skiing 2025 OPENING PARK at MSLM! (with my little bro)
Bruce Oldham
Profile and significance
Bruce Oldham is a Canadian freeski slopestyle and big air rider whose path blends competitive results with an outsized footprint as a teacher and content creator. Born in 1998 and raised in Parry Sound, Ontario, he came into freestyle unusually late—around age 17—yet climbed quickly onto Canada’s NextGen ranks by 2023. Oldham’s standout competition result to date is a fourth place in World Cup slopestyle at Bakuriani in 2022, backed by multiple NorAm Cup victories between 2023 and 2025. Away from start gates, he has built a large audience through park tutorials, POV breakdowns, and a coaching platform that translates World Cup habits into learnable steps. That dual role—active competitor and hands-on educator—makes him a useful reference point for skiers who want actionable technique as well as a name to follow on result sheets.
Oldham identifies with the Ontario park scene via his home club at Mount St. Louis Moonstone, and his current partners reflect a practical, progression-first kit: outerwear from Dope Snow, skis from Line Skis, retail support through Corbett’s Ski and Snowboard, goggles from XSPEX, and pole baskets by Powder Bunnies. The picture is of a modern freeski professional who competes, films, and coaches with the same emphasis on clarity and repeatability.
Competitive arc and key venues
Oldham’s results sheet shows steady traction. The marquee performance arrived in March 2022 with fourth in World Cup slopestyle at Bakuriani, the Georgian venue that has hosted top-tier freestyle events on the slopes above town (Bakuriani). He added NorAm milestones as his trick depth and consistency matured: wins in slopestyle at Stoneham in 2023 and again in 2025, plus a NorAm slopestyle win at Copper Mountain in January 2025 and a NorAm big air victory at Stoneham in March 2024. He also collected podiums and finals across the North American circuit, including a NorAm big air second at Mammoth in March 2025 and repeated top-five slopestyle finishes in Calgary’s development series at WinSport.
World Cup starts broadened his course vocabulary: slopestyle rounds at Silvaplana (Corvatsch Park), Tignes, and Stoneham helped translate NorAm rhythm to deeper, faster fields, while a World Cup big air in Beijing added large-feature repetition. NorAm Premium stops at Aspen Highlands rewarded his tidy rail-to-jump transitions. Each venue underscores a specific skill—speed management on long in-runs at Mammoth, high-compression rail features at Stoneham, and judging-friendly line design on the finale course at Silvaplana.
How they ski: what to watch for
Oldham’s runs are built on economy. Approaches are squared early, lock-ins on rails are centered, and exits protect line speed. On jumps, he favors measured spin speed with full-value grabs to stabilize axis—technique that reads clearly at normal speed and in POV. Directional variety is part of the package: forward and switch takeoffs across left and right spins, with landings that stay over the feet rather than relying on last-second saves. Because he learned the craft later than many peers, the skiing feels deliberate; there is little wasted motion between features, and the trick choices fit the available runway.
Viewers tracking improvement run-to-run should watch for his grab timing and how he sets edges before features with short in-runs. Those habits scale from mid-size NorAm lines to the bigger World Cup panels without disrupting cadence, which is why his clean mid-pack World Cup results sit alongside NorAm wins on the same résumé.
Resilience, filming, and influence
Oldham’s influence extends well beyond heat sheets. He built a sizable audience by translating contest technique into short, specific tutorials and session recaps, then formalized that work into an online coaching program. He also hosts a podcast and produces season-long vlog series, using competition weeks and spring camps as teaching labs. The through-line is resilience and structure: a late start in freestyle, steady gains through NorAm slopestyle and big air, and a commitment to showing the “why” behind decisions that many pros leave unexplained. For younger skiers, that visibility lowers the barrier between watching elite runs and assembling the skills to approach them.
Geography that built the toolkit
Ontario repetition formed Oldham’s foundation at Mount St. Louis Moonstone, where firm snowpack and short in-runs sharpen edge angles and setup accuracy. Western and international stops rounded out the toolbox: NorAm race days at WinSport Calgary tightened his slopestyle rails-and-jumps linkups; Mammoth Mountain slopestyle lines enforced honest takeoff speed; the World Cup finale track at Silvaplana/Corvatsch demanded momentum management on a big, sunlit course; and Tignes and Bakuriani added the variability of European and Caucasus snowpacks. Off-season, Oldham has logged southern-hemisphere laps at Cardrona, where consistent shaping and progressive lines help convert new ideas into contest-ready habits.
Equipment and partners: practical takeaways
Oldham’s current kit aligns with his priorities. Line Skis provides park-capable shapes with balanced flex for presses without sacrificing takeoff stability. Outerwear by Dope Snow emphasizes mobility and weatherproofing for long park days and storm training. Eyewear from XSPEX supports quick lens swaps when light changes mid-heat, and Corbett’s anchors tuning and equipment support through the Canadian season. Even accessories matter; Powder Bunnies baskets keep poles functional after dense rail mileage. For progressing skiers, the takeaway is to choose a symmetric or near-symmetric park ski mounted for confidence on rails, keep edges tuned but not grabby for surface swaps, and build lens options that preserve contrast in flat light.
Why fans and progressing skiers care
Oldham matters because he closes the loop between elite competition and everyday progression. The results are real—World Cup top five, repeated NorAm wins across Stoneham and Copper—and the instruction is practical, from line speed to grab timing. For viewers, his runs and videos make modern slopestyle readable without slow motion. For skiers, his blueprint—late start, structured reps, honest technique—shows that a thoughtful approach can move you from weekend park laps to meaningful contest finishes. Whether you encounter his name on a NorAm start list or in a Cardrona park tutorial, the story is the same: clean mechanics, deliberate choices, and a style that holds up on rewatch.
