Megan Oldham, a Newmarket-born 23-year-old Olympic skier, is set to battle for a $100,000 total purse at the APIK Mississauga ski and snowboard competition from Feb. 7 to 9.
Oldham will join over 80 international athletes in the event where head-to-head competitions for cash prizes are set to take place. Judged by the quality and style of their tricks and descents, the first-place snowboarder and skier will each win $10,000.
While the 37-foot-high snowpark featuring six different types of rails looks like a daunting venue, Oldham, an Olympic hopeful for the 2026 Winter Games, is more than up to the challenge.
Having secured fourth place in the Big Air event at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and first in 2023’s Aspen X-Games Big Air and Slopestyle, she is excited to show more of her skills next month as a prominent young freestyle skier with Team Canada.
“I think that it’s super cool that APIK is hosting an event in Mississauga ... and I think it's awesome to be able to get that many eyes on the sport and for people to gain awareness about what we do,” she said.
Oldham, who was born in Newmarket before moving to Parry Sound, says that skiing began as a naturally fun hobby for her. However, to reach the level she currently operates at, was something she says she could have never imagined.
“I went out with my older brother and his team one day for freestyle skiing and I had so much fun that first day that it all just clicked for me. I didn't even realize initially that there was such a high level of competition in the sport, I kind of just enjoyed flipping with my brother on weekends as a hobby,” she said.
“I had skied with a local club for a bit and after two years I got approached by the national team and I knew that this was something crazy.”
Now in her seventh year with the team, Oldham has racked up an impressive list of achievements, including winning a World Cup silver medal in slopestyle on Feb. 1 in Aspen and placing fourth in a recent Aspen X Games slopestyle competition. She will also be competing at the World Cup event in Aspen on Feb. 6, which offers points toward Olympic qualification.
While her sights are set on February’s APIK competition in Mississauga, representing Canada in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics looms large in Oldham’s mind.
“Those next Olympics in Cortina are only a year away and that is a really big focus for me. I came forth in Beijing and so there is this feeling of wanting to get revenge after that for sure,” she said.
“Beyond that, I just think it’s super cool that APIK is able to put up a platform for us to do something a little bit more homegrown and show a different side of skiing next month.”
The free event will also include events like snow skating, DJing and multiple vendors.
It will begin on Friday, Feb. 7 before Saturday’s skiing competition in Celebration Square in downtown Mississauga.