Talk about a freeski prodigy! Born and raised in Calgary, Canada, Brendan MacKay was introduced to skiing by his supportive parents at the young age of 3. Groomed in the performance-driven Nancy Greene youth program, where he was the youngest rider ever signed, he looked poised for a career as a competitive ski racer. But at age 9, Brendan broke the mold to pursue a more creative approach: freeride and freestyle skiing. As a rising star in the Rocky Mountain Freestyle program, Brendan cut his teeth on moguls and big mountain contests before finding his perfect match in halfpipe riding. Rising to the Canadian Olympic Freeski Team happened naturally. So did top-shelf contest results. Brendan took bronze in Freeski Superpipe among the world’s best riders at X Games Aspen 2020 and silver in the 2021 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championship. He’s won World Cup gold medals on the very halfpipe in Calgary that raised him and already has a Crystal Globe Championship under his belt. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 where he qualified for the final and finished ninth overall. Away from the competitive spotlight, Brendan enjoys ski touring and climbing in the Canadian Rockies with plans of one day filming his own video edit in the backcountry.