Canada's men's ski cross team was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games due to challenging weather conditions. Reece Howden, the reigning World Cup champion, voiced strong frustration over the heavy snow and slow course. Italy claimed the top two spots in the event.
The men's ski cross competition took place on February 21, 2026, at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, part of the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games. Heavy snow during the heats created difficult conditions, including slow areas and struggles for athletes to clear jumps, leading to slower times estimated at 10 to 15 seconds behind normal.
Reece Howden, 27, from Cultus Lake, B.C., started strongly by posting the fastest seeding time and winning his 1/8 final heat. However, in the quarterfinals, he was crowded on a turn by Italy's Federico Tomasoni, lost speed in the slow conditions, and finished fourth, failing to advance as only the top two per heat progressed. Howden, who has 22 World Cup wins and placed ninth in Beijing 2022, expressed his disappointment in an interview with CBC's Kelly VanderBeek.
"Honestly, like, the weather is ridiculous. It is a joke," Howden said. "It's snowing so hard, and it's just, the track is dead slow... Yeah, this is an absolute joke. I, honestly, at this point, I'm happy I'm not involved in this race, 'cause this is ridiculous. Like, this is not ski cross. Olympics supposed to be the best of the best... I'll wait four more years, 'cause this is an absolute joke."
The other Canadian competitors also did not advance past the quarterfinals. Kevin Drury, 37, from Toronto, reached the quarters but finished fourth. Jared Schmidt, 28, from Ottawa, placed second in his 1/8 final but received a yellow card for contact from behind, ranking last and disqualifying him; he smashed a ski pole in frustration. Gavin Rowell, 26, from Prince George, B.C., finished fourth in his 1/8 final.
Final standings for Canadians were Howden in 13th, Drury in 14th, Rowell in 28th, and Schmidt in 31st. Italy's Simone Deromedis won gold, Tomasoni took silver, and Switzerland's Alex Fiva earned bronze. This marked the first time since ski cross debuted at the 2010 Olympics that Canada did not reach the podium in the event.
