The Snowboarder's Journal - The Snowboarder's Journal 22.1
OPPORTUNITY TO RISE AT RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Words Lauren Powers 2024-10-01 09:40:40
Mia Jones off the top rope during the media day portion of the inaugural Research & Development gathering at Whitewater Ski Resort, BC. Photo: Andrew Miller
“It’s important to keep it tight,” said Robin Van Gyn. She was referencing the short list of riders selected to compete in her inaugural Research & Development [RnD] event at Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson, BC. “I was consulting with Kimmy Fasani, Jess Kimura, Leanne Pelosi, Marie-France Roy and Hana Beaman to build this list. It ended up being 14 women and was supposed to be eight, but I couldn’t say no; there were so many riders banging down my door to have the opportunity that we decided to open it up a little more. The goal is to take freeride and freestyle to the next level, and these are the women who have the most potential. You give riders the opportunity to try and they will rise to the occasion.”
A women-only hybrid event in the Whitewater backcountry, RnD was built to amplify snowboarders who blend freeride and freestyle. Equal parts film session and competition, the weeklong gathering brought in ladies from as far afield as New Zealand and Finland. With a handful of well-respected media professionals on hand and mentorship from some of the best women to ever do it, RnD was designed not only as a feeder event to bigger contests (one competitor will be part of next year’s Natural Selection Tour), but also as a crash course in backcountry media production. And the contest winner was a surprise addition.
“Three days before the event a spot had randomly opened,” said 17-year-old Ellery Manning. “After I was invited, there was no question on if I was going to go. Going there as the youngest competitor was pretty nerve-wracking.”
Traveling up from Tahoe, Ellery settled in just fine. Sharing the podium with Stefi Luxton and local prodigy Estelle Pensiero, Ellery’s stylish tweaks and composure in the steeps led to an unexpected first place finish in the competition—proof that there is a depth of female talent that just needs the platform to succeed.
The venue for competition was divided into two zones to spread the riders out across a bowled ridgeline. With a variety of hits, cliffs, steep spines, chutes and exposure, there was room for each rider to show their strengths. Hana Beaman, 2022 Natural Selection Tour Alaska winner and one of the judges and mentors at the event, spoke to the technicality of the zone: “The face was hard to see into from the top and it’s tricky to scope a line by just using photos, so it really challenged the riders’ ability to interpret and navigate the terrain. Features can look one way from the bottom and completely different from the side. It can be very difficult to have confidence in the line you pick and ride it with power and commitment.”
Add to that challenging conditions for the late March event—eight inches of fresh snow atop a thick crust—the competitors stood up and threw down. For instance, watching as Zoë Vernon navigated a spine over exposure on her second lap had the audience gripped silent—Zoë won the “Gnar Award” for that one. But it was about more than the awards.
Indeed, the vibe of the competition itself was incredibly supportive and nurturing. Whether or not she stomped, every woman dropping her line was cared for by her peers; and, if anything, the harder the bail the more support she got from fellow competitors. “Even just getting this number of women together to ride something like this creates so much synergy and progression,” Marie-France Roy, a judge and mentor, said. “The level at which these girls showed up absolutely blew my mind. All the ladies charged, even with the challenging conditions, and it proved once again that the women can truly shine when given more opportunity.”
Opportunity—that’s what it comes down to. “I want to see equal numbers of women and men in backcountry competition across the board,” Robin said. “The argument has always been that there are not enough women that can hang [in the backcountry] and I disagree with that sentiment wholeheartedly. They need to be given the opportunity and space to try, and Research & Development is the venue.”
©Funny Feelings LLC. View All Articles.