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Get in TouchCalgary, AB. (January 31, 2026) — Reece Howden (Chilliwack, BC) maintained his lead in the World Cup standings and earned his 37th career podium with a third-place finish on Saturday in Val di Fassa, ITA. With 593 points in the standings, Howden is now 133 points ahead of today’s race winner Simone Deromedis (ITA).
In a competitive men’s big final, Howden and teammate Kevin Drury (Toronto, ON) fought tightly for positions with Florian Wilmsmann (GER) and Deromedis. Starting fast, the four skiers were within 0.14 seconds of each other out of the starting gates. The group remained a tight pack, racing three abreast for most of the course’s upper and mid-sections.
Drury and Howden cha
sed the leading skiers, waiting for their chance to change positions. Drury moved up early, with an overtake into second. The proximity of racing, however, caused Drury’s and Wilmsmann’s skis to catch each other, resulting in a DNF and fourth-place finish for the 37-year-old Canadian.
Howden remained in third until the finish to secure his podium position.
“[I] was really happy with getting in the big final today, especially with Kevin [Drury] as well,” Howden said. “The men’s team was kind of struggling in that first race here in Val di Fassa, so it was great to have two Canadians in the big final.”
Known as “Big Rig,” Howden demonstrated strength during his starts throughout today’s races. His quick reaction times of +0.01 and +0.04 in his heats and finals set him up to dominate early sections of the high-altitude course. With good responsiveness to the track’s technical elements and speed in the flatter sections, Howden worked his way through to the last race of the day.
“I tried some different stuff today,” Howden said. “It didn’t quite work out for me in the big final, but you know, I’m happy with it going into the Olympics. It was a great way to end it, we’re not beat up or anything like that. I’m pretty happy with this result and stoked to get back out on the track.”
Howden’s podium adds to his record-breaking season. The 27-year-old became the all-time leader in ski cross race wins, passing Jean Frédéric Chapuis (FRA) with 19 wins in Arosa, SUI. He has since increased that number to 22 wins with his victory in Veysonnaz, SUI earlier this month. Val di Fassa’s third-place finish marks his sixth podium of the season.
On the women’s side, Hannah Schmidt (Ottawa, ON) finished in 10th, Marielle Thompson (Whistler, BC) in 13th and Tiana Gairns (Prince George, BC) in 16th.
Ski Cross racing resumes during the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics from Feb. 3-22, 2026. The next FIS World Cup stop is in Kopaonik (SRB) from Feb. 25-28, 2026.
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