Canada's Cameron Alexander happy to be healthy to start men's World Cup downhill season

Cameron Alexander strong and ready to launch from the start hut in the first World Cup downhill of the season is a novel feeling for him.

Knee injuries limited the 26-year-old ski racer from North Vancouver, B.C., early in the last two seasons before he posted big results in the back half.

Alexander claimed world championship bronze in men's downhill in Courcheval, France in February.

He became the first Canadian since 2014 to win a World Cup downhill in March 2022 in Kvitfjell, Norway.

A catastrophic knee injury Dec. 13, 2020 in Val-d'Isere, France sidelined him for a year. Alexander reinjured in the spring of 2022 and managed pain heading into the world championship.

He'll race downhills in Beaver Creek, Colo., for the first time since his rookie World Cup season. The first of two on the Birds of Prey course is Friday, followed by Sunday's super-G. Both races will be live streamed on CBCSports.ca at 12:45 p.m. ET. 

"Health-wise, my knee is the best its ever felt," Alexander said. "It's been nice having a full off-season, full pre-season under my belt coming into racing.

"I'm excited to see how I stack up in the first race of a World Cup season when I'm healthy and ready to go."

Lake Louise, Alta., is no longer the traditional start of the international speed season for both men and women. The 2022 men's and women's World Cups in Banff National Park were the last.

WATCH | Alexander reaches podium at ski worlds: 

The women's speed races have been replaced by giant slaloms Saturday and Sunday in Mont-Tremblant, Que. Alpine Canada chief executive officer Therese Brisson says she's searching for a men's speed site in Western Canada.

The world governing body of skiing and snowboarding (FIS) has twice attempted to start the