“I showed the younger athletes that it was possible”: Snowboarder Laurie Blouin reflects on her sport’s progression
With six X Games medals, two world championship titles, and an Olympic silver medal to her name, Team Canada’s Laurie Blouin has been a consistent force to be reckoned with in women’s slopestyle and big air snowboarding.
Since winning her first world title in 2017, Blouin has been a leader in the sport, pushing never-been-done-before tricks and elevating her competitors. Still only 28-years-old, she is an accomplished veteran rider, and one that many Canadian and international rising stars look up to.
Olympic.ca chatted with Blouin about her training, career highlights, and her predictions for the future of women’s freestyle snowboarding.
How did you get into snowboarding?
I got into snowboarding when I was five or six. I have an older brother, and he was snowboarding, and everything he was trying I had to try, so I decided to try snowboarding.
My mom put me into a couple lessons. They told me I was pretty good for my level, so I just kind of stopped, and then went on my own with my friends. That’s where it all started.
How have you seen women’s snowboarding progress over the course of your career?
It’s pretty crazy, and I’m really happy to be part of it. I remember when I started doing World Cups around [age] 17-18, I think women were winning with fives [540 degree spins] and sevens [720 degree]. If you were doing a seven it was pretty big. And now we’re doing nines [900 degree], 10s [1080 degree], sometimes 12s [1260 degree]. So it’s pretty crazy.
I’m just happy that I was a part of it. I was one of the first ones to do a cab nine double in competition, and then after, a front 10. I showed the younger athletes that it was possible to do more than fives and sevens.
[Editor note: Blouin was also the first woman to land a cab triple underflip in competition, which she did to win big air bronze at the X Games in 2023].
What are you excited about for the future of women snowboarding?
I think what I’m excited about is just that more girls are getting into it, and more girls are getting good younger, which in my time was really rare. I was one of the youngest ones; it was all older girls that were good pro snowboarders.
I think what we’ve been seeing is that the younger girls are getting better. So that’s pretty cool to see. And to just see the motivation of all the girls to be better.
Do you have any predictions for anything we might see in women’s slopestyle at Milano Cortina 2026?
It’s hard to say. I think the progression in slopestyle is different than in big air. It’s harder because it’s not only one trick that counts, it’s your whole run. So it’s hard to, for example, put a triple in your run, because you have to link all those tricks. So I mean, if it’s at Milano Cortina, it’s going to be soon, but I’m pretty sure we’re gonna see probably, like, a triple in a slopestyle run really soon.
Yeah, hopefully I’ll be gone by then, because that’s not my kind of jam! I like to do more technical stuff. I’ve had my time doing big tricks, you know? I like it, but it’s just different since I’m a bit older now.
How would you describe the international community within women’s slopestyle?
I think it’s so beautiful. It’s always been like that since I started snowboarding. The snowboard community is such a good, tight community, and we’re always happy for each other. We like to push ourselves, and we take inspiration from each other. We’re just all pushing each other and we all want to be better, but it’s not in a negative way
Some sports are really competitive, and they don’t really talk to each other or are friends. But we’re all friends at the end of the day, and we’re just all happy for each other.
What do you wish more people knew about your sport? Or is there anything that people get wrong about it?
I wish people knew more about our culture and the tricks we do. I know it’s a bit hard to understand, but if you take a little bit of time, watch some videos, people would understand the sport more.
Do you have a favorite snowboarding memory of your career?
I have a lot! Learning new tricks—those are always great memories. It’s one of the best feelings. When I was in my early 20s I was just always learning new stuff. Those are such good memories. And when I was younger, riding with my friends, all that stuff, like getting to the hill at 12pm and leaving at 10pm. It was good, good times.
And of course, PyeongChang [where Blouin won a silver medal—Canada’s first Olympic medal in women’s slopestyle snowboard].
What is the process for learning a new trick?
Well, back in the day, we didn’t have airbags, so it was more [a case where] you learn it on the snow. But I’ve been doing airbags since I was 20 or so.
They changed everything because you’re always on your snowboard—you do the same movement over and over and over. So your muscle memory just remembers everything. [When it comes to] the risk too, you’ve been doing it 1000 times, and then when you get to snow, you’re probably going to land it on the first try or second try, because you’ve been practicing so much. That’s the difference, compared to back in the days when they didn’t have airbags, the risk was a bit higher. But now we manage the risk more.
Do you have a favorite snowboarding memory as a fan of the sport, of watching someone else compete or someone that really inspired you?
When I was really young, I would watch snowboard videos of Jamie Anderson on YouTube for hours. I was looking up to her so much.
When I first podiumed in a World Cup, I was standing beside her on the podium. And I was like, “Wow, that’s pretty cool!” I’ve been looking up to her, and she’s been inspiring me, and now I’m standing beside her on the podium!
And I guess this is kind of a similar question, but any athletes you looked up to growing up?
I think Seb [Toutant] was one, because I met him when I was pretty young, because we had the same coach. Jamie and Seb were the ones that really influenced my snowboarding and my career. I met them when I was really young, so it was kind of nice I was able to snowboard around them.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Have fun and keep pushing yourself.
Rapid fire with Laurie Blouin
Any pre-competition rituals or routines?
I just go with the flow!
Favorite place to train?
Laax is a really fun place. Their park and set up is really fun. And when I’m back home, I go to Maximize which is nice. It’s like only three hours away, and it’s a high performance centre, so there’s like a big jump and a rope tow.
Favorite place to compete?
Oh, I think it’s Laax. Or X Games actually! X Games is a good one because you get sledded up, you get so much practice; it’s easy to get comfy with the course. Yeah, I think X Games is one of the best places.
How would you describe your style?
That’s a good question. I think my style is more like an old school style. When I see myself riding, compared to the other girls, I kind of like [the difference]. I like the old school vibe.
If you weren’t a snowboarder, what sport would you do?
I think I would be a sprinter! When I was in high school, I went to regionals for sprinting, and I did the relay too. I really like athletics.
