Canadian skier Broderick Thompson in hospital with head injuries after training-run crash

Canadian skier Broderick Thompson is in hospital with head injuries after falling Wednesday during training ahead of this weekend's World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Col.

Thompson was airlifted to Denver Health Centre where he is listed in stable condition, according to a statement from Alpine Canada.

Alpine Canada says the 29-year-old from Whistler, B.C. is alert and showing steady improvement.

Canadian national team skier Britt Richardson says she's spoken with Thompson since the injury and is happy to know he's on the mend.

"Obviously we're all really sad that he got injured there, but I hear he's stable and he's doing better and he's been improving the past couple of days," said Richardson, who's skiing in the giant slalom World Cup races this weekend in Mont-Tremblant, Que.

Friday's downhill competition at Beaver Creek was cancelled due to heavy snowfall Thursday night. It's the third men's alpine race to be cancelled due to uncooperative weather this season, with two previous events in Europe also unable to run because of snow and strong winds.

Another downhill race is scheduled for Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET, while a super-G is slated to be run Sunday at the same time. Live streaming of both races will be available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

At first, the race Friday was delayed so the crew could work on the hill. But the amount of snow, coupled with low visibility, led to the decision to cancel.

Thompson has been a member of Canada's ski team since 2015. He competed at both the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea and the 2022 Games in Beijing.

In 2021, he placed third in the super-G at Beaver Creek, his only podium finish on the World Cup tour.

Canada's Sarah Bennett, who's also competing in Mont-Tremblant this weekend, says it's hard to watch a fellow skier get injured, especially when the head is involved.

"The speed boys are just so hardcore and it happens so much, it's hard for us to watch," said Bennett. "Especially for their parents, I feel for them to have to hear news like that.

"To know that he's in recovery and he's doing way better is really good to hear."