Chase Nicklin seeks first Paralympic Games nomination as World Cup season gets underway

(Photo: Chase Nicklin-Instagram)

BROMONT, Que. – Chase Nicklin grew up surrounded by lakes, rivers and forests. This March he hopes to be in Cortina, Italy wearing lululemon Team Canada clothing, ensconced in the Dolomite Mountains and competing at his first Paralympic Winter Games.

With some solid results behind him, the 23-year-old Para snowboarder from Port Alberni, B.C. needs to reinforce those performances on this season’s World Cup circuit. The first stop is this Thursday and Friday at the indoor venue in Landgraaf, the Netherlands, the traditional season opener.

The tall, smiling, baby-faced Nicklin is already dreaming about that moment when he steps into the start gate for the Paralympic Winter Games at Cortina Para Snowboard Park.

‘’It would mean everything,” he told CPC during our visit to the team’s training camp in Bromont, Que. in September. “To represent Canada is a dream. Just being proud to have the Maple Leaf on. It would be so cool.’’

Nicklin was a great outdoorsman long before he hit the board in Para sport. In 2018, at age 16, he experienced a life changing event. He was riding his dirt bike when he lost control and collided head-on with a truck. 

He was airlifted to the hospital and was in a coma for 10 days. He broke several bones in the accident and ended up with an infection in his left leg, leading to an above-knee amputation a month later.

Rehabilitation was a tough process, but he discovered being in his comfort zone – doing activities outside – very much helped.

One day he met Tyler Turner, Canada’s first Paralympic Games champion in the sport and now a national team teammate, for lunch. He learned snowboarding could be a big part of his future, a sport he had already discovered and enjoyed as a youth.

Nicklin gave it a try for the first time with his prosthesis locally then travelled to Quebec for his first camp. Turner was right there by his side serving as a mentor offering both advice about the sport and life as an amputee.

Turner and Nicklin both compete in the same Lower Limb 1 category.

‘’He’s just been a big bro,’’ Nicklin said. ‘’He’ll see things I can work on. He’s always there.’’

In the 2023-24 season, Nicklin made his foray onto international snow and ended that winter with six straight medals in Europa Cup and North American Cup events including four victories.

He kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a victory and two medals at the Asian Cup and earned four more victories at FIS and Europa Cups. Then he competed at his first World Cup at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, posting two sixth-place finishes. He also notched two top-10s at the world championships at Big White, B.C.

Joining Nicklin on the Canadian team in Landegraaf are two-time Paralympians Alex Massie of Barrie, Ont., in the lower limb 2 category, and Sandrine Hamel of St-Sauveur, Que., women’s lower limb 2, as well as Philippe Nadreau of Blainville, Que. in lower limb 2.

With his world title last year Turner guaranteed himself a spot on the Paralympic Games team and will stay home to continue his training.

There are five stops on the World Cup circuit this season. The others are January 16-17 in Kuhtai, Austria, January 21-23 in Lenk, Switzerland, January 31 to February 2 at Big White, and February 9-10 at Steamboat Springs.

The Paralympic Winter Games are March 6-15. At the Games there are eight medals up for grabs at Milano Cortina. The women’s competition has two events, the SB-LL2 (lower limb) banked slalom and SB-LL2 snowboard cross. The men have the other six with the SB-LL1, SB-LL2 and SB-UL (upper limb) in banked slalom and snowboard cross.

The current schedule will see the Para snowboard cross qualifiers for both men and women on March 7, followed by the finals the next day March 8. The banked slalom is then set for the penultimate day of the Games on March 14.