Jack Crawford comes from a family of speedy skiers.Illustration by Photo illustration by The Globe and Mail. Source photo: Dave Holland
Jack Crawford threw his arms up in celebration after crossing the finish line at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in the French Alps in February. The 25-year-old underdog was in first place, but more racers were waiting their turn.
Crawford covered the nearly two-kilometre super-G course in 1:07.22, with a top speed of 115.4 kilometres an hour. The skier, who still considers Toronto home, held on to the top spot, capturing his first major win in the big leagues by 0.01 of a second. A tiny fraction, but a win is a win. Especially in a sport where tiny fractions mark the difference between standing on the podium and hanging out with the also-rans.
The 25-year-old athlete comes from a family of speedy skiers, including his sister Candace, and grew up sliding down the slopes of Georgian Peaks Club in Southern Ontario. At the Beijing Olympics in 2022, Crawford won bronze in the men’s alpine combined, making him the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in any alpine skiing combined event. Now, with a gold medal from Courchevel around his neck, he has designs on upgrading his Olympic standings.
Crawford likes to rock climb and surf, but concedes he is obsessed with getting better at skiing, whether it is thinking about nutrition or training in the off-season. Skiing occupies all his time and mental horsepower, but still feels more like play than work to him.
What does it feel like to win something by such a tiny margin?
Relief, because for the last number of years, the dream has been to win a race. It had finally happened and there was no more questioning if it ever would.
Do you feel validated now that you have this big win under your belt?
I wouldn’t say I feel any more validated. I would hope, from my competitors and the people around me, that there’s a little bit more respect for what I do. Now it’s not just speculation if it’s the right path – I actually know that what I’ve been doing and the direction that I’ve been trying to go is correct.
What do you do to clear your mind, whether it’s standing in the gates or just on a Tuesday when you’re trying to chill out?
I’m somebody who definitely struggles with that. I continuously think about things when stuff isn’t going my way. I put so much effort into what I’m doing when I’m in the environment with training and making sure that I’m keeping myself in the right mindset, that when I step away from the sport in the off-season, I really try to just disconnect from everybody.
I want to be able to just do exactly what I want to do: go for a run, the gym, play video games, watch TV. I kind of give myself the opportunity for a week or two where there’s absolutely no pressure to do anything. Sometimes that’s just lying in bed. And that allows me to then be 100 per cent committed or more committed than I would be if I was always engaged.
What are weaknesses in the Canadian ski program?
Alpine skiing isn’t necessarily one of the bigger sports in Canada. It’s not like hockey. So on that aspect, compared to our competitors in Europe, finding money and then finding the absolute best training [programs] is definitely a little bit of a challenge. But at the same time, we still get what we need, it’s just that it is a little bit of a cost and you have to be a little more strict with the program.
Some of your fellow International Ski Federation athletes released a letter urging the organization to take action against climate change. Is that something you worry about as a professional skier?
I definitely believe that it is an issue. There are certain venues on the World Cup that struggle a lot to get enough snow or to prep the hills properly. There are more struggles than there used to be to run events. But at the same time, I don’t know the impact that skiing actually has on the environment. So it’s hard for me to touch on what as a whole or what skiers could do to help change that. I definitely think it’s a problem and for future generations. If something isn’t done it will definitely be a struggle. But I don’t focus on it too much.
What would you rather ski: a powder day or an icy race course?
Hard to say. Both are fun to me. But I’ve had a pretty long few months of pretty intense racing, so a powder day would be pretty nice.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.