Skier Brian Rowland looks to the 2025-2026 FIS season ready and rested.
The Paralympic World Cup series begins on December 10 in Steinach am Brenner, Austria, and familiar faces like Rowland are gearing up for a season bookended by winter sports' biggest upcoming event: Milan Cortina.
A competitor at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, he placed middle in the giant slalom and super-G, becoming Canada's only male competitor in the event. Four years later, he's ready to hit the slopes again.
“Compared to then, I feel a little more confident,” Rowland told CBC Sports.
“When I was going to the 2022 Games, I didn’t have much racing experience, so my skiing has definitely improved since then and I’ve learned a lot.”
In the years since his Paralympic debut, Rowland has continued to compete. At the end of his campaign in April last year he achieved several podium finishes at the European Cup and FIS international competitions.
During the offseason, the Merrickville, Ont., athlete found other ways to satisfy his need for speed.
“I got a BMX this summer,” Rowland beamed.
In addition to riding Canada's pump tracks in the warmer months on his new bike, he's also been wakeboarding out west and getting back on a dirt bike. He was paralyzed from the waist down after a motocross incident in 2015. However, he manages to walk on sticks even when there is no snow.
Just as important to Rowland, he finds a way to give back to his community at the same time.
“I volunteer for a program called Skiability Ottawa. A friend of mine is the organizer and we offer everyone the opportunity to jet ski,” Rowland said.
For Rowland, it's crucial to give people like him the incentive to get out and try something new.
“I really enjoy giving back to the community,” he said.
Since his last Paralympic appearance, he has also been involved in the Classroom Champions program, which sees athletes mentor young students as they strive to achieve their goals and embark on their own journey in life.
Returning to the slopes this autumn, fresh from his first Paralympic competition at the Southern Hemisphere Cup in September, Rowland won a silver medal in the giant slalom. It was his strongest start to the season to date.
“Sometimes racing goes into survival mode,” he explained. “It's a little nerve-wracking, a little stressful. You're trying to go as fast as you can and still get into that gate.”
Looking at last year's performance and with this year's performance in Chile in mind, Rowland is coming off the hill faster than ever and racking up more FIS points than before.
Sometimes it crashes, but it never burns. Each time he gets up and walks again.
“When you're flying down hills, especially downhill, that's my favorite option,” he said. “Sometimes you hold on for dear life.”
His next competition will be with his Team Canada teammates this December in Austria, but with Milan Cortina looming in just three months, Rowland is reflecting on his time in Italy in 2023. There he unfortunately posted a DNF during the World Championship.
This time he knows the mountains and expects better performances.
But what Rowland hopes for, beyond the podium and representing Canada on the world stage, is that everyone back home gets to see the Paralympics.
“Skiing is such a crazy sport and I really encourage people to just tune in and watch the Paralympics,” he urged. “It’s a very special phenomenon and it doesn’t get a lot of attention.”
“And it’s definitely not easy,” added Rowland, who switched from snowboarding to skiing after the accident.
“It’s a challenge, and I like the challenge.”
His next test will be competing in the Winter Games slalom against the world's top skiers this season.
As the Alpine team prepared to leave for training at Panorama Mountain Resort in British Columbia, he repeated his only request to Canada the following March:
“Tune in.”
