FLY BY 1MMLOQoFQVQL4FPB>Q4BPBde &BSBILMJkQ Certified powder slayer Estelle Pensiero dropping cliffs with composure on her way to second place in the contest portion of R & D. Photo: Lauren Powers 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 audi-ence 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 any-thing, 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 progres-sion,” 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 & Devel-opment is the venue.” 106 THE SNOWBOARDER’S JOURNAL
The Snowboarder's Journal The Snowboarder's Journal 22.1: Page 106
