Riding fast and rough

Following a surprise Olympic inclusion,
boardercross emerges from underground at
Tremblant’s annual ski and snowboard party

CANADA FIRST: François Boivin

by ERIK LEIJON

The seventh annual edition of the season-ending snowboard and ski party at Mont-Tremblant, TELUS Spin, is as much about competitive riding as it is putting another snow-packed season on the slopes to bed. The Canadian Snowboard Championships will be held throughout the 10-day fest, including the sport of boardercross, being held for the first time at the event in official competition. In previous years, boardercross was held as a friendly event.

An Olympic sport for the first time at the Torino games in 2006, boardercross (known as snowboardcross during the Olympics) is like your standard race to the bottom, except four riders will be railing the sharp turns at the same time, gunning for the finish line. It’s a sport filled with tight position jockeying and numerous spills, befitting the name’s snowboarding and motocross origins.

“There’s a lot of emotion right until the end,” says Olympic snowboardcrosser François Boivin, a Jonquière native who finished 10th in the sport’s inaugural appearance at the winter games. “A boardercross race is never over. Even if you crash at the top, it’s still possible to get back up and keep going. It’s unpredictable.”

Originally an alpine snowboarder, the 26-year-old adopted the sport when it was still slowly gaining popularity. He found that his particular skills worked better competing against three other riders, when one has to be aware of passing competitors as well as the typical jumps and obstacles hidden around every corner. Since the four riders tend to follow the same trajectory down the mountain and can get pretty close to each other, a boardercross race looks similar to speed skating. Like speed skating, any minor contact between riders could result in disaster for all four competitors. “Overall, the races are pretty clean,” says Boivin. “There is some contact for sure, but you’re not allowed to push or grab other riders.

“We’re always racing the same people so you get to know their tendencies after a while, like if they’re people who like to push or if they’re aggressive about passing you.” Boardercross was still an underground sport when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose to add it to the winter games itinerary. Boivin says he and his fellow riders were initially surprised about the inclusion. The increased stature of the sport has allowed Boivin to ride professionally, although he did miss part of last season after suffering a concussion during training. “You try to go as fast as you can, but if you don’t stay in control, that’s when you’ll go wrong off a jump or turn and get hurt,” he says.

Other events in the Canadian Snowboard Championships include the parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom—each pitting one rider against another at the same time—and the half-pipe trick competition. Famous boarders like Mont Tremblant resident and two-time Olympian Jasey-Jay Anderson and Montreal boardercrosser Dominique Maltais will be participating. Malajube, Planet Smashers and les Respectables are headlining the musical portion of the event.

TELUS SPIN GOES FROM FRIDAY,
MARCH 27–SUNDAY, APRIL 5 AT MONT
TREMBLANT, $115. FOR TICKET
INFORMATION VISIT TELUSSPIN.COM