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland in Dec. 2023.
The Canmore, Alta., native sat out most of the 2024 season after severing his C7 vertebrae, at the base of the neck, leading him to wear a neck brace for two straight months as part of the recovery process.
But the mental challenge of suffering an injury as severe as this one was the most challenging part of recovery for Mahler.
“It was a big learning.” Mahler said. “It’s been an interesting season coming off of the injury from a results standpoint, but I’ve been working with my psychologist and we’re really picking apart how we approach this race [Craigleith] and some of the big ones coming up.”
Mahler ultimately was not selected to compete at the world championships.
Drury on the other hand, broke his tibia in 2020 and recently underwent shoulder surgery after a crash in Italy.
Despite these setbacks, Drury decided to continue his career in the sport and is preparing to compete on Thursday.
