Featured Image: Liam Wallace. Credit: GEPA
Alpine Canada Alpin athlete Liam Wallace made a truly remarkable comeback last season. After a life-threatening crash in February 2024, the young athlete persevered and returned to the slopes stronger than ever.
During a training run ahead of the World Cup giant slalom in Bansko, Bulgaria, Liam lost control and crashed into the side of the hill. The impact caused significant chest trauma, requiring immediate medical attention on the slope and a long hospital stay overseas.
His fight through intensive care, to working his way back to carving a ski again, and eventually racing at an elite level has transformed his perspective on the sport. It also deepened his appreciation for the strength of a solid support system, good health, and the power of the mind.
Liam stated, “The perspective I have, what the sport has done to get me back to this place, the place I’m at now, is crazy.” He continued, “In the end, it doesn’t matter unless you’re happy and healthy.”
A Career that Started in Banff with Parents Who Ripped
Going back to the beginning.
Liam grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but spent most of his time with his family in Banff. His parents, both alpine ski instructors and coaches, immersed him in ski culture. From a young age, they took him to Lake Louise to watch World Cup races.
“My parents were both ski instructors and ski coaches for alpine ski racing. I’d be with them while they taught when I was three, or we’d always go to Lake Louise to watch the World Cup,” he recalls.
After learning to ski and go around gates, Liam was hooked. He continuously begged to ski more, so by the age of four he was put in the local ski club.
As time went on, the love for the sport and the outdoors continued to grow. He stated, “I continue to have a keen interest in being here [in Banff], in such a cool ski valley.”
2022: A Highlight Season
As he moved up through the ranks, he had a highlight season in 2022, winning the NorAm Cup Overall title. Also, Liam made his World Cup debut in the same year, with his first race in the Adelboden, Switzerland slalom.
He explained, “It was cool to do that and see myself in a place where I was like, yeah, I can be a guy that represents Canada.” He continued, “I wanted to go to Europe and try to close the gap on those guys and try to make my own story.”
The Crash in Bansko
In the days leading up to the World Cup in Bansko, Bulgaria, Liam focused on shaking off the jitters, getting acquainted with the mountain, and taking some quality training runs. What began as a routine training session quickly halted his career.
During the last run of his session, he entered the tougher section of the course with unstable snow conditions and lost control. He got pushed off the line, piercing through the gap in the safety netting, an area poorly equipped with proper B-net protection. He was violently thrown into the trees.
With the trauma to his chest, he endured a collapsed lung. An Austrian doctor on the hill came to the rescue and inserted a chest tube on the snow, which saved Liam’s life.
“I really have to put a lot of thanks towards one of the Austrian doctors who was radioed in to help me; his name is Edgar. If there’s anything that I’m thankful for in that whole situation, it is that guy who was a total savior for me,” Liam explained.
The Impressive Comeback
“For a good few months I did not think about skiing or whether or not I was going to ski.”
The Canadian initially focused just on the healing process, approaching it “however it came,” not placing expectations on himself to get back to the snow too soon.
It wasn’t until mid-fall that he was able to get back on skis. To his surprise, he returned to snow, and it immediately felt familiar and not scary.
Nevertheless, he approached the first NorAm of the season at Panorama Resort with a sense of worry. He said he kept thinking, “I didn’t want to be slow. I didn’t want to be a total wreck.”
But then he achieved victory in the first NorAm GS and 2nd in the second race. He reminisced, “I was lucky, and I was happy that I came back, and it was good right away.”
That was an initial confidence boost that elevated him throughout the season. He went on to achieve two more victories and a top-15 finish. Earning him first place in the NorAm Cup for GS and 6th overall.
Looking Ahead into an Olympic Season
Liam made an impressive return last season, but he’s far from finished. With his sights set on pushing his boundaries even further, he’s especially focused on making a strong statement in slalom this time around.
“By the end of the season, I felt like I missed the mark in slalom,” Liam admitted. “It’s often one of my stronger events, but I didn’t deliver the way I wanted to.”
This summer, he’s seizing the opportunity to get a head start on training, something he couldn’t do last year while recovering. “It feels good to be able to have a few months of prep and training and be involved in the sport for several more months before the season starts,” he said, energized about the road ahead.
Liam’s top goal this season is to dial in his slalom performance and rack up strong World Cup results, which are key steps toward earning an Olympic bid for Team Canada.
But beyond chasing big milestones, he focuses on something even more personal: “Just keeping the ball rolling, feeling really good on my skis,” he says, as he aims to build momentum and confidence with every run.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
