It’s International Women’s Day, which means we get to hark on about some of the badass ladies who rock the boat in the snowboard world. There are so many more lovely ladies we would have liked to include, but alas, we’ve cut the list down to just 10. We’ve got 5 wild women who blazed the trail for those ahead of them, and 5 badass babes who are doing the absolute MOST right now.
The first 5 are women who we grew up watching pave the way for us all today, they’re the legends who fuelled our passion. They’re the ladies who covered our bedroom walls on posters and magazine cutouts, and who’s video parts we watched over and over. They’ve all had a huge impact on the sport itself, and particularly resonated with the progression of the womens industry.
The second 5 are a rad bunch of girls who are killing it right now, some might be big names already, some are ones you’re gonna want to keep a close eye on. Either way, these chicks are role models, ambassadors and insane athletes and they never fail to get us hyped.
Check out our list, and of course just because you don’t see your favourite rider on here it doesn’t mean that she hasn’t had an influence on us or the sport, we really did just run out of space. Here come the girls!
1. Karine Ruby
Karine was the first woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal for snowboarding which is an iconic feat in itself. Karine dominated the giant slalom and boardercross event circuits for years, winning a more than 65 Snowboard World Cup events, plus an impressive 2 Olympic medals. Ruby was in the process of becoming a mountain guide, when a tragic accident claimed the lives of her and 2 others in 2009. A Chamonix legend, Karine Ruby showed the world just how dominating a woman could be within the sport, and her legacy as an athlete and woman lives on.
