Canada's Kingsbury looking forward to hero's welcome at World Cup in Val Saint-Come, Que.

Mikaël Kingsbury is looking forward to being the good guy for at least one weekend.

Kingsbury, from Deux-Montagne, Que., has won 83 World Cups, the most ever for any moguls skier, and is used to sending fans from around the world home disappointed when he beats their local skiers. But on Jan. 19 and 20 he'll be in Val Saint-Come, Que., for the freestyle skiing World Cup where he, at last, will be the fan favourite after months competing in Europe.

"It's fun once a year to have the crowd on your side because I'm usually the guy that crashes the party in the other countries," Kingsbury said in a video call from Montreal. "I like to be that guy that silences the crowd on the road but at home it's fun to have everyone behind you.

"It gives me extra energy. At least like last year when I was the last guy to drop in, when I heard my name and the crowd cheered it felt super nice."

Already the most successful skier in moguls history, Kingsbury has continued to dominate the sport this season, winning seven medals in seven events with four gold medals and three bronze. Most recently, he won a bronze in moguls and a gold in dual moguls at a World Cup event in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Dec. 22 and 23.

WATCH | Kingsbury claims dual moguls gold in Georgia:

At 31 years old, Kingsbury has had to slowly alter how he prepares for competitions and still remain effective.

"I learned through the COVID pandemic that it's OK to rest," said Kingsbury, adding that he's made his workouts and training sessions more efficient. "It motivates me when I go back on the hill and makes me never really on cruise control.

"I'm in very good shape because I knew that the schedule was going to be one of the toughest Decembers we've ever had on the World Cup