When Freestyle Canada announced the roster that it would be sending to the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, three Sea to Sky athletes made the cut. Simon d'Artois and Teal Harle of Whistler and Brenden Kelly of Pemberton have already made their way to the Caucasus region, where they will represent the Maple Leaf against world-class competition.
d'Artois last won a World Cup medal, the sixth of his career, on Jan. 20 in Calgary, Alta. He finished 10th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and holds the honour of being the first Canadian man to win ski halfpipe gold at the X Games. The 30-year-old cut his teeth with the Blackcomb Freestyle Club and isn't sure how much longer he'll be competing, though he says that the 2026 Winter Olympics are likely not in the cards for him.
A 2022 X Games bronze medal in big air is one of Harle's best career accomplishments. The Campbell River, B.C. native now lives in Whistler and is coming off a tough Winter Olympics last year where he placed 26th in slopestyle and 31st in big air. Harle's best Olympic result came at Pyeongchang 2018, where he was fifth in slopestyle.
Kelly, a moguls specialist, hails from just up the road in Pemberton. He began skiing at age 3 and developed through Blackcomb Freestyle, much as d'Artois did. Kelly placed fourth at the 2021 World Championships and finished 10th overall in World Cup standings at the conclusion of that season.
Other big Canadian names to watch in Georgia include all-time moguls great Mikael Kingsbury, halfpipe standouts Rachael Karker and Brendan Mackay, and slopestyle contenders Max Moffatt, Evan McEachran and Megan Oldham. Don't forget aerials athletes Miha Fontaine and Marion Thénault, who helped Canada to mixed aerials bronze at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 2023 Freestyle Ski World Championships are taking place from Feb. 19 to March 5, with aerials being the first event scheduled. Live results are available on the FIS website, and streaming options are available with CBC Sports.
