03/24/2026
West Kootenay siblings reflect on shared Winter Olympic experience
After years of training, preparing, and racing, Rossland cross-country skiers Remi and Jasmine Drolet competed on the world stage together at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The Black Jack skiers shared experience at the Olympic Games was an unforgettable, inspiring, and intense two weeks.
Remi, who also competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, was thrilled to make the Olympic team but also and more so to share the experience with his sister Jasmine and their family.
“My 2026 Olympic experience in Italy was amazing,” Remi told the Times. “Sharing the time with my sister, Jasmine, also made it all the more special.”
Remi, 25, and Jasmine, 23, have been on the same path together for many years, but had yet to compete at a major senior-level championship.
“It felt like a culmination of the tens of thousands of hours we have put into this sport together,” said Remi.
Jasmine’s first Olympic Games was challenging and exhilarating at the same time, and to experience it in a place like Italy, where the people are excited to be hosting you, was also special.
“The Olympic experience was really cool,” said Jasmine. “There were a lot of things that were different from a regular World Cup and it was fun to be surrounded by athletes from other sports even though our village only had a few different sports.”
Both Remi and Jasmine raced for the Black Jack Cross-Country ski team, developing at regional, provincial, and national levels.
Their hard work and dedication led the siblings to scholarships at Harvard and Dartmouth Universities, and ultimately helped the Canadian Olympic team achieve some of the best results in its history.
Remi skied the third leg in the men’s 4×7.5-km relay team, and raced to an historic fifth-place finish, the best ever for Team Canada.
Remi was also top Canadian with a 19th place finish in the Men’s 10km Free skiing. He unfortunately fell ill and was unable to race in one of his strongest events the 50km classic.
“Having it be my second Games really helped me cope with the pressure of the environment, and I am super glad that I was able to have some of my best races of the year at the Olympics,” he said.
Jasmine was the top Canadian, finishing 17th overall in the 50km mass start classic, and eighth overall with the women’s 4×7.5km relay team, incredible results for the recent Dartmouth graduate.
Jasmine received her degree in Environmental Studies and Human Centered Design in June 2025.
A 2024 NCAA Champion and five-time All-American, she was nominated for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award, representing a stellar collegiate career and nomination for her athletic and academic excellence.
“I went into the games with pretty low expectations considering I had never raced a skiathlon or a 50km before so I was pleased with the results,” said Jasmine.
“The Canadian team is very young compared to other nations so it’s pretty cool for us to do so well.”
Having her friends and family there to support her and watch her compete on the world stage was her personal highlight.
“My parents have never come to watch me race in Europe before so it was nice to have them there cheering for me,” she said. “And yes, I could make out their cheers in the crowd.”
While attending Harvard, Remi earned one of the NCAA’s most esteemed honors in 2025: the Impact Award, formerly known as Today’s Top 10.
The award recognizes student-athletes who show the highest standards of athletic excellence, academic achievement and service to their campuses and communities.
In his Junior year, Remi won the NCAA title in the men’s 20k classic, earning first-team All-America honours.
He captained the Harvard Crimson in his senior year earning eight podium finishes and team MVP honours.
Drolet also distinguished himself in the classroom, graduating magna cm laude at Harvard with a Math and Physics degree.
For the past two years, Remi has been training with the SMS T2 Team, based out of Stratton, Vermont.
Fittingly, the Games highlight for Remi was watching his SMS T2 teammates race to the podium.
“We are a really small (four athletes), tight-knit group that is focused on lifting each other up,” Remi explained. “Two of my teammates, Ben Ogden and Jessie Diggins, won medals at the Olympics, and it was incredible to see them have such incredible success after all of the hard work we have put in together.”
The veteran U.S. skier, Diggins, won bronze in the 10km Interval Start Free Ski, while Ogden’s finish was less expected, winning silver medals in both the Men’s Sprint Classic and Men’s Team Sprint Free.
The Drolet siblings attribute much of their success and passion for the sport to their roots, growing up in a small mountain town and racing for a team that has world-class coaches and athletes.
Remi says Rossland provides some of the best skiing in the world, so it made it easy for him to fall in love with the sport.
“We have such an amazing skiing community in Rossland that has supported me every step of the way.”
Fred Bushell helped the Drolets get started with training and racing, but more important he kept things fun and set them on the right path for the long term.
Former Team Canada coach and Rossland resident Dave Wood started coaching Remi more than 10 years ago and has helped him pursue national and international excellence.
Remi admits, “There is no way I would have made it to where I am now without Dave.”
For Jasmine, she says growing up in a small ski town helped her because the whole community always has her back, supporting her at all levels of competition.
“Everyone knows everyone and they have been following along on my journey ever since I started skiing, so their support feels so genuine.”
As for young Kootenay and Black Jack skiers like those who recently won medals at the 2026 BC Winter Games, the Drolets believe that similar accomplishments are in store for them as well.
“My advice for young Black Jack skiers is to keep having fun out there and to appreciate the little things that being outside brings,” said Jasmine. “The trails we have at Black Jack are incredible and some of the best trails I’ve skied on, and I’ve been to a whole bunch of places.”
Remi’s advice for young skiers is to focus on improving their skiing abilities in any way possible.
“But in the long term it really pays off to make sure to keep things fun,” he said.
“Skiing is a beautiful sport, and if you take the time to really enjoy it, then you will have success.”
As for the future, Remi and Jasmine would like to ski for Team Canada at the 2030 Winter Olympics, but life is also pulling them in new and exciting directions, so they aren’t confirming a spot on Team Canada yet.
“That is something I am just in the process of figuring out now, and I don’t quite know what is in store for me,” said Remi.
Remi is considering graduate studies and research that currently drives huge leaps in AI development, yet, he will continue to race at least one more season.
“I am planning on doing a bit of soul searching this spring to try and decide where my heart is at,” he added.
Jasmine competed in the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid, NY, from March 19 to March 22, and is planning to ski for at least another year.
As for the 2030 Winter Olympic, Jasmine is also uncertain but not discounting a trip to the French Alps.
“It is at the back of my mind. The Canadian team as a whole has been making amazing improvements over the past years, and I think the next Olympics could be a really exciting time for us.
“That said, I do have interests pulling me in other directions. 2030 is a long time from now, so I don’t yet know where I will be come the next Olympics.”
Whatever the Drolets decide, Jasmine and Remi will undoubtedly have the support of the communities who have followed, supported, and cheered them on along the way.
In the meantime Jasmine offers this advice.
“Every time I go home I appreciate how amazing our little community is and how lucky we are to have such a nice trail system,” she added. “So get out there and ski!”
- Article courtesy of Jim Bailey at the Trail Times
If you would like to support Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club's lodge project, or one of the many other exciting club projects across BC, AND get a charitable tax receipt, you can do so here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/nordiq-canada/p2p/Annual-Club-Fundraiser-26/
