Refocused Alexis Guimond ready to return to slopes

PANORAMA, B.C – Alexis Guimond hopes a more professional approach to sport and life will help him reach new heights in his alpine skiing career.

That’s been the focus over the last few months for the 21-year-old from Gatineau, Que., and he has reinvigorated what most would consider an already sparkling competitive resume.

“It’s just a question of maturity,” said Guimond, who skied to a bronze in giant slalom and two fourth-place finishes at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Those results earned him the “Best Paralympic Debut by a Male Athlete” award at the 2018 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards.

“While we were at home during the COVID crisis, I really asked myself what I want to do with my life, and I wanted to learn how to appreciate my time as a competitive skier.

“I started to embrace all the aspects of my sport whether it was weight training or being more connected with my teammates. It has really helped me progress.” 

For example, Guimond appears to have made a 180-degree turn regarding weight training.

“It’s my new hobby,” he said. “I’ve fallen in love with the gym and weight training. It’s making a big difference in my skiing so I appreciate it more. Before it was a necessary evil.”

At the age of six months, Guimond was involved in an accident that left him paralyzed on the right side of his body. At age 12 he suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed his left side.

Guimond and his teammates are currently at a bubble camp in Panorama, B.C., the first time the entire group has assembled since February when the decision was made to cancel the world championships. The cancellation was a source of frustration for Guimond and he knew he couldn’t let it get to him. He was ranked second in the World Cup giant slalom standings entering the worlds.

“I was having a great season last winter and I was consistently on the podium,” said the giant slalom and Super G specialist. “I credited that to having a much better routine in my life which I’ve continued to work on through this year. Now I’m hungrier than ever to get back racing and perform well.”

When he talks of routine, Guimond explains it is basically everything he does from the moment he wakes up in the morning.

“It helps me more mentally but physically as well,” he said. “A solid warm-up is really good for your flexibility on the course and that adds confidence. You know you are ready for your day of training.”
At the Panorama training camp, Guimond is already seeing the fruits of his labour.

“I’ve made gains in physical conditioning and it is going really well,” he said. “I feel stronger on my skis. I’m improving every day and my times are fast. I feel I’m in a great position to start the season.”

And once ski competition is able to resume around the world, it will be a new and improved Alexis Guimond on the slopes.