Top of the crop

Big mountain rider Benji Ritchie is part of a new breed of snowboarders who are putting Quebec on the map

by MARC SCHULTZ

In Quebec, the paramount of celebrity status is usually reserved for hockey players and politicians. What many don't know is that we have produced some of the best snowboarders in the world, and Quebec riders are pushing the limits of the sport now more than ever.

St-Jovite native Benji Ritchie has followed in the footsteps of Montreal pioneers like Marc Morisset and is now a prominent figure in snowboard movies, magazines and competitions. Since events like ESPN's XGames have taken extreme sports to a new marketable level, riders like Benji have been able to make a living travelling the world under the label of professional snowboarder.

For Benji, who specializes in back country and big mountain riding, a day at the office includes throwing himself off 50-foot drops and spinning over huge park jumps. Most of the time he'll be followed by a film crew.

Talking to Benji on the phone while at his home in the Laurentians I got the impression that, at 23, he was savouring snowboard life and looking forward to a long career.

Mirror: Right now you're back home up near Tremblant, are you heading out west soon?

Benji Ritchie: I do half-and-half, I spend six months out in Whistler and six months in Quebec. I head back to Whistler on December 1.

M: Who are you living with out there?

BR: I live with [Quebec pro-snowboarders] J.F. Pelchat, Alex Auchu and two other guys. One is a photographer and the other is doing films. We all live in the same place.

M: I thought snowboarders were rich!?

BR: (laughs) It's so expensive to live in Whistler, the landlord is the one who's getting rich!

M: I've read that you had some injuries last winter, what was the worst one?

BR: The worst was a major back injury. I hit a tree with my back going pretty fast on the first day of filming. I could hardly walk for one month and I had back pains for most of the winter. I've been working on it and it got better. Then I had a knee injury pretty much right after I started riding again, but yeah, that's how it is.

M: Last year you placed second at the Shakedown comp at St-Sauveur. Were you impressed with some of the amateur talent and do you like what you see for the future of snowboarding in Quebec?

BR: Oh, for sure. There is a lot of young talent in Quebec right now that is just blowing up. It's really good to see. The kids have gotten so damn good these days, I see 14- and 15-year-olds just killing it. It's because they have better places to go and practice with all the parks on Quebec hills now. It's good for the sport.

M: Did you look up to people like Morisset and Martin Gallant back in the day? Do you like the idea that kids are probably looking up to you, Gaetan Chanut and D.C.P. [David Carrier-Porcheron]?

BR: That's part of the essence of the sport. It got me so motivated to see J.F., Martin, Devon Walsh and all these guys. I feel pretty good to be in that position now.

The language barrier

M: Seeing all the Quebec talent growing up you must have felt like, "If they can do it then there is room for all of us to make it."

BR: Yeah, though you really have to work hard to make it out west, with the language barrier and all.

M: There are stories of guys who go out west and can't speak a word of English, then set up in Whistler and learn the language as they try and make it into the scene.

BR: Yeah, yeah, I don't know if you've heard Martin Gallant speak but he never really got it together (laughs). He has the strongest accent you could ever imagine. He's really proud of it - he's actually known for it now.

M: Two years ago Alex Auchu got on the cover of Transworld Snowboarding. Do you think that internationally you guys are really starting to put Quebec and Canada on the snowboard map, much like how [legendary Norwegian] Terje Haakonsen put northern Europe on the map?

BR: Totally. Everywhere I go people are really curious about Canada and they know I'm from the French part of Canada and that it's a special place. They're very interested about snowboarding here. I'm really proud of my country, so I like to tell people how good the snowboarding is here, but everybody seems to already know it. Canada has such a good reputation.

M: Montreal is such a great city but you've travelled to some faraway places. How does Montreal compare to the places you've been?

BR: It's one of the top places to be in the world. I mean the food, the people, how good-looking the city is. Montreal is one of the best. Any place I go, Montreal is where I have the most fun.

Movies and other business

M: This year you're in a few films like Fast Food, but I heard your part in Lost in Transition was cut because they needed more footage. Is that a big deal in the snowboard world or does that happen a lot?

BR: No, that happens a lot. It's like that. I mean, I've been filming with so many guys and at the end all the footage gets put together. It was only my second year filming and I had my section in the movie White Balance, so I'm still learning what I need to know, who I feel comfortable filming with, that's the way it is. I'm in good relations with a bunch of movie companies. The business side is that the movie companies deal with the sponsors.

M: The Rossignol launch party at the Metropolis last month was a hit as usual. Do your sponsors [he has nine sponsors, including ThirtyTwo, Billabong and Dakine] treat you well and was it hard to get their attention at first?

BR: Well, Rossignol is my main sponsor. I've been with them for the longest. I started with them when Patrick Bernier started working for Rossignol as team manager. I used to ride with him. Patrick got me on the team and we kind of came up together.

M: Did you ever think that snowboarding would take you around the world?

BR: I didn't really have an idea of what being a pro snowboarder was going to be like. It started slowly but then it just went off. There is so much travelling, I really enjoy it. I go to France a few times a year and I've also been to Spain, Australia and Japan.

M: What was your experience like in Japan?

BR: Japan has crazy snow. They have some big promotional events going on.

M: Do people in Japan know where Montreal is or do they have no idea?

BR: They do know a lot about Canada and Montreal, you'd be surprised. A lot of the time it's Americans who don't know where Montreal or Vancouver is.

M: What about the Olympics, would you like to represent your country in international competition?

BR: Well, it's only for pipe and racing, so I couldn't do it. I hardly ride pipe at all now. I mean I used to, that's how I got started, but now all I do is ride powder and spend all my time filming. I would love to represent my country, though, I love Canada.

M: Are you competing in the XGames this year [at Snowmass, Colorado, Jan. 29-Feb. 1]?

BR: Well, you have to do some comps to qualify. I compete in the slope style. At the Vans Triple Crown, out of 150 competitors, the top two will be invited to the XGames. All the pros show up there. It's really hard (laughs).

M: Thanks Benji and have a great season! What's next on your schedule?

BR: Thanks. I'm leaving for Mexico to go surfing for two weeks before I go to Whistler.