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My name is Liz Filiatrault. I’m a 23 year old ski cross athlete and Commerce student at the University of Calgary.
I spent my childhood ski racing in Collingwood, Ontario out of the Devil’s Glen Ski Club. Upon reaching FIS age, I skied with the Southern Ontario Division Team. I competed in Alpine FIS for three seasons, the last one being cut prematurely due to Covid-19. It was during this final season of Alpine that I entered my first ski cross race and instantly fell in love. I decided to pursue ski cross and my education at the University of Calgary through the Dino’s Ski Team program and the Evolve Ski Cross Club.
In my first full season of ski cross, I was able to rank 7th in the NorAm standings, achieve my first FIS win, and qualify for the 2022 World Junior Championships. The following season, I was named to Team Canada for the FISU World University Games in which I podiumed in third place and became the first Canadian to ever win a ski cross medal at the event. I am currently ranked 41st on the FIS points base list for women’s ski cross.
This season, I knew that to progress in my sport I needed the right supporting team environment and opportunities to develop at the highest level. I decided to become essentially an independent athlete, with a personally tailored training plan. In the 2024 preseason, I have been training as a full Dino’s alpine athlete in Canada. With the approval of Canada Ski Cross, I have been given the opportunity to use a female Europa Cup spot for the 2024-25 season. Starting January 2025, I will begin to compete on the Europa Cup circuit with a ski cross team primarily consisting of British athletes called Ski Cross Performance. This team is headed up by a past Czech ski cross Olympian and her long-time coach, with a training home base on one of the largest tracks on the circuit.
My main goals this season are to gain experience at the Europa Cup level and ultimately results that will qualify me for Canada Ski Cross NextGen status. This includes consistent top-6 and podium results at Europa Cup races. As well, I have been re-nominated to Team Canada for the 2025 University Games, in which I hope to reproduce a podium.
As a non-carded athlete competing internationally, I have no support or funding from my NSO. The sport of ski cross also unfortunately has no provincial/territorial teams or programs to offer financial support. To pursue competition, I have relied upon the amazing support of my parents and whatever income I am able to bring in over the summer while also being a full-time student. To compete as part of Team Canada at the World University Games alone costs $5000, excluding flights.
Any support from the skiing community would go a long way in helping me to pursue my dreams and represent Canada internationally. All donations will go directly to covering my season’s training and competition expenses. Thanks for your time!