Reece Howden has rediscovered the form that made him the top ski cross athlete in the world two years ago, and he is threatening to capture his second career Crystal Globe championship.
After two more podium placements last weekend, the Cultus Lake product has strengthened his hold on top spot in the World Cup standings. The 24-year-old has 481 points, 153 more than the next highest ranked athlete, Austria’s Mathias Graf. Howden has nearly 200 more points than the third place skier, Sweden’s David Mobaerg.
Last weekend, at Idre Fjäll in Sweden, Howden continued a run of dominance that started in mid-December. He placed second on Saturday (Jan. 21) and won on Sunday, beating Mobaerg in a thrilling race in which the two competitors were separated by .13 seconds.
“It’s pretty sweet,” a grinning Howden told Alpine Canada. “It’s been a lot of work and having to do five races a day is tough. Fortunately, right now I’m fast and I’m focusing mentally to control what I can, and to keep fighting to just send it. It seems to be working out for me and I want to keep it rolling.”
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After a down season in 2021-22 and a slow start to 2022-23, Howden broke through Dec. 12 with a second place finish at Amarosa, Switzerland. He earned his first win a 10 days later at Innichen Italy, and added a second place finish.
He’s now earned five straight podium placements.
There’s still plenty of racing to go between now and the end of the FIS (Fédération internationale de ski) season in April. During his championship season Howden had four first place finishes and six podium placements, racking up 711 points.
His next opportunity comes Feb. 15-17 at Reiteralm, Austria.
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