[Hack&Lube]

I think that the nordic countries are better at skiing because it's part of their heritage and culture and kids are all skiing at a certain age instead of playing hockey like they would in Canada.

The USA has caught up though to the traditional european skiing powers but that is a product of large population and comparative wealth.

There is no reason to expect the Canadians to be the best at skiing because while we may have some good ski resorts, they are all in very remote areas comparable to where most of the population of Canada is. This is a country of small population across a large landmass. We're good at hockey because there are rinks in every city. Most Canadian cities don't have ski hills next to them. Imagine a country like Austria which is a very small country but because of that small size, most of the population is very close to the Alps, therefore it's convienient and something you do often from a young age.

For what we are, Canada is incredibly competative with other countries with 10+ times our population and almost facist Olympic development programes (Russia, China) that select athletes from when they are kids and put them through rigors and pressure like you'll never see in this country. Here, most people grow up like normal people and get interested at excelling at a sport they enjoy during their teenage years and end up getting serious as young adults.