Unlikely partnership forges potential Paralympic medal threats in alpine skier Eriksson, guide Smith

Just five years ago, the idea of Kalle Eriksson competing for Canada at the Paralympics would have been unthinkable.

Now, he may just leave Milano Cortina as the country’s leading medal winner.

“I'm excited. I'm nervous. It's really the only thing that's in my thoughts right now,” Eriksson said. “So it's a big deal.”

Eriksson, a visually impaired Para alpine skier, will head to Italy for the Paralympics, which run March 6-15 with live coverage on CBC, with multiple podiums in his aim.

Yes, his is partially the story of someone undergoing a dramatic life change, gaining Paralympic eligibility and turning to sport as fuel.

But it is also the tale of a recreational skier learning to love competition through an unlikely partnership and family ties.

“I feel like this is a cheesy thing to say because a lot of people say it, but it's true,” Eriksson prefaced of what a Paralympic medal might mean.

“A lot of blood and tears have gone into where we're at today. And so to see all that pay off in the long run, it’s kind of hard to look at it right now. But I know that if that moment does happen, it will really be an ‘OK, it was all worth it’ kind of feeling.”

In 2021, Eriksson was hanging out atop a ski hill with his father, Lasse Eriksson, who happens to be a longtime World Cup coach for Canada’s Para alpine team.

The younger Eriksson was just there to help at the training camp, aiding with administrative work like recording start times. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses or goggles.

About 24 hours later, he began noticing some vision loss. Then, it grew worse. Eriksson went to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a welder’s flash — a cornea inflammation caused by overexposure to UV light. He was told it would be gone within a week or two.

Nothing changed. Eriksson followed up with a specialist.

“He pretty much told me that I was going to be legally blind for the rest of my life,” Eriksson said. “The sun reflecting onto the snow actually burned a hole right through my retina. Pretty much the same thing as if you were to look up at a solar eclipse.”

To that point, Eriksson had never particularly gravitated toward competitive skiing.