Shred Betties | Betties | Marie-France Roy

Marie-France Roy

This Canadian rider is one of the most progressive female riders today. She has made a name for herself by taking risks and pushing women’s snowboarding to new limits, throwing bigger spins in competition, and tackling impressive and varied terrain in her video parts. Last season, she took home the most awards at the Transworld Rider’s Poll, with wins in the women’s division for Best Video Part, Rider of the Year, and Reader’s Choice. Lately, she has been focused more on filming than contests, and you can check her out in the Rome SDS video “No Correct Way,” and in Runway’s all-girl production “See What I See,” and Oakley’s “Uniquely.”

Interview

Age: 24
Home Mountain: Whistler Blackcomb
Years Riding: 13
Sponsors: ROME, OAKLEY, REDBULL, 32, ETNIES, AXIS, CILLA, MAYDAY, POM POM, WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB
Setup: 18,-18 22,5 inches stance

What do you see as your big break in the snowboard industry? What was life like before that?
Snowboarding has always been a big part of my life, ever since I started at 11 years old. Everything went pretty gradually. I did my first small competitions at around 16, got my first sponsor at around 17, moved to Whistler at 20. The only difference is now its also became a job so it’s even a bigger part of my life. I’m so lucky, so I’m gonna try to take advantage while it lasts. I definitely worked hard to get to this point. My first summer job was also at eleven, at 4 bucks an hour 9 to 5. I went through lots of dish washing, housekeeping, bussing tables, sleeping in my car and such over the years. It paid off, because this was all like a little girls dream that I never ever thought would be realized.

How do you pick your sponsors, do you get a lot of different offers?
I think its all about supporting a brand that truly cares about snowboarding and that is ready to support you back. The money is not necessarily the best option. I tried to always go with my heart in those decisions and its never easy, but so far I’m very very happy with who I’m with.
How much input do you have with your sponsors, for instance, do you work on the design of boards for Rome?
Yes. Rome always works with their riders for input for design and graphics, and they truly listen to us. It’s awesome. I’ve also been on a lot of testing trips for Oakley for outerwear and eyewear and its really productive. They have been working on an rider inspired series this year, so I got to design my own jacket and pants with the designers, that’s super exciting. Etnies also works with their riders and gave me and Leanne (Pelosi) our own colorway on the shoe of our choice this year so thats super dope too.

We promised Sarah we’d ask… so, how awesome is POM POM wax?
POM POM is such a rad company. It comes from people that truly love snowboarding and put all their heat into this company. Just the fact that Sarah and her husband Roger (started magical GOGO, POM POM’s big brother) left their wedding on skateboards shows it all to me. That’s the spirit we live for! They have all kinds of cool natural products from wax to lip balm and all kinds of accessories that rock.

How does filming with an all-guy crew like Rome compare to filming with the Runway girls?
Both are awesome. Its for sure really different but both have pros and cons. Filming with the guys sometimes pushes me more but sometimes what they do is so damn gnarly that I can’t just step up to that. Filming with the girls is really fun, and their diet on the road is way better than the guys!

Does wearing lots of neon colors help improve your riding?
Ah! I love colors. I truly believe that if you like and feel comfortable in what your riding, you’ll ride that much better.

Do you pick the songs for your videos? Just because we’re wondering if we can start admitting in public that we have some Monkees songs on our IPods.
Thats awesome!! they usually ask me what I would like and work on it together. I really wanted some Patsy Cline in there so I was stoked to have that happen. My song in The new movie No Correct Way wasn’t my first pick but it was a band I used to listen to in high school, so I’m super pumped on it!

You’re viewed as one of the most progressive women in snowboarding. What do you see as the next step for women?
There’s such much more we can do. That’s why its so fun for us still, I think. For the guys, it seems like almost everything is so sick and there’s so much that has been done that its so hard to push it more. There is still so much that hasn’t been done by women. It’s getting better every year. Girls like Annie and Natasza push it in the backcountry and new girls like Raewyn Reid and Desiree Melancon are doing such sick tricks on rails in See What I See. Its really cool to watch!

Does the kind of board you’re looking for change from year to year, or stay fairly similar?
Its pretty similar. It just depends on what I’m riding that day. If I had to use only one board for the whole year I would be really happy with the Lo-Fi 50. But when there’s lots of powder, I like to use the Blue 55, and when we get after metal in the streets I like a shorter soft board like the Detail 46.

How do you keep snowboarding fresh, so you don’t become sick of it?
For me, snowboarding is like cheese cake. I like it so much but if you eat it every single day or if you are forced to eat it, you get over it. That’s why its good to take breaks so I get super pumped on it. And when I’m over it, I try to have just one day with my friends and just have fun goofing around. That’s what snowboarding is all about!

If you had to pick one mountain to live and ride at for the rest of your days, where would it be?
Whistler, without a doubt. Its just such an amazing mountain, and I still have so much to learn about it. It’s also the best place in the summer. You can ride the glacier in the sun, go downhill mountain biking in the sickest bike park in the world, go skateboarding, jump in one of the many lakes and have a BBQ with your friends, all in one day if you are brave!

Who do you enjoy riding with the most?
My friends in Whistler especially Johné and Claudia and Charles, my brothers, Chanelle Sladics, Bev Vuillemier, Raewyn Reid. I don’t see them as much but I also really like Laura Hadar, Natasza, Annie, Anne-Flore, Jamie Anderson… all fun bitches.

What’s the plan for this season? Doing lots of filming?
Yes, lots of filming, some contests but not too many. Not everything is figured out quite yet but it will be pretty soon.