Injuries don’t alter season goals for Ericsson and Smith

CALGARY – Last season Kalle Ericsson and his guide Sierra Smith emerged as the heirs apparent to Mac Marcoux, who retired after the 2022 Paralympic Games as Canada’s most successful visually impaired Para skier.

Marcoux, now the Coordinator, Athlete Engagement with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, won six medals over three Paralympic Games, including two gold. He added eight world championship podiums and more than 50 World Cup medals with three different guides.

Without warning, Ericsson and Smith, in their rookie season on the World Cup last winter, started winning medals. They posted their first World Cup victory on February 1 in slalom and ranked third overall on the circuit in the giant slalom.

‘’I was very surprised with our showing,’’ said Ericsson, 19, from Calgary. ‘’We did some goal setting at the beginning of last year after I found out that I was going to do my first World Cup starts in the New Year.

‘’I remember saying I wanted to at least get a top-five. Well we surpassed fifth then stayed pretty consistent on the podium.’’
Smith, a former member of the women’s national team from Ottawa, first connected with Ericsson two season ago. She was helping coach, and the pair discovered ideal chemistry in practice.

‘’She said, ‘oh okay, well, I can guide you,’” recalled Ericsson.

They launched their career at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. They won gold in slalom and giant slalom then proceeded to a golden sweep at the 2023 nationals.

‘’It just snowballed and kind of never stopped. We just kept getting better and better. We have a lot of trust.’’

Trust is incredibly important in Para alpine skiing when you’re flying downhill at speeds near 100 km/h or negotiating gates on an icy slalom course.

The skiers communicate through a two-way headset, with the guide sending cues while in full flight to keep the partner on course.

After completing her own racing career, Smith was eager to remain in the sport.

‘’Kalle had just started ski racing and was looking for a guide, and I wasn’t too far retired, so I decided to put the skis back on,’’ she said.
‘’It was just so much fun. It’s still scary, which is what I love, it’s a little different and a lot more of a team sport.’’

For Smith, who thought her racing career was all but over this new role was the challenge she was looking for.

‘’I like watching Kalle grow and get so much better every day,’’ said Smith, whose mother and grandfather were also national team members. ‘’To build from the ground level and guide him towards his goals, I just try to be the best support that I can.

‘’It is very rewarding.’’

Ericsson started to lose his vision in 2020 from a rare case of solar retinopathy while skiing on a glacier in northern Sweden.

He already knew all about the Para alpine skiing world. His father is Lasse Ericsson, a national team Para alpine skiing coach with Team Canada for the past 17 years.

The start of the 2024-25 season is delayed for the pair as Ericsson recovers from knee surgery and a shoulder injury. They hope to be back racing for the World Cups in January and then the world championships in February.

‘’I definitely have some big things that I want to improve this year,’’ said Ericsson. ‘’Being better on the technical side of things is a big goal for me this year. Not just going out and skiing as fast because that’s where I can make a lot of mistakes.

‘’I want to be able to have some really clean runs this year.’’