Just 20, Canadian snowboarder Cameron Spalding has already won the Crystal Globe as the overall FIS World Cup slopestyle champion.
Milan Cortina marks his first Olympics. And while Spalding is “super-excited” for the opportunity to compete in something “so different than anything else than we have in the snowboard world,” he has his eye on the bigger picture.
“The Olympics, like everybody watches it,” he enthused. “Doesn’t matter if you pay attention to sports or not. It’s also just good for snowboarding, to get more eyes on snowboarding. At the end of the day, my goal is to get more people to ride a snowboard, and the Olympics help make that happen.”
“It’s sick. It’s not very often that we get to represent the Maple Leaf, so that’s a pretty cool thing too,” he added. “I mean, I love Canada … I’m always rooting for our guys to win, so it’s going to be cool to be part of that.”
This from a young man who confesses he puts maple syrup “on everything.”
The sport has already taken the native of Havelock, Ont., far and wide. He usually starts training in August in Australia or New Zealand ahead of the November start of competition, which usually runs through March.
“I’m definitely pretty lucky, especially as a 20-year-old, to be able to have seen as many places as I have. It’s pretty insane.”
Before the games, Spalding enjoyed some rare time at home over Christmas, hanging out with family and friends. But he acknowledges he is not very good at relaxing when not competing.
“I feel like we just spend so much time doing stuff that I’m not very good at sitting still for longer periods of time,” he said.
Fortunately, a decent amount of snow worked well with his Xmas wish list, which included some recreational snowboarding (at Mount St. Louis Moonstone), snowmobiling and playing hockey on the lake.
When the weather permits, he enjoys golf and says his game is “trending in the right direction.” His handicap is three, thanks to close to 75 rounds last year.
“I love it,” he said.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Spalding finished 20th in a Jan. 10 slopestyle event in Aspen. He skipped a subsequent World Cup stop in Laax, Switzerland, in favour of more training and wrapped up his pre-games schedule at the X Games in Aspen, where he placed seventh in the Jan. 25 slopestyle event won by veteran Canadian Mark McMorris.
It was a 25th X Games medal for McMorris, who ranks as the competition’s winningest winter athlete. It also marked his 14th gold medal and eighth in slopestyle at the X Games.
McMorris is competing in his fourth Olympics, having won slopestyle bronze at each of Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing. The 32-year-old from Regina was 10th in big air in Pyeongchang and Beijing.
“He’s been the best forever,” said Spalding.
“If you ever have any questions for him or just go have a conversation with him, you would never know talking to him that he’s one of the best snowboarders that’s ever lived,” he added. “He’s a great dude, and I’m thankful that we get to ride with him a bunch and can learn from him.”
Spalding likes to stick to his routine before competition, doing some visualization the night before and the morning of. Music helps him adjust his mood, as needed,
He usually takes three or four boards to competitions, all the same (the K2 Hypnotist, which K2 Snowboarding sells for $679 with the catchline “Could Podium, Could Not. Fun Either Way!”).
His whole family — mother, father, brother and sister (“both younger and both rippers,” he said, referencing young snowboarders) — will cheer him on at the games.
Asked what would be a good result, Spalding reaches for the top.
“Ideally, I want to win … That’s the reason I show up. But at the end of the day, I want to ride well, and then it’s out of my hands. It’s kind of the beauty of our sport, and I think why a lot of people get along so well. Because you go and you do your thing, and then the rest is in the hands of the judges.
“If I can just go, get into finals, ride my board well, feel good on the course and put down the best run that I can, then I think I’ll have a pretty good chance at landing on the podium. But if not, then I’m happy to represent Canada and ride my best.”
He enjoys the brotherhood on the circuit.
“I can genuinely say that there isn’t a single dude I don’t like on the World Cup tour. Everybody is super-good, and they’re all super-nice people. It’s pretty special.”
He says looking at his fellow competitors, there are always five or six “top dogs.”
“But man, these days the field is so much deeper than it’s ever been. And there could probably be maybe 20 guys nowadays that could put together a run that could win the contest.”
While he competes in both, his preference is slopestyle over big air.
“There’s just a little bit more snowboarding involved with it,” he said. “I think you have to be better at actually riding your snowboard to do well in a slopestyle contest, versus big air, which is just a little bit more acrobatic, I guess, if you will.”
Slopestyle also appeals to his creative side.
The team chilled at Lake Como prior to heading to Livigno. Sadly, Spalding will be going without childhood friend Liam Brearley, who underwent surgery on his left knee after injuring his knee and ankle while training in November.
Spalding has largely escaped major injury in recent years.
“I’ve broken a couple of wrists. I broke my leg when I was 10. But nothing too major for a while,” he said.
Spalding always goes into an event with a game plan and will have three days of practice at the Olympics to test it out.
“It’s not like diving or something like that where you have to tell the judges what tricks we’re doing in our run, and we have to stick with that,” he explained. “If we mess something up and we come out switch (reversing your natural stance) instead of regular, we can keep going. You’ve got to do some improv. And that happens from time to time. So you’ve got to be ready just in case.”
He has competed in Livigno before, but not on the Olympic run.
“It’s amazing. It’s a supercool little town in the middle of the valley. I’m actually really excited just to be there. It’s a great place to hang out for a couple of weeks.”
Canada has done well in these disciplines with McMorris, Max Parrot and Sebastien Toutant combining for two gold, one silver and four bronze in slopestyle and big air over the last three Olympics.
“It’s big shoes to fill in a way, but it just keeps us hungry and wanting to back up what they did,” said Spalding.
Canadian Slopestyle/Big Air Team
Laurie Blouin, Quebec City; Eli Bouchard, Lac-Beauport, Que.; Francis Jobin, Quebec City; Mark McMorris, Regina; Juliette Pelchat, Whistler, B.C.; Cameron Spalding, Havelock, Ont.
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2026