Alberta Ski Team Caps Off Memorable 2025–26 Season
Alberta Ski Team Caps Off Memorable 2025–26 Season
The 2025–26 season will be remembered as one of growth, resilience, and unforgettable experiences for the Alberta Ski Team. From glacier training camps in Europe to the intensity of the NORAM circuit and National Championships, Alberta’s athletes represented the province with determination, professionalism, and passion every step of the way.
This year’s team featured a talented and driven group of athletes from clubs across Alberta, including Amy Attalla, Katie Smith, Caleb Brooks, Thomas Cais, Graeme Cliff, Gavin Johnson, Aidan Kometz, Cole Merrett, and William Puloski. Together, they embraced the challenge of competing against some of the top athletes in North America while continuing to develop both on and off the hill.
Building the Foundation in Europe
The season began with extensive preseason preparation in Saas-Fee, Switzerland and Hintertux, Austria. Athletes consistently reflected on how valuable those camps were in building confidence, refining technical skills, and laying the groundwork for the race season ahead.
For many first-year team members, the experience was eye-opening. Training on steep glacial ice and adapting to demanding conditions accelerated development early in the year. Athletes frequently spoke about the importance of patience, preparation, and learning to trust their skiing in these challenging environments.
The team returned home with nearly 60 days on snow before the opening races, providing one of the strongest preseason foundations the Alberta Ski Team has had in recent years.
Strong Performances Across the NORAM and FIS Circuits
Throughout the winter, Alberta athletes competed across Canada and the United States, racing in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, New York, Colorado, and beyond. The team consistently demonstrated depth and competitiveness on both the NORAM and FIS circuits.
Amy Attalla
Amy Attalla continued to show consistency and determination throughout the season while gaining valuable experience across both technical and speed disciplines. Early-season races at the GMC Cup series at Mt. Norquay saw Attalla establish herself among the top competitors with multiple strong finishes. Throughout the year, she reflected on the importance of building confidence, refining tactical execution, and learning to trust her skiing under pressure.
Attalla’s season highlights her professionalism and maturity as an athlete, particularly during periods of difficult weather and schedule disruptions. Her commitment to preparation and steady improvement was a pleasure to watch and demonstrated her consistent approach.
Katie Smith
Katie Smith delivered several standout performances during the season and demonstrated exceptional resilience in overcoming adversity. Smith opened the winter with strong skiing at Norquay, earning a fourth-place finish and consistently racing within reach of the podium.
Midseason, Smith faced one of the biggest challenges of her career following a concussion sustained during the Panorama Christmas series. She openly shared the physical and mental challenges associated with recovery and returning to competition. Rather than rushing the process, Smith approached her recovery methodically, ultimately returning to racing with renewed confidence and perspective. This approach ultimately lead to her first FIS win at her home hill of Lake Louise in early March.
Her perseverance throughout the season became one of the clearest examples of the determination and professionalism present within the Alberta Ski Team environment.
Caleb Brooks
After dealing with injuries in previous seasons, Caleb Brooks returned to competition with renewed focus and confidence. Brooks steadily rebuilt momentum throughout the year and produced strong performances across both NORAM and FIS races.
His season reflected both patience and resilience as he worked to regain consistency at race speed. Brooks emphasized the importance of trusting the process and continuing to focus on long-term development. By the spring series, he was skiing with significantly greater confidence and demonstrated his ability to compete at a high level against deep international fields.
Even with this season being a return from injury year Caleb finished the year with his best Nor am rankings of his career and lowest international rankings ever across Sl, GS, & SG.
Thomas Cais
Thomas Cais continued to make important strides throughout the season, particularly in his consistency and ability to manage high-level race environments. Competing across multiple venues and snow conditions, Cais demonstrated steady growth while gaining critical experience against some of the top racers in North America.
He reflected on his strong commitment to technical development and an increasing understanding of the preparation required to compete consistently at the NORAM level. Cais also played an important role within the team environment, contributing to the positive culture and professionalism that defined the group throughout the season.
