Canada's moguls team riding momentum as 2nd half of World Cup season kicks off on home snow

At 2:00 a.m. on Christmas Day at Saskatoon's John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, Canadian moguls skier Maïa Schwinghammer couldn't wipe the smile off her face. 

Exhausted from nearly two days of travel from Bakuriani, Georgia, as well as a gruelling first half of the World Cup freestyle season, she was finally back on home soil able to celebrate a career-first with her family.

Thirty-six hours earlier, Schwinghammer skied to the first World Cup podium of her young career, taking second place in a dual moguls battle against Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony of Australia. 

"It was one of my craziest days of competition ever," Schwinghammer said by phone this week from Val Saint-Côme, Que.

She had a nightmare of a morning. She forgot her competition bib, had to go back to the team hotel twice and nearly missed the course inspection, but things turned around. 

"I was so stressed about being late and not being ready at go-time that I had no more stress left and I was just able to ski totally relaxed. I was happy with how I was able to bring together some of the aspects we've been working on that prior to Georgia I wasn't quite able to connect the dots." 

WATCH l Schwinghammer captures 1st World Cup medal:

But the best part was being able to share the moment with her Canadian teammates. 

"Everyone was so excited. It's so cool to see that kind of support," she said. "Cross the finish line and there's a lineup of fist bumps waiting for you before you go up for your next run. 

"It was really special. I'll remember that one." 

That podium, in her 46th World Cup start, was just the way the Canadian team wanted to go into the holiday break, and just the way it hopes to kick off the 2024 stretch of the season