Just as the Milan Winter Olympics approached, Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris faced a crushing blow in the Big Air event. Poised for his fourth Olympic appearance, McMorris endured a dramatic crash during a February 4 training session while preparing for the men’s Big Air competition in Livigno. The scene ended with the Canadian star being stretchered off the course.
Throughout the 2025-26 season, McMorris dazzled with consistently high scores, cementing his status as a top contender for a medal in Milan.
Mark McMorris Provides Injury Update
McMorris made his Olympic debut at the Sochi 2014 Games, where he competed in slopestyle and won a bronze medal. He would go on to earn two more bronze medals in the event at the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Games, becoming the first snowboarder with medals at three straight Olympics.
In a video shared on Instagram, McMorris provided an update after his crash, clarifying whether he would compete at the Big Air qualifiers on February 5:
“Just wanted to update you guys. I took a fall last night, I hit my head, and I will not be able to compete in Big Air tonight unfortunately. But fortunately, things are looking up for slopestyle, so just trying to stay positive and shift my focus to that event.”
“A massive thank you to the amazing medical staff that took awesome care of me, and thank you all for reaching out, all the love and support. I haven’t been on my phone much, but the messages do not go unnoticed. So thank you, will keep you updated, much love,” he stated.
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Slopestyle at the Milan Olympics is set to be held between February 16-18, with men’s qualification (14:00-16:05) on February 16 at Livigno Snow Park. The men’s final will be held on February 18 (12:30-14:10).
Canada Snowboard’s Vice-President On McMorris’s Crash
McMorris’s career has been marked by a series of harrowing injuries stretching back to 2014. That year at the X Games, he broke a rib after clipping a rail, and in 2017 at Backcountry Whistler, a collision with trees left him with a ruptured spleen, fractured pelvis, broken jaw, arm, and ribs, and a collapsed lung that demanded multiple surgeries.
Brendan Matthews, Canada Snowboard’s vice-president of business development and partnerships, released a statement on McMorris’s most recent crash, saying that he actually fell because of loose snow.
“In our sport, we like to call it a ‘snow snake’ that comes up and bites you out of nowhere. Just a little bit of loose snow that was on the slope. Nobody’s fault but unfortunately these things happen in an extreme sport like ours.”
Now, McMorris is determined to bounce back swiftly and take on slopestyle, aiming not just for another medal, but with his sights set firmly on gold.
