Mike Riddle

Biography

A true veteran of ski halfpipe, Mike Riddle won a silver medal while snow fell when the event made its Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 thanks to a clutch second run in the final. Riddle was there when the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships included halfpipe events for the first time in 2005. He was also one of the competitors during the inaugural World Cup season for halfpipe in 2005-06. At the time, there was no halfpipe national team so the parents screen-printed Canadian team hoodies for them to wear. He won silver in his first-ever World Cup event in January 2006.

Over the years Riddle has competed in events hosted by both FIS and the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP). He won FIS’ top prize in 2011 when he captured his first world title. He had one of his best overall seasons in 2012-13, earning the Crystal Globe as the overall World Cup champion for ski halfpipe. He was on the podium in three of his four World Cup starts, including two victories and a third place finish at the Sochi 2014 test event. He also finished fourth in two important events, the FIS World Championships and the Winter X Games Europe. Riddle claimed his eighth career World Cup podium and fourth World Cup victory in Tignes, France in March 2015.

In late February 2016, Riddle tore his left hip adductor and broke his pubic symphysis while training for the Winter X Games in Oslo. He was unable to ski for six months. During his comeback season in 2016-17, he broke his scapula in early January and then re-broke it at the PyeongChang 2018 test event where he finished sixth. Despite not being fully healthy, he capped the season with a silver medal at the FIS World Championships after being the top-ranked skier in the qualification round. Riddle finished sixth at PyeongChang 2018.

A little more about Mike

Getting into the Sport: Started skiing at age three… Got into freestyle when he was 13-14 and started competing in halfpipe at age 16 because he loved skiing but was bored keeping his feet on the ground… Outside Interests: Enjoys other sports such as mountain biking, golf, tennis, croquet, bocce… Loves the Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Seahawks and Toronto Blue Jays… Attended the University of Alberta for three semesters and has done some online courses through Athabasca University; will pursue a business degree after his skiing career… Odds and Ends: Likes to eat a good meal such as steak or sushi the night before a big event… Nicknames: Riddler, Milk…  Had his Olympic dream sparked by Jean-Luc Brassard winning gold at Lillehammer 1994 and American Jonny Moseley at Nagano 1998… The death of teammate Sarah Burke after a training accident was the hardest thing he’s had to deal with as he learned the importance of having a strong mind in an extreme sport…  Favourite quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky… His grandfather’s ski patrol badge is a good luck charm…