Park Manager: Isabelle Falardeau
To continue our Women in the Industry series, we’ve interviewed Isabelle Falardeau, who is the terrain park manager at Snowmass, Colorado. As one of the only women in the country in such a high level of terrain park management, we thought she’d be an inspiring person to interview for girls who are interested in getting into park design and construction. She’s also one of just a few chicks around who drive cat. And who doesn’t want to drive a snowcat?
Where did you learn to ride?
I learned to ride at Mont-Saint-Castin outside Quebec city. All my friends had started the year before so I had to learn fast. It was a small hill that catered to teenagers because it had a great park from the beginning. It closed down 2 years later. Most my friends stopped riding so much, but I started riding at another nearby hill: Stoneham, where the park was (and still is) known for it’s good and fun design. The pipe was my favourite then. I worked for the board shop to get a free pass, and I rode almost everyday, after or before school or work.
What exactly do you do for Aspen/Snowmass terrain parks? How did you get involved with that?
I am Snowmass Terrain Park Manager. My work is varied; from hiring/managing our day and grooming crew, rail design and building, park design/building, grooming, special events and photo shoot building and co-ordinating, to taking part to daily maintenance. I have to mention that I work with a team of passionate and talented people who also make me (and my work) look very good. I started to get involved with terrain parks in Whistler, where I went for a year off school. I volunteered with the Blackcomb Terrain Park crew once a week to get my pass. I loved it and decided to stay for an extra year, and got a paid position on the day crew! I later moved to Aspen where I worked at Buttermilk for 4 years before I moved to Snowmass last winter.
What is your favorite park feature?
Does powder on the side of the jumps count? Seriously, it changes all the time. Last season I really got into true-table style jumps. They are very fun to ride because they are less intimidating than a step-down style jump. They are very interesting from a park designer’s point of view also, because they are great for riders of different abilities to use. Beginners get used to the feeling of catching air with lesser consequences. Intermediate and advanced riders can practice new tricks before they take them to more challenging jumps.
Ninjas or Pirates?
I must say Pirates. I fell in love with Johnny Depp as a girl watching Don Juan de Marco. Didn’t we all?
Is driving a snowcat fun? Can I drive one?
It is way fun. For me, it is a great challenge. I learn stuff from every driver I work with (in the park on special projects), or every time I work on a new feature/project. Park driving/building is very different from regular cat driving because in involves a lot more snow to push and more precise blade work (and a lot more backing up all night!). I have to admit I also learn a lot from experienced “flat groomers? because they know the machines well. You can drive one if you find someone to harass to let you try! You have no idea how often I, myself, asked: “Can I drive?”
Isabelle Falardeau
Who do you believe is the most influential woman in snowboarding today?
This is a very difficult question for me to answer. I know a lot of girls are working hard to make their spot in the snowboarding industry and doing a fine job! There are incredibly talented riders, photographers with a vision, inspired magazine editors… As far as riding goes, I look up to Janna Meyen a lot. I think she is the best rider out there right now. She has incredible style and humble attitude. From the business point of view, ski resorts still seem to be a boy’s club. Few women in my environment are in upper management positions. I would like to see more of us in those positions.
One of our editors is always coming up with insane rail ideas. How can a girl like that get into designing park features?
It seems like park features design is fascinating to many riders. I guess dreaming features up has been part of the sport from the beginning. Snowboarding was so underground for so long and riders had to create and build their own features. With terrain parks getting used by a lot more people these days, most resorts have specialised park design, building and maintenance crews to ensure quality and safety in the park. The same is true for rails. Getting involved in the park crew, and learning wood and metal work are the first steps towards designing and building rails. Learning cat operating is the next step as far as snow features. I would like to mention that gnarly features are great and fun to come up with and build because of the “Wow factor”. We usually get to do so in a photo shoot or competition setting. However, designing park features is a lot about building features most our users will enjoy, which are usually more modest
Who’s hotter, a guy with an Australian accent, or a dirty jersey rider in gangsta pants?
I am surrounded with good, healthy, tough looking guys all the time in the park. It is one of the best perks of the job! My boyfriend Greg doesn’t quite have the Aussie accent but he is from Ontario eh!
What’s the best movie ever?
I don’t pretend to know this much… And I could say The Community Project is a great movie but I don’t think the best movie ever is a snowboard movie. I recently watched Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”, and very recently saw Michael Moore’s “Sicko”. Both movies, along with many more, helped me get to know the world I live in and made me think. I think that’s what makes a great movie. Because in the end, if the world warms up so much that snow doesn’t fall anymore, even Follow Me Around will be a pretty sad movie.
Do you ever ride in competitions?
I don’t really compete on a regular basis at all. I usually have to work for comps taking place in my park. I sometimes take part to small comps. I like friendly comps like PBJs or like Boxzilla, which took place at Snowmass Glacier Park on June 24th this year. I am sometimes frustrated because not all comps include categories for girls. I try to push for it when I can. It can be intimidating and discouraging to compete against guys…
Isabelle Falardeau
If a young girl asked you why she should try snowboarding, what would you say?
I would definitely encourage her to go for it. Like a lot of things, if you don’t try you don’t know if you love it or if you don’t. Snowboarding is a passion for me, it can be for many more girls. In the movie Mountain Town, Gino Hollander (retired 10th Mountain Division soldier now an artist living in Aspen) says: “If you like it, do it more. If you don’t like it stop it, change. There isn’t anything more to it!” What a great piece of advice!
Any final comments?
I’ll avoid a long list of people I thank for their love and support. I hope I had or will have a chance to tell each person personally how much I appreciate it.
Posted by staff on 02/04
