Elizabeth Hosking Answers Our Questionnaire

Elizabeth Hosking’s first World Cup victory in Calgary on January 3 marks her as a podium contender in the halfpipe for this year’s Games. She has been a top rider since her Olympic debut at 16 at the Beijing Games. But she has also shown resilience in bouncing back from recent setbacks, including an ankle injury and a concussion. Her return to the podium with a world championship silver in 2023 set the stage for her breakthrough on home snow.

The winning score in Calgary came on her opening run, which was praised during the broadcast for its difficulty and variety. Her run included clean execution, height, and a broad range of rotations, including a strong frontside element. The performance was her first World Cup win and a first for Canadian women on home soil.

Her Career at a Glance

World Cup victories: 1 (Calgary, 2026)
World Cup podiums: Multiple, including silver medals in Copper Mountain (2022) and Calgary (2023)
World Championship medals: 1 (silver, 2023)
Olympic appearances: 2 (PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022)
Best Olympic finish: 6th (Beijing 2022)
World Cup season ranking: Top 10 overall (2020–21)
World Cup debut: 2017

To learn more about the person behind the results, we invited her to answer our questionnaire.

What do you hope to experience or accomplish this season or at the next Olympics?

This season, I’d love to get on the World Cup podium a few more times. And who knows? An Olympic podium would be great too ;) 

What song, musician, band, visual artist, poet, work, or other artist best represents your style on snow?

“Meet Me Halfway” by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s not so much that it represents me, but it’s always a song that gets me hyped before a competition.

What word or phrase best describes your state of mind during competition?

I think it would be mushin, which translates to no (mu) mind (shin) in English. It’s a Japanese concept that describes a state of mind where you’re not thinking: you’re just acting on instinct. That’s exactly how I feel when I drop into the halfpipe. Everything around me stops, and I’m just focused on what I have to do. 

If you could spend a day on the mountain with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be?

I’d love to spend a day in the mountains with New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. She’s a slopestyle athlete, but she’s also amazing in powder, and I’d really love to learn from her effortless style. 

What’s the strangest training exercise you’ve ever done for your sport?

For my sport, I do a lot of rotational exercises. I use resistance bands, loop one around my hip, and rotate against the band, which is attached to some kind of pole, to strengthen my hips for rotation. It’s not weird to me, but I definitely get some funny looks when I do this in public gyms. Haha 

What’s your favourite place to ski (or ride) in Quebec? And in the world? Why? 

 In Quebec, probably Stoneham. It’s where I learned how to ride halfpipe and had some really memorable powder days. Around the world, I loved going to Corvatsch for the World Championships last season. The scenery was breathtaking.

What’s your most magical moment on snow?

Spring days when I can go ride with my friends. It’s all pretty laid-back. There’s slush and puddles in some spots. I’ll try things on rails just because, why not? It’s just pure fun :)  

What quality do you appreciate most in your friends? In your ski or snowboard partners?

 That they’re always there for each other. Not every competition or training day goes well for everyone, but they’re always there to lift each other up.

If you could be reincarnated after death, what being or object would you choose to become? Why?

I honestly don’t really know what to answer. Haha

Do you have a hidden talent that would surprise us?

I don’t really consider it a talent, but I’ve been able to do a left split since I was little. Without training or stretching, I’ve just always been able to do it. Haha