Canada’s downhillers get an unusual entry into their alpine ski racing season Thursday.
The men’s speed team opens its World Cup campaign with an American Thanksgiving super-G at Copper Mountain, Colo., instead of a customary downhill.
The first downhill isn’t until next week in Beaver Creek, Colo., so super-G gives Canadians and other international racers a chance to test their early-season speed on a shorter course with more turns than downhill.
“Definitely people are keen to have something under their belt before you go to Beaver Creek, which is crazy, crazy steep at some points,” said Calgary’s Jeffrey Read.
“It’s fast with a lot of terrain. You want to be sharp on the skis. There were quite a few crashes and injuries last year in Beaver Creek and people were like ‘this is what happens when you jump into this.”’
Lake Louise, Alta., with its more benign vertical, was the first men’s downhill of the season for 23 years until 2022, when Alpine Canada said it was no longer economically feasible to hold a World Cup in the national park west of Calgary.
The world governing body of skiing planned October cross-border downhills starting in Zermatt, Switzerland, and ending in Cervinia, Italy, in both 2022 and 2023, but couldn’t pull either off because of uncooperative weather.
Alpine Canada chief executive officer Therese Brisson remains committed to returning men’s speed races to Western Canada, but wants a dedicated national training centre for Canadian athletes at the same venue.
“They’re definitely related,” Brisson said. “Building that infrastructure is the first step in being able to train, host races, eventually host World Cups. That’s something we’re absolutely working on, but it does take capital.
“Governments, all levels need to be involved, and we need to raise money privately as well.”
Whistler or Panorama, B.C., remain candidates, Brisson said. Each would be a multi-million dollar project with regards to slope expansion, snowmaking capabilities, and safety equipment that includes air fences and netting.
“Depending on the venue, the needs are different,” Brisson said. “A lot of the snowmaking on (Whistler’s) Dave Murray downhill is no longer serviceable. Whistler would require all of that snowmaking to be upgraded in addition to the safety netting.
“That’s more like a $10-million project, whereas Panorama has most of the snowmaking. It needs some snowmaking. It definitely needs widening. It definitely needs the A net, so that’s a more of a $3-5 million project.”
Meanwhile, Toronto’s James (Jack) Crawford and North Vancouver’s Cameron Alexander, who were first and third respectively in Kitzbuehel’s renowned downhill in January, lead the men’s speed team into the 2025-26 campaign that includes February’s Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Their coach and former world downhill champion John Kucera says the team has the depth and talent to chase crystal globes that go to season winners, as well as Olympic medals.
“We’re running for globes and we want to perform at the Olympics this year,” Kucera said.
“We’re at a point now with this program where we’re looking for the highest level of results.”
Crawford, the 2023 world super-G champion, ranked fifth overall in downhill last season.
“Last year, I had some really, really strong weekends, but I also had some not strong weekends,” said the 28-year-old.
“That’s the big thing for my entire season. I want to come in to every weekend to be a competitor. I don’t want to have those one-off weeks where I’m not even contending for the win.”
Alexander, also 28, was a downhill bronze medallist in the 2023 world championships. He’s coming off a knee injury in February’s world championships that required season-ending surgery.
“It’s just getting those reps again and feeling like I’m confident in my skiing for the first race of the season,” Alexander said.
North Vancouver’s Brodie Seger ranked in the world’s top 25 in downhill last season. Read wants back on the World Cup podium after his breakthrough super-G silver in Kvitfjell, Norway in 2024.
“Definitely the big thing is to re-establish myself as a top-10 skier in super-G,” Read said.
Seger’s brother Riley and Raphael Lessard of Bromont, Que., round out the Canadian contingent in Copper’s super-G that kicks off four days of racing.
Calgary’s Erik Read will compete in a men’s giant slalom there Friday followed by Valérie Grenier of Mont-Tremblant, Que., Britt Richardson of Canmore, Alta., Cassidy Gray of Panorama, B.C., and Justine Lamontagne of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., racing women’s GS on Saturday.
Sunday’s women’s slalom will include Toronto’s Ali Nullmeyer, Kiki Alexander of Cochrane, Alta., Amelia Smart of Invermere, B.C., and 2023 world champion Laurence St-Germain of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges.
Mont-Tremblant hosts a pair of women’s World Cup giant slaloms Dec. 6-7.
The men hope to race a World Cup downhill in their home country again in the future.
“The more you run into people in Canada who want to learn a bit about what you do or have no idea, the more you realize that the biggest thing we need is Canadian eyes on the sport in Canada, happening in our country, and show that this is our sport too,” said Brodie Seger.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2025.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
