Canadian freestyle skier Rachael Karker skies for joy post-Beijing

What Rachael Karker wants to do in her first season after winning an Olympic medal is unwind and ski.

The Canadian earned halfpipe bronze in her Olympic debut last year in Beijing behind champion Eileen Gu and Canadian teammate Cassie Sharpe.

Karker's weeks leading up to Beijing felt fraught with risk.

Possible injury or catching COVID-19 factored into every decision.

She declined her X Games invitation to Aspen, Colo., in order to stay healthy for Beijing.

Objective achieved, the skier from Erin, Ont., hit the reset button for 2022-23.

Karker won December's World Cup season-opener at Copper Mountain, Colo., where she and Canadian teammate Amy Fraser finished one-two in women's pipe.

Karker extended her streak of World Cup medals to nine straight dating back to the 2019-20 season.

WATCH | Karker wins World Cup freeski halfpipe title at Copper Mountain:

The 25-year-old headlines the host Canadian team into the second and third World Cups of the season Thursday and Saturday evening in Calgary's "Snow Rodeo".

"I was pretty burned out after the Games," Karker told The Canadian Press. "I don't think I skied until September. It was a lot last year.

"With COVID, I feel it was three times more stressful than a normal Olympics. I'm just trying to get back into it, find some nice clean runs and find the joy in it again.

Gu will compete in Calgary after sitting out the season-opener.

The American-born athlete hit international stardom winning halfpipe and big air gold, as well as slopestyle silver, for host China in Beijing.

Canada's Sharpe, who won Olympic gold in 2018 and took silver behind Gu, won't compete in Calgary.

The 30-year-old from Comox, B.C., is taking some personal time this season, said Freestyle Canada