Features

Flaunt it!

[Canada's first national] all-girls slopestyle and rail jam at Mont Tremblant

story by Katie Bailey
photos by Oli Croteau

Bluebird skies and bevy of talented female shredders took over the terrain park at Mont Tremblant on January 13, 2007, battling it out for a $5,000 purse in the first ever all-girls Billabong Flaunt it slopestyle jam.

The weather on its own was enough to stir up a frenzy of excitement at the hill. After the East’s extremely slow-to-start season, some riders had only had a few, if any, days on snow before competing that day. Luckily, a dump of snow and a drop in temperature allowed the Tremblant park builders to put together an impressive course featuring a tabletop, a choice between a rainbow-box or flat-down box, and a final feature choice of two boxes built into a staircase feature.

Immediately following bib pickup at Tremblant shred shop Adrenaline, the girls started throwing down practice runs on the new course, proving early on the eventual winner would have to earn that fat, oversized cheque.

The format was simple and extremely crowd-friendly. The morning featured a slopestyle contest in the usual format: multiple runs, each judged by a panel. Each girl’s best score was put into contention for the slopestyle prize and points calculated for the purse-heavy overall top-three. Following a warm-up-your-little-piggies lunch break, the rail jam commenced in a flurry of patterned outerwear and tie-dye Ts. Competitors were allowed as many runs as they could squeeze in and most took every opportunity to throw down.

The level of riding quickly proved itself to be on par with Quebec’s always-sick contest scene. Forget 50-50s. Nose-Presses, Front Boardslides, Back Boardslides, fives and switch tricks were all on continuous display.

Riders on the Killing It list included rising Calgary up-and-comer Raewyn Reid. There’s been a lot of buzz about Raewyn lately and she proved the hype at Mont Tremblant this weekend. Her incredibly stylish Boardslide to Front Board to Backside 180-out spins on the rails stole the show and were backed by solid skills on the tabletops and staircase features as well.

Local rider Magalie Dubois also showed why she’s been getting a lot of attention lately, showing Simon Chamberlain-like smooth, relaxed style on the rails and making it all look super easy. Riders who racked up points in the top categories of both events included Ontario’s Victoria Marshal, Sarah Lamontagne, Catherine Sims and Valerie Colins.

“All the girls really stepped up and rode with a lot of power, especially on the rails,” says Risto Scott, marketing manager for event sponsor Billabong Canada. “Raewyn had several great moments –her Boardslide to Front Board to Backside180 out was pretty sick.”

The party vibe of the contest didn’t end with the prize ceremony at the end of the day –where Raewyn walked away thousands of dollars richer –as Billabong and Tremblant threw a “Get Ready to Go Out” party at Adrenaline afterwards. It was exactly as advertised: hair and makeup artists doing new ‘dos for free and a Billabong fashion show running simultaneously. It was awesome –free makeovers and booze!

“We didn’t want the day to end when the contest finished,” said Tremblant’s Julie Charbonneau, who helped organize the event. “We wanted to do something fun afterwards as well.”

This being Tremblant, a trip to La Petit Caribou was not far behind. Long known as the craziest place to party at Tremblant, the lil’ Caribou is not a place for the faint of liver. As we got set to leave Adrenaline for the bar, Magalie Dubois looks a bit too excited as she fills us in on our plans for the night: “We’re going to teach you how to party like Quebecers!”

Uh oh.

Slopestyle
1. Raewyn Reid ($500)
2. Victoria Marshal ($300)
3. Sarah Lamontagne ($200)

Rail Jam
1. Raewyn Reid ($500)
2. Magalie Dubois ($300)
3. Catherine Sims ($200)

Overall Winners
1. Raewyn Reid ($2,000)
2. Valerie Colins ($700)
3. Magalie Dubois ($300)