Top 10 Female Snowboarders Changing the Industry

When I was a young girl, one of my favorite movies was Terminator 2: Judgement Day, not because of Eddie Furlong (yes, he looked quite dreamy back in day) but because of one of the other main characters: Sarah Connor. After countless repetitions of “Hasta la vista, baby”, I still cannot decide if my favorite scene is the one of her doing multiple chin-ups on the end of propped up bedframe or when she loads and fires a shotgun with one arm. (That T-1000 from the future didn’t stand a chance.) I thought to myself “Whoa!” Her character was tough, fearless and – best of all – fierce.

In the world of snowboarding, a sport highly dominated by males, there are a bunch of “Sarah Connors” in the mix, female shredders who are constantly leveling the playing field by raising the bar and creating historical moments. What we would consider ordinary by today’s standards really wasn’t too long ago an anomaly. However, with board and industry support, the rise of sponsors and endorsements, equal prize money at major events, and female snowboarding clothing brands have become complete game changers. Today’s best female boarders are invited to events, have accommodations paid for, and are sponsored by major companies just like their male counter parts. Gone are the days of wearing men’s gear and clothing to comfortably get a piece of the mountain. Now, lady boarders can hang with the guys while still remaining true to their form of expression, identity and feminine chic. (Hello color! Hello sparkle! Hello, for pete’s sake, STYLE!)

The women warriors of snowboarding are killing it with their extreme and vibrant approach. I’d like to think of these women as the Amelia Earhart or Marie Curie of flips and inverted rotations, the Sarah Connor or Katness Everdeen of spins, or Coco Chanel or Vera Wang of grabs. Practically idols in my book.

It was extremely hard selecting only ten because there are so many awesome women who have contributed to snowboarding. In no particular order, here is a list of the top 10 female snowboarders who have already or are continuously paving the way for current and future female boarders, and have rightfully earned snowboarding’s R.E.S.P.E.C.T .

Lindsey Jacobellis