Graeme Cliff
Graeme Cliff enjoyed one of the strongest seasons among Alberta’s men’s athletes that were competing in the speed disciplines. In his first season with the team, Cliff quickly established himself as a competitive presence on the NORAM circuit, recording multiple top-20 speed results and finishing 21st overall in the NORAM Downhill standings.
Throughout the season, Cliff demonstrated significant progression in his confidence and tactical execution. He frequently highlighted the importance of experience, course inspection preparation, and learning to manage the intensity of elite-level downhill racing.
Cliff’s performances throughout the winter positioned him as one of Alberta’s emerging speed prospects heading into next season with a current world age ranking sub top 10!
Gavin Johnson
Gavin Johnson continued to build valuable experience throughout the season while competing in a demanding schedule of training camps and race series. Johnson’s season was defined by steady growth and increasing consistency, particularly within technical events.
His reflections throughout the year emphasized the importance of learning from each race environment and maintaining focus through the inevitable ups and downs of a long season. He consistently approached training and competition with professionalism and a strong work ethic, continuing to lay the groundwork for future success.
Aidan Kometz
Aidan Kometz delivered one of the most true representations of what a season can look like for someone returning from injury. His season was filled with both the excitement and difficulty of competing at a high-performance level, emphasizing the razor-thin margins that separate athletes in elite ski racing.
Over the course of the year he spoke candidly about the mental side of performance, the frustrations that can come with setbacks, and the lessons learned through difficult race days. Despite challenges, he consistently demonstrated resilience and a commitment to continued improvement.
Cole Merrett
Cole Merrett continued to show growth throughout the season while embracing the demands of racing and training at the next level. His season included valuable exposure to elite competition environments across North America and opportunities to refine both his technical and physical preparation.
Merrett reflected a strong appreciation for the process of long-term development and the importance of consistency in training habits. He demonstrated maturity in his approach to both successes and setbacks while continuing to push his skiing forward throughout the winter.
William Puloski
William Puloski built important momentum throughout the season as he continued adapting to the demands of high-level competition. Racing against deep NORAM and FIS fields provided valuable learning opportunities that contributed significantly to his development.
Puloski consistently emphasized the importance of confidence and preparation, noting how exposure to elite racing environments accelerated his growth as an athlete. His positive attitude and willingness to learn were key components of his progression throughout the year.
Growth Beyond Results
While race performances highlighted the team’s competitive progress, the season was equally defined by personal growth and resilience.
Overcoming adversity was a major theme for all the athletes this season. That adversity cam in many different forms for each individual athlete including difficult race conditions throughout the spring race season. Warm temperatures and weather disruptions impacted races at Panorama, Aspen, and Nakiska, forcing athletes to adapt quickly and maintain focus despite cancellations and inconsistent surfaces.
The season strengthened not only the athletes skiing but also their mental toughness, discipline, and ability to manage the demands of travel, recovery, preparation, and performance.
Looking Ahead
As the season came to a close with National Championships, spring series races, and final training blocks at Sunshine, the Alberta Ski Team leaves the year with significant momentum.
The experiences gained this season, from international training camps to the pressures of the NORAM circuit, have helped lay the foundation for future success. Athletes developed confidence, gained valuable exposure at the next level, and strengthened the habits required to continue progressing toward national and international competition.
Most importantly, the 2025–26 season demonstrated the resilience, professionalism, and passion of Alberta’s athletes. Their commitment to improvement, willingness to embrace challenges, and support for one another made this season one to be proud of.
Alberta Alpine would like to thank all athletes, coaches, clubs, and volunteers for their continued support throughout the season. Finally a huge thank you to our sponsors, the GMC Dealers of Alberta, Mountain Fire Foods, Genstar, Karbon Sports, Inspired Go, and Gear Up Mountain Sports. Your support helps make everything possible. The future of Alberta ski racing remains incredibly bright, and the team looks forward to building on this year’s momentum heading into 2026–27.