Fernie has always had a habit of producing skiers who think a little bigger than the rest of us, and Dylan Marineau is the latest to prove it. After years of chasing the dream, Marineau has officially been named to Team Canada for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where he’ll compete in freestyle halfpipe skiing in Livigno from February 19–21.
For Marineau, now 27, this isn’t just a selection—it’s redemption. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, a setback that stung deeply after years of training and progression. This season, however, everything clicked. Strong performances across four World Cup competitions in the past month, all resulting in top-eight finishes, pushed him firmly into Olympic territory.
Fernie locals won’t be surprised. Dylan grew up skiing here and still calls the community home. The mountains that shaped his style and confidence remain his training ground, and his story is deeply rooted in the valley. He also comes from a family where elite sport is part of the DNA—his father, Dennis Marineau, competed in bobsleigh at the 1992 Olympics.
“I grew up learning about the Olympics through him and hearing stories from his experience,” Dylan says. “From a very early age, it was something I wanted to do. You could say we have sports in our blood.”
Like many Fernie kids, Marineau was on skis early—age three—and by 11 he was already competing in freestyle, first in slopestyle and moguls. It was halfpipe, though, where he found his true voice as an athlete.
“There’s really no borders,” he says. “You can express yourself any way you want. There are no set tricks you have to do.”
That creative freedom has become his trademark. Over the years he’s refined high-level tricks like switch hits, double corks, 1260 rotations, and clean safety grabs. Heading into the Olympics, Marineau isn’t playing it safe either. He’s planning to attempt two tricks he’s never landed in competition—one of them never attempted by anyone before on a competitive stage.
The path hasn’t been smooth. An injury suffered just before the Canada Games derailed his momentum and made the mental side of returning to form as challenging as the physical recovery. But persistence, focus, and patience brought him back—stronger and more confident.
Much of that foundation was built through the Fernie Freestyle Club, where jumping, flying, and pushing limits became second nature. From there came time on the NextGen team, podiums at Canadian Open Tours and Provincials, and countless lessons that went beyond results. Ask Dylan what matters most, and he’ll tell you it’s the progression—learning new tricks, expanding what’s possible, and growing as an athlete.
Off the snow, the Marineau family is rarely still. Triathlons, mountain biking, boating—you name it. But slopes are where they’re most at home. And in a fun, very un–halfpipe detail, Dylan has also developed a deep appreciation for vinyl records and old-school music, always hunting for classics to add to his collection.
From Fernie’s terrain parks to the world’s biggest sporting stage, Dylan Marineau’s Olympic journey is a reminder of what happens when talent meets persistence. This February, a kid who learned to fly here will take that flight all the way to the Olympics—and Fernie will be watching.
Source: Freestyle Canada
