The 13th Ride Shakedown in Mont Saint-Sauveur is gearing up to go down April 4th and 5th, 2014. Presented by Videotron Mobile, to contest is ranked as a 5-start TTR event, with riders competing for their share of a $50,000 prize purse. The course is comprised of a big air jump, followed by a rail feature, allowing slopestyle snowboarders an opportunity to properly showcase their talents.
Kyle Mack, Kim-Rune Hansen, Sebastien Toutant, Maxence Parrot, Charles Reid, Zak Hale and more will be making their way to Mont Saint-Sauveur to battle for Ride Shakedown glory.
For more details on the contest, check out the press release below:
Montreal, March 12, 2014 – For a 13th consecutive year, the world’s best riders will travel to Mont Saint-Sauveur next month for the Ride Shakedown presented by Videotron Mobile. The snowboard competition, ranked as a 5-star event on the World Snowboard Tour, will take place on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5.
The professional athletes taking part in the 13th edition of the Ride Shakedown will be competing for their share of a $50,000 prize purse; $20,000 of which will be awarded to the winner. They will need to prove themselves on a course composed of a big air jump followed by a rail feature- unveiled exclusively by Videotron Mobile on the eve of the event. This unique course will allow these slopestyle experts to impress the judges all while giving the 25,000-strong crowd a great show.
“The jump will be even bigger this year”, warns Patryck Bernier of Dizzle Entertainment, founder and Ride Shakedown producer alongside Brendan O’Dowd. “It will give athletes a bigger range to work with, which in turn will enable them to perform more awe inspiring tricks. The rail feature was once again redesigned this year and will give the riders even more options on which to unleash their creativity”.
There will be something for everyone at Mont Saint-Sauveur during the two-day event. In addition to the weekend’s main event on Saturday afternoon, which will feature some forty international professional athletes, the Friday is shaping up to be just as eventful; dozens of amateur athletes will battle it out during the amateur qualification to earn a spot in Saturday’s semi final. It is the best way for future rising stars to make a name for themselves and work their way up the ranks. Amateur registration is still open via the website: www.rideshakedown.com.
The Ride Shakedown halftime show is sure to deliver thrills as a slew of skateboarders tackle one of the feature rails on the course. There will also be a new segment, the Mini-Pro Halftime Show, where young athletes under the age of 13 will perform tricks on a rail specifically designed for them. “It’s a way for us to encourage the next generation of riders, which is also one of the event’s main objectives”, added Patryck Bernier.
The Ride Shakedown presented by Videotron Mobile isn’t just a competition; it is the main gathering for all action sports fans. Also on the agenda is the partner village, which contains a wide range of action sports representatives, entertainment, DJs, and an autograph session with professional athletes.
Olympians Parrot, Toutant, and Reid are the riders to watch
Among the invited riders are athletes who have recently made their Olympic debut in Sochi this past February. Such is the case for Quebec natives Maxence Parrot (Bromont), Ride Shakedown third place in 2011 and recent X-Games champion for both slopestyle and big air, Sébastien Toutant (L’Assomption, Ride Snowboard Pro team rider), four-time Ride Shakedown winner, and Charles Reid (Mont-Tremblant), Ride Shakedown champion in 2008, who represented Canada in slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
These hometown boys will be competing against many international athletes vying to be named Ride Shakedown champion, such as USA rider Kyle Mack (16 years old), in 9th place of the overall World Snowboard Tour ranking. Also competing for the title are two international Ride Shakedown veterans, namely Norwegian rider Kim-Rune Hansen, currently sitting in 5th place in Big Air on the World Snowboard Tour, and American rider Zach Hale. The full list of invited professional athletes will be available online.
Brendan O’Dowd feels that the addition of slopestyle as an Olympic discipline will have a significant impact on snowboarding’s popularity worldwide. “The Olympic Games was a forum that showcased not only the sport but also its athletes, who were able to make themselves known internationally by an audience who, at the time, didn’t have a clue as to who they were”.
“The funny thing is that slopestyle isn’t a new discipline and many of these same athletes have been competing at the Ride Shakedown for years”, reminds O’Dowd. “That’s the reason we’ve been around for 13 years now, and why so many people travel to be at this event. All the better if a new audience joins us this year!”
Access to the competition venue is free. Tickets for a seat in the stands surrounding the course are on sale now at rideshakedown.com.
Unique competition format
What distinguishes the Ride Shakedown and contributes to its success is first and foremost its competition format, a laid-back and festive environment where the constraints on the athletes are minimal. At the center of the action, the public benefits from an accessible and entertainment-packed show.
