Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA (Jan. 20, 2019) – Valérie Grenier (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Mont-Tremblant Ski Club), 22, earned a career-best fourth-place finish in the ladies’ World Cup super-G on Sunday, finishing .3 seconds from the podium and less than half-a-second off the race-winner Mikaeal Shiffrin, from USA.

 “I am extremely happy with my run today, I wasn’t expecting this. Especially with my fifth place in Lake Louise in super-G and a few DNFs recently, I couldn’t ask for a better turn-out today. Now, I want a podium, that is my main focus. As for the conditions, the track was great, the snow was really nice, although there were a few icy areas where we needed to play it smart and keep the line. But I made it to the bottom with speed and this was an awesome day for me.” said Grenier.

Teammate Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Lac-Etchemin, Que./Mont Orignal) laid down a solid run and finished 21st. Both Grenier and Gagnon recorded DNFs in Saturday’s downhill at Cortina, and finished 34tha  nd 40th respectively on the same track on Friday.

In men’s alpine racing in Wengen, SUI, the slalom course claimed 33 DNFs in the first run, where Erik Read was Canada’s lone finisher. At 39th, he was just over one second back from qualifying for a second run. Trevor Philp and Phil Brown were among the 33 who did not finish the first run.

Canadians can support national team athletes such as Grenier, Gagnon, and Read, and their teammates on the alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross national teams by enjoying a day on the slopes themselves at discounted rates. Alpine Canada has partnered with the Canadian Ski Council, Snowboard Canada, and Freestyle Canada – as well as more than 100 Canadian ski resorts across the country – to deliver National Ski and Snowboard Day, Jan. 26-27, 2019. Proceeds from every ticket purchased at HitTheSlopes.ca go back into supporting Canada’s high-performance athletes in alpine, para-alpine, ski cross, freestyle, and snowboarding.

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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.