Nakiska welcomes ski cross back in Canada

After a well-deserved Christmas break following the intense December tour with six races within ten days, the ski cross circuit is back on the road again. Hopefully, everybody had time to recharge the batteries and set full focus on the next stage at the #roadtobeijing2022.

We are currently out west here in Canada in Nakiska, Alberta. After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Canadian resort is now hosting the last two races that still count for the Olympic qualification. The Olympic qualification period had started on July 1, 2020 and lasts until January 16, 2022. So, this stop is the athlete’s final chance to book their Olympic ticket.

Seems to be quite the good timing too, since at the end of December and the beginning of January, Canada was hit by an arctic cold wave with temperatures leading up to minus 30 degrees Celsius. But fortunately, this extreme cold has passed and somewhat more normal temperatures are now welcoming the ski cross circuit in Alberta, ready to rock’n’roll.

Unfortunately, the event will be held without spectators on site, since it is the highest priority to have a safe event for everyone involved and with Covid-19 numbers rising worldwide, organisers want to minimize the risk. But rest assured, the ski cross show is going to be brought to your homes via TV transmission and livestreams, so you can cheer the athletes on from your couch.

But where have we left off?!

Well, there has been quite the head-to-head battle going on, on the women’s side of things. World Champion Sandra Naeslund (SWE) and winningest ski cross athlete Fanny Smith (SUI) had been neck-and-neck in almost every competition so far. Naeslund, however, was the more dominant athlete and managed to win five out of six single competitions plus the mixed-team event with teammate David Mobaerg in Arosa (SUI). Hence, the Swede is leading the World Cup ranking with 550 points.

Smith, who kind of has been the runner-up in almost each race, managed to take five second spots so far and is therefore sitting in second rank with 426 points at the Cup standings. The Swiss did definitely not sit still during the little Christmas break, but rather tried to figure out how to beat Sandra Naeslund in the upcoming competitions and, what’s probably more important, at the Olympic Winter Games, come February 2022.

Team Canada has presented two comeback-stars for this season. PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist, Brittany Phelan came back in an extraordinary shape, grabbing two podium spots in total and making it into the big final three times so far. That is how the Canadian was able to secure her third spot in the World Cup ranking. There is really nothing left to say than “chapeau” for such a strong comeback after almost two years of pausing from competition due to a heavy knee injury.

Speaking about knee injuries, teammate and Sochi 2014 Olympic Champion Marielle Thompson also was forced to abruptly end the last season due to a knee injury. Thompson re-entered the World Cup circuit only in Europe, leaving the Chinese test event out, but amazingly enough was able to jump back on top of the podium in Arosa (SUI) at the night-time sprint event.

Needless to say, that the entire Canadian squat will be coming in strong at their home race in Nakiska, especially when the Olympic qualification process is still on.