Canadian Snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet Earns First-Ever World Cup Podium

Canadian Snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet Earns First-Ever World Cup Podium

Canadian snowboarder Arnaud Gaudet reached the World Cup podium for the first time in his career on Saturday, capturing silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom event.

Austria’s Benjamin Karl claimed the gold medal, edging Gaudet by 0.68 seconds in the big final. Switzerland’s Gian Casanova took bronze after winning the small final.

Gaudet, 25, from Montcalm, Que., delivered a near-flawless performance throughout the competition. He defeated Tim Mastnak of Slovenia in the round of 16, Alexander Payer of Austria in the quarterfinals, and Germany’s Yannik Argenend in the semifinals to advance to the final.

The result moved Gaudet into 10th place overall in the World Cup standings, with 193 points.

Gaudet previously won bronze in parallel giant slalom at the 2023 world championships and represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Looking ahead, the men’s parallel giant slalom event at the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Games is scheduled for Feb. 8 in Livigno, Italy.

In the women’s competition, Aurélie Moisan of Baie-d’Urfé, Que., was the top Canadian finisher, placing sixth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2026.