Calgary, Alta. (December 14, 2016) – Starting Friday, all three Alpine Canada teams will be in action on their respective World Cup circuits. All three teams, alpine, para-alpine and ski cross, have jam-packed schedules from now until just before the holidays. This Race Preview will cover alpine, para-alpine and ski cross races from December 15th through December 22nd. 

ALPINE TEAMS

The men’s alpine team sees five more races, all in Italy, before the holidays. The men’s speed team is up first in Val Gardena. Erik Guay started off the season with a bang with a sixth-place finish in the Val d’Isère, France downhill. And the 2015 World Championship super-G silver medallist, Dustin Cook, laid down an impressive 13th-place super-G finish in his first speed race back on the tour. 

The men’s tech team is in Alta Badia for a giant slalom and dual giant slalom. The 2016 overall Nor-Am Cup winner, Erik Read, has proved to be a force in giant slalom, picking up two career-best finishes in a row in a giant slalom with a 9th-place, followed by an 8th-place finish. 

The final men’s race before the holidays is a slalom in Madonna di Campiglio where the men’s team will be searching for a breakthrough.  

The ladies’ team has four upcoming races. The season’s first alpine combined (downhill + slalom runs) race is up first. With Valérie Grenier having achieved World Cup points in both downhill and slalom this year, and teammate Marie-Michèle Gagnon ending up ranked fourth overall in alpine combined last season, these talented athletes are primed for success. Following the alpine combined, the ladies will run a downhill and super-G race. 

The tech athletes then move to Courchevel for a giant slalom race before taking a small break for the holidays. 

Full schedule here. 

VAL GARDENA ROSTER

Dustin Cook

Erik Guay

Manuel Osborne-Paradis

Tyler Werry

ALTA BADIA ROSTER

Dustin Cook

Trevor Philp

Erik Read

Tyler Werry

VAL D’ISÈRE ROSTER

Valérie Grenier

Marie-Michèle Gagnon

COURCHEVEL ROSTER

Marie-Michèle Gagnon 

Valérie Grenier

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO ROSTER 

Still to be confirmed. 

SKI CROSS TEAM

The Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup Cross Alps Tour continues with three more races before the series closes. The team will race on Friday in Montafon, Austria, one of the newer stops on the tour. Innichen, Italy marks the final stop on the Cross Alps Tour with a double-header race. Brady Leman and Marielle Thompson head into the back half of the tour with two World Cup podiums each, kicking off the season in the right way for Canada. 

Full schedule here. 

MONTAFON & INNICHEN ROSTER

Kelsey Serwa

Georgia Simmerling

Brittany Phelan

Marielle Thompson

Chris Del Bosco

Ian Deans

Kevin Drury

Dave Duncan

Ned Ireland

Brady Leman

Kristofor Mahler

PARA-ALPINE TEAM

They’re back! The para-alpine team kicks off their World Cup season with four giant slalom races and three slalom races. The teams’ first stop is in Kuhtai, Austria where they’ll race back-to-back giant slalom races, followed by a slalom race. They’ll pick up and head to St. Moritz, Switzerland, for two giant slalom races and two slalom races. The team heads into the season with three new members and coming off a season full of personal-bests and podium domination!

Full schedule here. 

KUHTAI & ST. MORITZ ROSTER

Erin Latimer

Alana Ramsay

Alex Cairns

Alexis Guimond

Braydon Luscombe

Kirk Schornstein

Kurt Oatway

Mac Marcoux (Guide: Jack Leitch)

Frederique Turgeon (prospect team)

Mel Pemble (prospect team)

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA

Alpine Canada is the national governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada. With the support of valued corporate partners along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, world championship and World Cup medallists to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community.

For further information or press inquiries, please contact Ashley Shantz at ashantz@alpinecanada.org or call (587) 226-3007.