“For me, this is the last major season where I’ll go all in.” — Simon Fournier
Simon Fournier is entering a decisive season in his athletic career with a clear objective: qualify for the World Cup, perform at that level, and climb back up the world rankings. Qualifying for the Milan–Cortina Olympic Games would complete the final missing piece of his journey as an athlete.
Where does he come from? How did his passion for alpine skiing take shape? When did he realize he wanted to pursue a full-time career at the highest level? What have been the most significant challenges along the way? NOPé sat down with Simon just days before his departure for Beaver Creek, Colorado, where he was set to compete in his first races of the 2026 Nor-Am circuit.
His athletic journey
Born in Ottawa and raised in the Outaouais region, Simon Fournier found his true home early on at Mont-Tremblant, where he put on skis at the age of two and discovered competition a few winters later.
“My childhood idol was Érik Guay. He was also from the Laurentians and would sometimes come to Tremblant. I remember asking him for an autograph. I dreamed of being like him and competing on the World Cup,” Simon recalls.
Guided by parents who were passionate about skiing, he progressed naturally from regional races to provincial and national competitions, eventually making his debut on the FIS circuit at age 16 and experiencing his first challenges on the international stage.
Trained at the Mont-Tremblant Ski Club, he went on to join the Québec Team, followed by the Canadian national teams (development and then senior). Simon further enriched his journey with a formative stint at the University of Denver, where he balanced high-level skiing with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He says his university studies provided him with a solid Plan B.
“I had older teammates -mentors- who had gone down that path. They had given themselves the chance to have a secure Plan B. It was really something I wanted to complete as part of my journey,” he explains.
Simon’s international experience in alpine skiing
A specialist in slalom and giant slalom, Simon has accumulated around thirty World Cup starts. He represented Canada at the 2019 World Championships in Åre and earned several podium finishes on the Nor-Am circuit, confirming his place among North America’s top technical skiers.
“I finished 31st, 33rd, and 34th in World Cup races, and I was really close to qualifying for the second run. It came down to a few hundredths, a few tenths,” he says.
Throughout his international career, these results have demonstrated his ability to compete with the world’s elite. After a season marked by riskier choices in his competition schedule, his ranking fluctuated, from 80th to 250th in the world. A well-known reality on the international circuit, where just a handful of races can change the course of an entire season.
“It only takes a few results, and suddenly the whole season is completely different.”
His transition to the private Ski Boréal team
In 2025, after several years within official systems and unable to rejoin the national team, Simon turned to an independent model, teaming up with Étienne Mazellier and coach Jonathan Blanchard as part of the Ski Boréal team.
“Having officially been teammates with Étienne and having worked with Jonathan after my degree, it felt like a great opportunity to build something private, right here in Québec, without having to be expatriated,” he says.
“Of course, there’s a mental load that comes with the financial side, but I prefer to see it positively and tell myself: if you want a real shot at achieving your goals, you have to go for it, even if that means putting in the effort to find sponsors and secure funding.”
At 28, Simon knows exactly where he stands, what he’s missing, and what he still needs to achieve. The highs and lows he has experienced throughout his career have not slowed him down, quite the opposite. They have only strengthened his determination. Today, he is approaching a pivotal season with confidence and optimism about what lies ahead.
Five facts about Simon
- He was an only child until the age of 17 and now has an 11-year-old half-sister who, in turn, skis with the Mont-Tremblant Ski Club.
- His parents, Level 1 ski instructors, passed on their love of skiing, even though they never competed themselves.
- Before committing fully to skiing, Simon also played football and baseball.
- He spent a full season with a private team based in northern Italy, near the Swiss and Austrian borders.
- Before every race, he follows small rituals: the same base layers, the same order for his socks, and visualization to fully focus on the present moment.
The statements in this article were collected by Isabelle Simard.
