Canadian alpine veteran Erik Read appears to be signaling that the 2026-27 season will be his final season of World Cup racing, announcing that he is preparing for “one last season” with a new team.
The 35-year-old posted to social media:
“One last season. A final push, with a new look and a new team. More coming soon…”
Read has not explicitly announced his retirement, but the wording strongly suggests that the upcoming season will be his last. “One last season” is about as clear a hint as a ski racer can give without actually using the word retirement. The announcement comes just six weeks after his wedding to former Italian ski racer Giulia Paventa. The couple tied the knot on July 3 in Piedmont, Italy.
Read was born into Canadian ski racing royalty. His father, Ken Read, was one of the legendary “Crazy Canucks,” the fearless group of Canadian downhillers who challenged the European dominance of alpine skiing in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Ken won five World Cup downhill races and 14 World Cup podiums during his career.
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Erik and his younger brother Jeffrey Read followed their father into the sport, both competing on the World Cup circuit and representing Canada at the Olympics.
Erik made his World Cup debut in 2011 and established himself as one of Canada’s most consistent technical racers, specializing in giant slalom and slalom. He represented Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Olympics, finishing 11th in giant slalom at PyeongChang and 13th at Beijing — the best Canadian results in the event at each Games. His brother Jeffrey competed in the 2026 Milan Winter Games, finishing 25th in downhill.
In 2024, Erik Read’s career took a dramatic turn after Alpine Canada cut funding for its men’s World Cup technical program because of financial constraints and limited results. Read, who had been one of the program’s longest-serving members, was consequently dropped from the Canadian national team despite having spent years competing at the World Cup level.
Instead of retiring, Read built his own path forward. He assembled a new team and continued racing independently, relying on sponsorship, fundraising, and private support to remain on the World Cup circuit. In September 2024, Read described joining the new group, World Racing Academy, as an emotional and uncertain transition after years within the Canadian program. That decision allowed him to continue his career through the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
At the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach, Read finished 22nd in giant slalom and 24th in slalom, continuing to compete internationally despite no longer being supported by Canada’s national program.
Now Read appears ready for one final chapter. His announcement of a “new look and a new team” suggests that he will once again change his setup for the coming season, although he has yet to reveal details. But more importantly than his new look and team, 2026-27 seems to be the last season for this legendary ski racer after 13 years on the World Cup circuit.