From big airs to long drives, these FIS World Cup athletes are making the most of summer out on the golf course

Summer is in full swing in the northern hemisphere, and so are the golf swings of some of the world’s best winter sport athletes.

From Canadian slopestyle World Champion Liam Brearley, to U.S. freeskier Grace Henderson and Canadian ski cross veteran Kevin Drury – golf is a welcome summertime change for athletes used to spending their winters hurtling down the side of a mountain at full speed.

Even before the 2024/25 FIS World Cup season finished in late March, 36-year-old Drury already knew he would be spending a lot of the off-season playing golf ahead of a busy qualification period for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The ski racer amassed five podium finishes during the 2024/25 season, an achievement he did not think was possible after recovering from multiple injuries.

“Coming back from shoulder surgery and knee problems, it’s been unbelievable,” Drury said.

“From what I expected, to five podiums, it’s been great.”

Drury is using the summer break to help reset his mind and body before the 2025/26 FIS Ski Cross season begins on 11 December.

Similar to basketball legend Michael Jordan and his well-documented affinity for golf, Drury enjoys the way golf keeps his mind sharp.

“If you can play golf and stay calm and stay relaxed within yourself, then you’re going to be good in any other sport,” Drury said.

Being able to bounce back from a bad round of golf or a bad fall on the slopes is something U.S. freeskier Grace Henderson knows all too well after she competed at the 2025 World Championships with a fractured back.

But the 24-year-old X Games 2025 big air silver medalist did not let an injured transverse process stop her from contesting both slopestyle and big air during her first World Championships.

“I just had to not land on my back which is a little stressful (laughs), but I did it,” said Henderson.

“Mentally it’s the hardest thing, to come back from injury, but you’ve just got to keep pushing through.”

Over the summer Henderson will continue to train on airbags as well as train at the Utah Olympic Park with the rest of the U.S. ski team. Her younger brother Hunter, 22, is also a member of the U.S. team.

On top of training and competing on the FIS Freeski World Cup circuit together, the siblings also play golf together.

“I got into golf thanks to my brother, my dad and my mum. We all play together, so it’s pretty fun,” she said.

“He gets me into all the fun stuff – surfing, golfing, skiing,” she said.

“Sometimes – especially in this sport – you just need a little push, and he’s always there right behind me giving me a big push, just to do more, that I can do it and to believe in myself.

“So I love having him around and I give him the same, but definitely not as much. He helps me a lot more than I help him, probably.”

Further north in Canada, slopestyle snowboarders Cameron Spalding, Liam Brearley and Mark McMorris have also momentarily swapped their boards for golf clubs this summer.

“It’s addicting,” said 20-year-old Spalding.

The 2024/25 slopestyle Crystal Globe winner says he likes the contrast between golf and snowboarding.

It’s the same for 2025 slopestyle World Champion Liam Brearley, who enjoys the way golf keeps people “humble”.

“It’s relaxing and still competitive, but in a different way,” said the 22-year-old.

Other high profile snowboarders who enjoy switching between golf courses and the slopes include PyeongChang 2018 snowboard slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard (USA), his U.S. freeski counterpart Colby Stevenson, PyeongChang 2018 big air champion Sebastien Toutant, and Finland’s Rene Rinnekangas.

“It’s the hardest sport in the world I think,” said Rinnekangas.

The 2025/26 FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup season will begin on 28 November in Secret Garden (CHN). The Freeski World Cup season will begin on 21 November in Stubai (AUT).