The Canadian men鈥檚 downhill ski team opens an important racing season intent on making a multi-pronged push for the podium.
Their World Cup speed season kicks off in Beaver Creek, Colo., with Friday鈥檚 downhill and Saturday鈥檚 super-G.
Like the 鈥淐razy Canucks鈥� of the last century and the 鈥淐anadian Cowboys鈥� earlier this century, Alpine Canada鈥檚 downhillers boast more than one man capable of winning races and challenging for the season鈥檚 overall crystal globes 鈥� provided they can stay on their skis and away from the crash nets in a high-speed sport.
鈥淥ur goals are to keep them healthy, first and foremost, and every weekend we want to go out and we want to challenge for podiums, world championship medals and Olympic medals,鈥� said head coach John Kucera, the 2009 world men鈥檚 downhill champion with the Canadian Cowboys.
鈥淭he ultimate goal for some athletes in this group is to put themselves in a position to be consistent enough to compete for globes. They鈥檙e in elite company, a number of them.
鈥淔or me, what鈥檚 important is that we just keep pushing to bring the consistency necessary to be threats every weekend.鈥�
Led by reigning world super-G champion James (Jack) Crawford of Toronto and 2023 world downhill bronze medallist Cam Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., the men embark on the last full season of World Cup racing before the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
This is a season in which they can punch their Olympic tickets with the right combination of results at the world championship and on the World Cup circuit.
Calgary鈥檚 Jeff Read, son of Crazy Canuck Ken Read, earned his first World Cup medal with a super-G silver in February.
Brodie Seger of North Vancouver, B.C., has been a top-10 finisher in world championship and Olympic Games. He鈥檚 worked his way back from a knee injury at the 2023 world championship.
Crawford鈥檚 alpine combined Olympic bronze medal in 2022 in Beijing was Canada鈥檚 first medal in men鈥檚 alpine skiing since Jan Hudec鈥檚 super-G bronze in 2014.
Broderick Thompson of Whistler, B.C., isn鈥檛 expected to race this season, Kucera said.
Thompson, the brother of Olympic champion ski cross racer Marielle Thompson, is still recovering from a training-run crash last year at Beaver Creek where he suffered a brain injury and broken bones.
鈥淗e鈥檚 for sure not racing this year. We鈥檒l assess where we鈥檙e at come spring,鈥� Kucera said. 鈥淭his is one of those things. It鈥檚 just going to take some time.鈥�
The world alpine ski championships Feb. 4-16 in Saalbach, Austria, and the World Cup on the men鈥檚 Olympic course Dec. 26-29 in Bormio are of interest this season.
But Kucera cautions that Bormio in December is not Bormio in February, when the Olympic Games will be held in 2026.
鈥淭he one thing that is interesting about Bormio is it is a much easier mountain to ski in February than it is in December,鈥� Kucera said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in the sun in February, whereas in December it鈥檚 one of the darkest places to race.
鈥淚t is one of the iciest and bumpiest tracks. With the dark light, it鈥檚 incredibly demanding.鈥�
Alexander was third in downhill last year in Bormio and Crawford second in 2022.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a hill these guys have had quite a few years on,鈥� Kucera said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a one-off event. It鈥檚 a race we hit every year and it鈥檚 a race these guys enjoy. They enjoy how difficult it is. They enjoy the challenge of it.鈥�
February鈥檚 world championship in Austria will be a performance-on-demand dress rehearsal for 2026, Kucera said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 another opportunity for these guys to keep figuring out what it takes to put it together when it matters,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose are the kinds of skills and experiences that鈥檚 required to then show up to an Olympic Games every four years and get it done on that day.鈥�
The men鈥檚 alpine team has a pair of slalom racers under its umbrella 鈥� Asher Jordan of North Vancouver, B.C. and Liam Wallace of Banff, Alta.
鈥淒ue to the injuries that the guys unfortunately had to battle through, they鈥檙e in a bit of a rebuild so they鈥檙e with our developmental group targeting Nor Am races at the start of the year just to get their points and their rankings back to where they need to be,鈥� Kucera said.
Two-time Olympian Erik Read wasn鈥檛 named to the alpine team for this season, so the 33-year-old Calgarian is self-funding his World Cup season.
Erik has yet to qualify for a second run after a pair of slalom races and one giant slalom. A GS race is scheduled for Sunday in Beaver Creek following the speed events.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
