December was packed with moments that kept me on my toes. Four races unfolded in the span of a couple weeks, threaded between Christmas celebrations and marking my 30th birthday. Among the excitement, there was also a heavy moment: my girlfriend’s broken leg, which brought her dreams of a second Olympics to an unexpected halt. Now, as I make my way back to Europe for the next block of competition, I finally have the chance to sit down, reflect, and share the stories behind it all.
The second stop of the speed tour in December was Val Gardena. The Saslong downhill is a two-minute roller coaster ride full of terrain and the most airtime on the circuit, making it one of my favorite stops of the year. It requires finesse to link each section of the course together and carry the speed, but also some kahunas to attack the terrain. The light often improves over the course of the race there, presenting a good opportunity for later bib numbers and making for an interesting race. I benefitted somewhat from that effect last year when I raced to 11th place from bib 49 in the downhill, a result that gave me high hopes for this season’s effort. The schedule this time around included one short sprint downhill to make up for the one race lost in Beaver Creek, followed by a super G and then the full-length downhill.
The two official downhill training days in Val Gardena were a roller coaster in themselves. The first run went ahead under heavy snowfall and challenging visibility, but still giving me a chance to feel out the course. That evening, I settled in for dinner and tuned into the Arosa night ski cross to watch my girlfriend compete. She charged through the first few rounds before getting tangled up with a competitor off a jump, crashing on landing and breaking her leg on the live stream. The shock of that moment and the weight of the bad news left me feeling gutted. She had been skiing so well, starting the season with a podium and looking very strong ahead of the upcoming Games. It was sobering to see that journey come to an end. The next morning, when the second training day was cancelled due to a messy mix of snow and rain paired with warmer temperatures, I felt a small sense of relief. My head was far from racing, so having that extra day to process everything was a welcome respite.
The next three days of racing could be summarized as 36th place, 14th place, 42nd place, or alternatively as “WTF”, “hell yeah”, and back to “WTF”. Two disappointing downhill results with a strong super G result from bib 49 sandwiched in between. That super G had an extra layer of spice: I beat my little brother by just one hundredth of a second. His 15th-place result was still a crucial step in his Olympic qualification process, so it made the sibling rivalry moment feel even more special. I was clearly skiing well enough to land three good results, and the inconsistency was killing me. Looking back on those days, the difference wasn’t in any major mistakes, but rather in a slight hesitation or holding-on. It comes from wanting to execute the race plan and as a result being a little bit too controlled rather than letting go. It kills me to have thrown away those two chances, but we live and we learn. I knew what my focus would be for the next super G race in Livigno following the Christmas break.
Before being cut loose for Christmas, our team took the opportunity to spend a couple days training super G in Hinterreit, Austria. We were joined by Vincent Kriechmayer who has been at the top of his game so far this season, and would give us a great sense of pace for our training. We also took the opportunity to run our traditional Christmas Cup team race. My goal for those days was to find exactly what had been missing in Val Gardena: executing on the first run of the day without holding back. The Christmas Cup added a nice little bit of race-simulation pressure, and fortunately I was able to clinch the title. The prize was a can of Quebec’s finest maple syrup delivered by our coach Serge Dugas, which I already can’t wait to open up once the season is over.
Following our training days I caught a ride to Innsbruck to join Courtney and her family for Christmas. They had been on a planned trip to Europe to watch her race, and unfortunately their first stop was the day of her injury. Courtney had a freshly installed plate in her knee and had decided to stay in Europe to recover from surgery before flying home with me. She was on crutches and not very mobile, but determined as we were to make the most of it, we found her a wheelchair so we could still visit the Innsbruck Christmas market. It has been years since I’ve spent Christmas with family, so this was a treat despite the circumstances.
I arrived in Livigno on the evening of the 25th for the last race stop of 2025. It was a one-off super G at a new venue where it seemed it could be anyone’s game. We free-skied on the race hill the day before the race to get familiar with the terrain, which includes some narrow twists and turns, and a jump built in the narrow gap between two farm houses. I showed up on race day determined to stick to my goal of letting go and charging more freely. The race day proved interesting with super aggressive snow making the course feel relatively easy, but also making it difficult to create separation in the times. I landed in 18th amid an incredibly tight top-30 separated by only 1.17 seconds. I was kicking myself slightly for losing half a second in the last section of the course and erasing what could have been a much stronger result, but nevertheless I felt the approach was much better that day. That’s where my focus will be going forward, on bringing the right attitude so I give myself a chance.
The next day, I wheeled Courtney through the Munich airport with a pile of carry-on baggage on her lap, and we set off for a ten-day break at home. It also happened to be my 30th birthday (scary stuff) for which I received the gift of ten hours on a plane! I did get to enjoy a nice celebration with friends once I was home, so no complaints. We headed to Whistler for a relaxed New Years Eve—no dance floors this year given Courtney’s condition. I got the chance to ski my home hill with friends, and also attend a fundraiser for our team. It was an incredible turnout and I owe a big thank-you to everyone there who helped us raise an incredible amount of money for the program. That night we witnessed an awesome performance from Olympic breaking gold medalist Phil Wizard, and I even joined him for a little dance floor spin just to show the crowd what a mere mortal looks like next to him.
The break flew by as it always does, and now I’m on the way back to Europe for the next stretch. It’s going to be a heavy one with back to back race weeks in Wengen, Kitzbuhel, Crans Montana, and straight into the Olympics. The Olympic team announcement is looming in a matter of weeks, but I’m doing my best to stay focused on what’s in front of me. One step at a time, and working to build that inner trust to let go. Thanks for following along.