Alex Massie returned home to reset ahead of Paralympic Winter Games

CORTINA, Italy – When times get tough, go home.

That partly sums up Alex Massie’s preparation for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games as he gets set to compete in the men’s lower limb 2 (SB-LL2) snowboard cross event which gets underway Saturday at Cortina Para Snowboard Park.

Last autumn, Massie crashed while riding, causing tightness in his upper spine. He missed some World Cup events and decided to head home to the Barrie area to recover at his mother’s house.

‘’It was actually a blessing in disguise,’’ he said. ‘’I got to spend a lot more time riding at my home hill Mount St. Louis and just did some soul laps on the slopes near where I grew up.’’

The time in his backyard appears to be the tonic he needed.

‘’I got to spend a lot of time in my Mom’s backyard rink, which I haven’t done in over a decade,’’ said Massie, a big and powerful athlete who also played hockey and football at a high level before his accident. ‘’I feel like it was the perfect lead-up to get here.’’

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A post shared by Alex “Bubz” Massie (@bubzurchin)

Massie, who turns 31 this month, has practiced snowboarding since his youth but a wakeboarding accident in 2011 resulted in him losing his left leg below the knee, which changed his life plans.

He returned to snowboarding after his accident and adapted so well to his prosthetic leg that he decided to pursue a competitive career in the sport.

In his world championship debut in 2015 he won a bronze in the snowboard cross. He’s been a national team stalwart ever since competing at both the 2018 and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

At his third Games in Milano Cortina, Massie has tested the difficult track and says it is now key to keep his routine simple heading into Saturday’s qualifying round.

‘’The constant that I try to keep are stretching and really focusing on taking care of my (amputated) leg,’’ he said. ‘’When my leg’s feeling good, that’s when I’m relaxed.’’

Without prompting he also credited Canada Snowboard’s lead for mental performance and health Christie Gialloreto. Without her guidance, he admits he might not be at these Games.

‘’Christie, our mental health coach, has been great,’’ he said. ‘’Over the last four years, I’ve actually taken advantage of the access to her help with my preparation and I’ve noticed a positive improvement in my snowboarding because of it.’’

Gialloreto, accompanying the team here at the Games, said her role focuses on helping athletes develop the mental tools needed to perform under pressure.

‘’We work on the mental skills training that help prepare athletes to perform on demand,’’ she said. ‘’We’re working on goal setting, how to maintain focus and how to self-regulate. It’s building the skills that allow them to perform instinctively under pressure.’’

As an established veteran, Massie has learned not only to trust his instincts but also to lean on the expertise around him.

Let the Games begin!