Brearley and Spalding inspired by McMorris to push Canada's slopestyle legacy to new heights at Milano Cortina 2026

Slopestyle World Champion Liam Brearley and Crystal Globe winner Cameron Spalding grew up watching Canadian snowboarding legend Mark McMorris win medals at every competition imaginable.

Now all three riders are in the running for one of four coveted spots representing Canada in slopestyle at the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Thirty-one-year-old McMorris is already a three-time Olympic bronze medalist as well as a 24-time X Games medalist – and is widely considered to be one of the greatest snowboarders of all time.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Brearley and 20-year-old Spalding are part of the next generation looking to continue Canada's Olympic legacy established by the likes of McMorris, three-time medalist Max Parrot, and gold medalist Sebastien Toutant.

Heading into the biggest season of their careers, both Brearley and Spalding are looking the part so far with Spalding claiming the 2024/25 slopestyle Crystal Globe, and Brearley winning Canada’s first World Championships slopestyle gold medal at Engadin 2025, one year after taking home the 2023/24 slopestyle Crystal Globe.

Inspired by McMorris

On top of winning a Globe within a year of each other, Spalding and Brearley are also inspired by the way McMorris made his name at the forefront of Canadian slopestyle as one of its most decorated athletes.

“The whole Canadian crew growing up – Mark, Seb (Toutant) and Max (Parrot) – seeing what they did was incredible,” said Spalding.

When McMorris claimed bronze at snowboard slopestyle’s debut at the Sochi 2014 Games, Spalding was just eight years old but had already come to the attention of Elliot Catton, now Canada’s national snowboard coach.

“Cam was six, I think, when I first met him,” said Catton.

“I remember him doing a front side board slide on, you know, down the rail that all the older kids were doing (laughs),”

“So this little tiny child, kind of standing out doing what nobody else at that age was doing.”

Now 20, Spalding is grateful he gets to train and compete alongside McMorris.

Rather than feel intimidated by Canada’s slopestyle legacy, Spalding feels inspired by what McMorris and Beijing 2022 champion Max Parrot have achieved.

“We have some pretty big shoes to fill but we’re trying our best,” he said.

Brearley admitted that training and competing alongside a rider who he idolized as a child felt surreal at first.

“Now competing with him and riding with him is super sick.”

Training alongside champions such as McMorris helps lift everyone in the Canadian team, said Brearley.

“I’m so thankful for that and we’ve learned a lot, for sure. It’s such a good team to be a part of and those guys are so supportive of us as well.”

Road to Milano Cortina 2026

While Brearley, with his World Champs gold medal win, and Spalding, with his Crystal Globe win, have essentially locked up their Olympic spots, McMorris is yet to officially secure his place on the roster for a fourth go-around at the Games in Italy.

The trio are among seven male Canadian slopestyle and big air athletes hoping to earn a coveted spot at Milano Cortina 2026 where the maximum number of athletes representing the same nation in snowboarding is four per gender.

With big air and slopestyle considered one event for qualification purposes, only four names out of Brearley, Spalding, McMorris, Frank Jobin, Nic Laframboise, Truth Smith, and Eli Bouchard will make it to Livigno for the slopestyle and big air contests in February.

Jobin, 26, claimed his maiden World Cup win at the Aspen slopestyle in February and followed that with an X Games Aspen 2025 gold a month later in street style.

Bouchard also claimed his first World Cup win in Aspen just days after Jobin, in the big air competition.

Needless to say, competition within the Canadian men’s team is tough.

“We all want it bad,” said Spalding.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to get there … and do my best to get a medal.”

With Milano Cortina in their sights, the Canadian snowboard team will also adapt each athlete’s training program to ensure riders can balance the 2025/26 FIS Snowboard World Cup circuit beginning in November – which is part of the Olympic qualification period – with Olympic competition in Italy in February.

“It just gets a bit more individualised on what each athlete needs for them to perform their best at the game,” said coach Catton.

“So maybe it won't be about trying to do every event and win a Crystal Globe, or get the best rank possible, but more about - what is the best thing that you can do to lead up to and prepare for the Games so that they're riding at their best?

“For some it might be to compete a lot, and for others it might be less competition, or more training, or less training.”

Snowboarders qualify for Milano Cortina 2026 based on their FIS World Cup points during the qualification period between 1 July 2024 and 18 January 2026, as well as points from the 2025 FIS Snowboard World Championships. The Olympic Quota Allocation List confirming who has qualified for snowboard slopestyle will be published on 19 January 2026.

If McMorris qualifies for his fourth Games in 2026 he will join his friend and long-time rival Red Gerrard (USA), whose Olympic selection was confirmed by the U.S. snowboard team in July.

Milano Cortina 2026 marks Gerrard’s third Games after he narrowly missed out on a medal at Beijing 2022 with fourth place behind McMorris.

Gerrard won gold at PyeongChang 2018 while McMorris took bronze behind Canadian teammate Max Parrot. 

After Beijing 2022 Gerard went on to win back-to-back gold medals at the X Games in 2024 and 2025 ahead of McMorris.

At the 2025 World Championships in Engadin, McMorris did not qualify for the men’s slopestyle final after finishing just outside the top eight in his heat.

He said it was a “tough” result but praised the young field, especially his Canadian teammates, for their performances.

“They keep me on my toes, for sure,” McMorris said.

The 2025/26 FIS Snowboard World Cup season and the last chance for athletes to earn precious Olympic qualification points will begin with big air on 28 November in Secret Garden (CHN).