Calgary, Alta. (November 19, 2018) –The Audi FIS Ski World Cup races continue this weekend with speed events in Lake Louise for the men and technical races for the women in Killington.

Ski legend Erik Guay is on the race list this weekend; generating another round of goosebumps for the fans in Lake Louise. Guay has announced that this would be his last season skiing on the FIS world cup tour. Last season he finished 5th during his training run in Lake Louise, but was forced to withdraw from the event due to a reoccurring back injury. He battled through additional training runs during the season, hoping to be healthy enough to start, but it was not to be. After a year off to recuperate and missing what would have been his fourth Olympic Games, the 37-year-old is fully recovered and ready to give it his all and represent his country on the 2018-19 Audi FIS Ski World Cup circuit.

Lake Louise, as the only Audi FIS Ski World Cup stop in Canada, is where Guay is hoping to add to his reputation as the Canadian alpine skier with the most World Cup podium finishes. Previously, Guay’s only medal at Lake Louise was a bronze in the 2003 downhill. His other results at Lake Louise have included: five top 10 finishes in downhill and six top 10 finishes in super-G, with sixth place finishes in 2006 & 2011, a fifth in 2007,  and a fourth in 2009. This will be Erik’s 15th time competing in Lake Louise over the past 17 years.

Another star on the Canadian Men’s Speed team, Manny Osborne-Paradis, will be pushing out of the start gate in Lake Louise. In 2014, Osborne-Paradis thrilled the crowd with a bronze medal in the downhill. Osborne-Paradis is also one of the few Canadian men to win a gold medal in Lake Louise in the super-G which he did in 2009.

Unfortunately, Broderick Thompson injured his knee during training in Alberta last week and as a result won’t be competing this weekend. Rounding out the men’s squad are Dustin Cook who will be looking to improve on his 11th place finish in super-G last year in Lake Louise, Benjamin Thomsen, Jack Crawford, Jeffrey Read, Sam Mulligan and Brodie Seger.

Three training runs are on the official schedule for the 2018 Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup men’s downhill event, with the first one scheduled for Wednesday, November 21 at 12:15pm MT / 2:15pm ET. Subsequent training runs are scheduled for 12:15pm MT / 2:15pm ET on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23 . At least one training run needs to be completed by each skier in order to be qualified to start in the official downhill event, Saturday, November 24. A downhill race has the least amount of gates, resulting in higher speeds for the skiers. Racers at Lake Louise have been known to hit speeds recorded  in excess of 120 km/hr in certain sections of the course.

On the ladies side, Valérie Grenier is looking to improve on her 11th place finish in the 2018 Sölden’s giant slalom World Cup as she competes in the giant slalom event on Saturday in Killington. Marie-Michèle Gagnon is also set to compete in the same giant slalom event.

The Canadian women’s tech specialists, fresh from their first World Cup slalom event of the season in Levi, are set to start in Killington. Erin Mielzynski has already shown promising results in Finland with her 11th place and Roni Remme with her 27th position. St-Germain and Smart have another opportunity to show us what they are made of! With the event taking place close to home, University level athlete Mikaëla Tommy attending school in Colorado, will join the other Canadian women in Killington.

In a slalom event, the combination of two runs determine the winner. This is also true for the giant slalom where, after the first run, only the top 30 skiers qualify for the second run. The winner is the skier with the best combined time for the two runs.

Where : Lake Louise, Alberta, CAN– Men / Killington, Vermont, USA - Ladies

When : Saturday, November 24, 2018
Men’s Downhill in Lake Louise - 12:15 pm MT/ 2:15pm ET
Ladies’ Giant slalom in Killington - 1st run: 9:45am ET / 2nd run: 1:00pm ET

Sunday, November 25, 2018
Men’s Super-G in Lake Louise - 12:00 pm MT/ 2:00pm ET
Ladies’ Slalom in Killington - 1st run: 10:00am ET / 2nd run: 1:00pm ET

Where to watch: CBC-TV – both men’s races in Lake Louise and ladies races in Killington - all times in ET

Saturday, November 24 - Alpine Skiing World Cup on CBC:

www.cbcsports.ca: (live stream)
9:45 am - 11:15 am ET LIVE Killington, USA - Women's giant slalom Run #1
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm ET LIVE - Women's giant slalom Run #2
2:15 pm - 4:00 pm ET LIVE Lake Louise, Canada - Men's downhill

CBC-TV
5:00 pm ET – Road to the Olympic Games : Alpine Skiing World Cup : Men’s downhill – Lake Louise
Sunday, November 25 - Alpine Skiing World Cup on CBC:

www.cbcsports.ca: (live stream)
10:00 am - 11:30 am ET LIVE Killington, USA - Women's slalom Run #1
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm ET LIVE - Women's slalom Run #2
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm ET LIVE Lake Louise, Canada - Men's super-G

CBC-TV:
3:00 pm ET – Road to the Olympic Games : Alpine Skiing World Cup: Men’s super-G – Lake Louise

ATHLETE ENTRIES

“With good results in Sölden and Levi from our women’s team, they are feeling confident and strong going into the races in Killington. They are hoping to improve their rankings. As for the men’s speed team, after great training in Nakiska and Panorama, they are ready for the World Cup opening of the season in Lake Louise and are shooting for spots in the top 10.” – Martin Rufener, Head Coach.

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA

Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community. In 2020, Alpine Canada will celebrate 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.

About the Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup

The world’s fastest skiers descend on Alberta at the end of November each year to compete at the Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup. Held in the heart of the majestic Rocky Mountains at Lake Louise Ski Resort, Canada’s highest-profile alpine ski race features the first men’s and ladies’ speed events of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup season. First hosted in 1980, the Lake Louise World Cup event is the first outside Europe to be named to the prestigious Club 5, an organization that brings together the most famous and historic World Cup alpine race organizing committees. The event has become synonymous with the start of the ski season each winter. It also represents the only opportunity male and female Canadian alpine skiers have to win a World Cup on home snow. For more information please visit lakelouiseworldcup.com.

Media requests and information :
Catherine Lacasse
Media Relations
Alpine Canada
819 421-0353 | cat@catherinelacasse.com

Michelle Comeau
Communications Manager 
Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup 
403-512-7671 | michelle.comeau@winterstartevents.com