When the Bulletin last spoke with Kalle Ericsson, a Sweden-born skier who grew up in Kimberley, he and his guide Sierra Smith had just won gold in all five events they competed in at the FIS Para Alpine Skiing Canadian and USA national Championships.
Now the team have just wrapped up a week at Veysonnaz, Switzerland, where they achieved a third-place and two second-place finishes. Not bad for their first experience at a World Cup event.
The pair got second in the men’s visually-impaired slalom race and in the giant slalom, plus a third place in the GS on the first day of competition.
READ MORE: Kimberley skier wins five golds at Para Alpine National Championships
“We just came in, our coaches told us ‘hey there’s no expectations, just go out and ski, push it, have fun and whatever happens, happens,’” Ericsson told the Bulletin. “We went out and skied our best and ended up with two super solid results, so we are more than happy with it.”
He said overall it’s been an incredible experience competing with skiers from numerous other nations, at amazing venues and on very challenging ski runs.
Ericsson and Smith have skied together since late 2022.
“It’s been working super well, a lot of fun, we’ve been having a good time together, skiing well together and it should last for a while.”
Smith had been on the national alpine ski team program, but had to step away from it due to injuries. As Ericsson’s guide, she skis ahead down the run, communicating with him through a headset.
“She seems to really be enjoying it and I think it’s almost like a second chance, if you will, for her after coming out of those injuries,” Ericsson said. “And just getting the opportunity to stand on the world stage here and ski with the rest of the circuit and get to do it all over again for her.”
Their season began with training at Panorama in November and in Nakiska. They then headed to Europe to train and spend a lot of time in the gym. Then they headed to Switzerland where they had one day skiing the run before the race began.
He said the experience at the World Cup was “definitely more competitive,” but still a lot of fun and a chance to meet tons of other skiers.
“We still obviously have a lot to learn, but I mean it kind of set a precedent with the other guys that we’re racing against here,” he said. “Still got to put in a lot of work to get to the point where we can get on the top tier of the podium, but it’s just putting in the work and then time and getting more confident and getting used to skiing some harder stuff and we should get there in no time.”
After their strong showing in Switzerland, the pair will now head to some more World Cup races in Cortina, Italy.
“[The travel] is super cool, getting to see so much of Europe especially, coming to Switzerland, we were in Austria in December, then headed over to Italy and then we’ll be in Slovakia and a couple other places later on in the year,” Ericsson said. “It’s just a super cool experience to be able to get that out of ski racing, it’s a big bonus on the side for sure.”
Ericsson is on the road much of the time, but said he has a home base currently in Cochrane, Alta.
“Right now a lot of it is just on the road, I am based out of Cochrane, that’s where my storage unit is if you will, my house if I rent, but it’s mostly just used for storing stuff when I’m at home for a few days,” he explained. “Then it’s just change out the underwear and head back out on the road.”
After their World Cup races in Italy, they will return to Kimberley for the Para Alpine FIS Race from February 8-11.
“I can’t wait to be skiing on Dreadnaught in mid-February because it’s the best run that I’ll ever ski on,” he said.