Mount St. Louis Moonstone
Overview and significance
Mount St. Louis Moonstone is Southern Ontario’s high-output park and progression hub, sitting just off Highway 400 about 26 km north of Barrie and roughly an hour’s drive from Toronto. Family-operated since the 1960s, the resort has built a reputation on lift capacity, snowmaking depth, and feature-dense parks that punch above the area’s modest vertical. It is not a big-mountain destination; it is a finely tuned training ground where riders rack up laps, refine technique, and film clean lines. For freeskiers in Ontario—and for traveling athletes looking for consistent repetitions—the draw is reliable build quality and quick turnarounds that turn a day into meaningful mileage.
Recent investments underscore that identity. The Adventure 8 detachable chair, billed by manufacturer Doppelmayr as Canada’s first 8-seater, increased uphill capacity and smoothed the flow on the Moonstone side. Add a snowmaking program documented in the resort’s history pages and the hill’s location in Ontario’s “snow belt,” and you get one of the province’s most dependable places to keep skills sharp through freeze–thaw cycles and midwinter cold snaps.
Terrain, snow, and seasons
The published vertical is modest by global standards, but the skiing is designed for repetition. The resort’s own trail materials show a spread of groomed blues and a handful of steeper pitches linking the Mount St. Louis and Moonstone sides, with frequent grooming and lighting supporting long operating hours. Natural snowfall is supplemented by an expansive, modernized snowmaking system; the resort’s historical update notes describe the build-out to 100% coverage and continued upgrades to pumps, reservoirs, and automated guns. That infrastructure lets operations target an early start and sustain coverage when southern Ontario weather swings warm.
Surface quality is a moving target in this region, and that’s part of the appeal for park skiers. Cold high-pressure spells set up supportive, fast lanes; brief thaws can soften takeoffs and landings before refreezing overnight. Because the mountain reshapes and regrooms aggressively, the day-to-day experience stays consistent enough to practice timing while still delivering the variability that builds real-world edge control. Night skiing stretches the lap window when daylight is short.
Park infrastructure and events
MSLM’s parks are the headline. The Junkyard is the primary progression-to-intermediate zone with rails, boxes, and medium jumps that change through the season. The Outback has historically hosted the larger builds and cross features, with “Skool Yard” acting as the entry ladder for first park laps. Older and current trail guides list terrain designations and show how these zones link to the chair network, making it straightforward to plan laps and step up feature size. The resort’s history section even documents past superpipe operations and shaping investments, underscoring a long-standing park focus.
The event calendar leans regional but meaningful. The hill regularly appears on resort event listings with slopestyle and park gatherings, and it hosts stops of the Freestyle Ontario Timber Tour, which brings organized competition energy to public lanes and gives developing athletes a home-stage feel. That rhythm benefits everyday riders, too; contest windows typically coincide with refined shaping, and public sessions before and after tend to run on dialed speed.
Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow
Convenience is part of the formula. The resort sits right off Highway 400; the official directions page lists exit and GPS details, and the layout concentrates parking, base lodges, rentals, and guest services at the two base areas. Once on snow, flow is simple: warm up on Mount St. Louis groomers, then slide toward Moonstone for park laps under the Adventure 8 or return for Junkyard cycles off the main six-pack. Because parks are stacked close to high-speed lifts, a competent skier can link dozens of hits per hour without long traverses.
Operational notes matter if you’re planning a park-heavy day. Helmets are mandatory in all terrain parks, and the Outback chair itself requires a helmet, even if you’re accessing non-park runs. The resort enforces snowboard leash use and runs cashless point-of-sale in cafeterias and shops, details that reduce friction but are worth sorting before you arrive.
Local culture, safety, and etiquette
MSLM’s vibe is progression-forward and etiquette-aware. Park merges are clear, lips stay maintained, and speed checks are part of the routine. Riders call their drops and leave features clean, which keeps the line moving when parks are busy. The resort publishes safety messaging and maintains an operations dashboard for lifts and terrain; read it in the morning, and build your plan around what’s open.
Because Ontario weather can glaze surfaces quickly, edge sharpness and conservative spacing are part of the culture. Expect fatigue spikes on cold night sessions and adjust trick choice to match landing firmness. If you’re new to park, the resort’s instruction program includes freestyle day camps designed to teach feature basics, speed control, and etiquette in a structured setting.
Best time to go and how to plan
For consistent jump speed and clean rail sessions, late January through February often stacks the best surfaces, especially after a few days of cold and grooming resets. Early-season visits can be productive thanks to the snowmaking network; prioritize rail mileage in Junkyard and step to jumps as lanes mature. Spring brings soft landings and a looser schedule for filming and trick attempts, though speed management becomes the main variable.
Drive timing matters on weekends. Arrive for first chair, build rail reps in the first hour, then pivot to jumps as traffic spreads out. Revisit the operations page at lunch to see if additional features have opened. If you’re night skiing, plan a second short warm-up and sharpen edges; dusk into early evening often rides the fastest.
Why freeskiers care
Mount St. Louis Moonstone delivers the one thing park skiers need most: repeatable, high-quality laps. The mix of the Adventure 8’s throughput, a parks-first build philosophy, and heavyweight snowmaking creates a reliable environment to progress. Add a steady diet of regional events like the Freestyle Ontario Timber Tour and a community that respects etiquette, and you have a place where intermediate riders become confident, and confident riders turn consistent. If your winter is about stacking clips and refining slopestyle fundamentals, this Ontario workhorse belongs on your map.
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