Saskatoon Winter 2026

Inside St. Martin's United Church, the competitive floor buzzed with focused energy as 35 speedcubers took their places at the timing stations. Running across January 24, 2026, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the event brought together competitors from across the region to tackle six varied disciplines spanning nine full rounds. The hall provided a concentrated atmosphere where every turn mattered, from the standard Rubik's Cube to specialized twisty puzzles.

The inherent tension of formats with limited attempts was on full display in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event. With only three attempts allocated and no room for a counting error, a single misplaced slice or memory lapse proves decisive. Xavier Saunders navigated the unforgiving event with absolute composure, locking in a winning single of 23.76 seconds despite an overall mean recording a DNF. Zach Ramer claimed second place with a time of 1:57.58, while Rex Kotovich secured third with 2:09.76.

Zach Ramer emerged as one of the most prolific solvers throughout the gathering, capturing two titles across the six events. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Ramer took the top step of the podium with a 3.80 average, edging out Laura Plourde at 4.26 and Lewis Unger at 4.41. Ramer followed that performance by winning the Pyraminx final with a 5.32 average, while Vianne Chang finished second in 7.20 and Plourde secured third with an 8.07 mark.

The traditional 3x3 results brought an exciting conclusion to the main stage. Lewis Unger captured the 3x3x3 Cube title with a decisive 10.16 winning average over two rounds, including the weekend's best single solve at 9.05 seconds. Ramer claimed second place with a 10.79 average, while Nicolas Gravel took the third podium position with an 11.42 average in a field of 33 competitors.

Beyond the top podiums, the cubing competition saw remarkable personal milestones and significant progress across the roster. Cooper Prouten delivered a standout weekend across four events, slashing his Skewb personal best down to 10.28 seconds, an improvement of 58.5 percent, while also advancing his Pyraminx mark to 7.99 and his 3x3x3 single to 12.64. Celina Burlando also made huge leaps, dropping her Pyraminx personal best by 52.4 percent to 6.67 seconds and cutting her 3x3x3 mark down by 30.7 percent to 18.36 alongside a first official Skewb effort of 11.02.

Chase Doerksen turned in a massive 41.2 percent improvement in Megaminx with a personal best of 2:39.37, while taking on first attempts in Skewb at 11.54 and Pyraminx at 5.72 on his way to seventh place in 3x3x3. Tyler Boyer completed his first official attempts in Skewb at 16.63 and Megaminx at 5:38.53, adding a 25.9 percent cut in 3x3x3 to reach 33.85. Stetsyn Boyer also logged first attempts in Megaminx at 3:53.66 and Skewb at 12.19, while Dustin Unger marked a first Pyraminx solve of 16.53 and shaved 31.7 percent off his 2x2x2 best to hit 9.05. Christian Seib set initial marks in Megaminx at 5:16.56 and Skewb at 24.42, while Jaxx Duerksen stepped up for a first WCA competition, taking on five events and finishing sixth in Megaminx with a 2:34.61 opening attempt.

Specialized events rounded out the competition schedule at Saskatoon Winter 2026. Laura Plourde claimed victory in the Skewb final with an average of 7.17 seconds, holding off Gravel at 7.38 and Austin Lysager at 7.55. In the Megaminx event, Vianne Chang took first place with a 1:04.73 average and a best single of 1:01.87, finishing ahead of Ramer at 1:09.13 and Plourde at 1:11.84.

With 18 total podium spots earned exclusively by Canadian solvers across the weekend, the single-day meet demonstrated both breadth and depth in the local speed cubing community. From blindfolded focus to rapid mechanical turns, Saskatoon Winter 2026 delivered an exceptional showcase of puzzle solving in Saskatchewan.

As the tables were packed and the timers stored, solvers walked away with valuable stage experience, fresh personal milestones, and a clear benchmark for the next cycle of regional competitive play.