SkiBig3 had the pleasure of welcoming professional big mountain freeride skier, and Ikon Pass athlete, Nick Steers to Banff National Park. With a career that’s taken him all over the world and onto some of freeride skiing’s biggest stages, Nick returned with his family to spend time exploring SkiBig3’s three iconic resorts. We caught up with him to learn more about his journey, his approach to skiing, and what keeps him inspired as a professional athlete.
Nick skiing at Banff Sunshine on 19 Jan 2026 | Photo credit: Jill Scarpato
Skiing has been part of Nick’s life for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Wakefield, a small town in Western Quebec with a handful of local ski hills, he was on skis almost as soon as he could walk. Those early years were spent, as Nick puts it, “ripping the hills with family and friends”. It was here that his affinity for freeride skiing likely took seed. He was drawn to jumps and airtime, experimenting with tricks like 720s and backflips that were, as he says, “pretty progressive at the time.”
As a teenager, Nick became a ski instructor, logging long training days that helped sharpen his technique. Around the same time, he started competing in big air events on early-model twin tips. In his 20s, he caught the travel bug. Trips through Kashmir in India, Morocco, Japan, and Europe exposed him to bigger terrain and new styles of skiing. But it wasn’t until his 30s that everything really clicked. That’s when Nick found his stride in big mountain freeride skiing and began competing seriously on the international stage, with events like Extreme Taos, Verbier Freeride Week, Wrangle the Chute, and the French Freeride Series shaping his career.
Nick skiing at Mt. Norquay on 21 Jan 2026 | Photo credit: Jill Scarpato
At the heart of Nick’s path has always been the dream of being an athlete. As a kid, the sport didn’t matter so much. Skiing ended up being the perfect fit, combining athletic performance with a love for winter, travel, and the mountains. “There has been no greater gift than getting the chance to travel to far-off places with my skis,” Nick shares. Along the way, his career has brought unexpected rewards, including the discipline and health benefits of year-round training as well as close friendships within the snow sports world. He’s also learnt valuable lessons in marketing and business through ambassador and brand partnerships. Through it all, sharing the journey with his family, and feeling their continued support, has been, in his words, “nothing short of incredible.”
For anyone looking to Nick for inspiration, he keeps things straightforward with three tips. First: technique is king, and it takes a lot of work. He credits strong fundamentals as the biggest factor in his performance. Second: baseline fitness matters. Strength training, especially lifting weights, plays a key role in performance, injury prevention, and longevity. And third: mileage. Repetition, whether in the park or in freeride terrain, is what really makes the difference. The more you ski, the better you get.
Nick skiing at Banff Sunshine on 19 Jan 2026 | Photo credit: Jill Scarpato
Nick’s first visit to Lake Louise Ski Resort at 19 was his introduction to skiing in the West, and it “changed my interpretation of skiing forever”. This past January, he was treated to gorgeous bluebird days at Lake Louise, along with time exploring Banff Sunshine’s legendary Delirium Dive. He also got to share those moments with a tight-knit community of local athletes and photographers he’s connected with during his four years as an Ikon Pass athlete. A stop at Mt. Norquay rounded out the trip, where Nick took the time to get to know the mountain and soak in Norquay’s iconic views of Mount Rundle from the North American Chair. He even gave the tube park a go with his family.
Since welcoming his daughter in 2017, Nick’s story has shifted from a purely personal pursuit to something shared. While his life has long revolved around skiing and bungee jumping, both of which he turned into careers at a young age, traveling the world with his partner and daughter has become one of the most meaningful parts of the journey. As Nick puts it, he “wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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