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Ross Profile
This section features some interesting facts on Ross Rebagliati.
Keep in mind, though, that these facts is not necessarily accurate; just look at
Ross' weight, for example; it fluctuates from 175lbs (80kg) to 185lbs (84kg), even
though he's officially listed at 180lbs (82kg). But whatever......just sit back and
enjoy the show. If you want more extensive biographies, be sure to read
CNN/SI's Ross profile.
Page 1 / Page 2
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Ross Profile / Page 2 |
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Agents/Sponsors |
Agent: IMG (Int'l Management Group)
Snowboard: 24/7
Snowboard Clothing: Orage
Casual Clothing: Roots Canada
Helmet/Eyewear: Briko
Before he won the gold medal, Ross was down to only one sponsor (Briko).
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Handedness |
Left |
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Stance |
Goofy |
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Bindings Setup |
Length: 48cm
Front Foot: 58 degrees
Back Foot: 54.4 degrees |
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First Year |
1987 |
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Turned Pro In |
1991 |
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Personal Coach |
(19?? - 1998) Jan Wenglin
(1998 - ) Andrea Matteoli (from Italy)
Andrea Matteoli was a veteran World-Cup rider who has been retired for about 5 years. In the 1993-1994 season, he was actually surpassed by Ross in the ISF giant-slalom
overall rankings. Ross was second in the world, while Matteoli came in fourth.
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Events |
Snowboard Racing (Giant Slalom/Super G)
In his first year, Ross also competed in the halfpipe but concentrated on alpine racing because he felt that he was "getting ripped off by the judging".
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1998 Results |
1st, Winter Olympics, Nagano
16th, FIS World Championships (Jan 23)
4th, Grundig Snowboard World Cup Grachen, Switzerland FIS (Jan. 9-10)
9th, (qualified for 2nd run) Snowboarding World Cup Slalom, MT. STE. ANNE, Quebec
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Competition Facts |
Ross travels to competitions with up to 12 boards.
To win his gold medal, Ross used an old board that he'd won on in Whistler in 1996—"a damn good board", in his words. (FOLLOW-UP: Ross' snowboard, which I learned was 186cm long, is now 3 years old.)
A great story on how big a competitor Ross is: When Ross went to Europe for a race (before Nagano), the airline lost all his equipment. He had to borrow a pair of oversized boots from one competitor, boards from another, bindings from a third, and the speed suit from the Italian team. His finish? 2nd and 4th (his best 1998 results, next to the gold).
Ross is the only non-European to have ever won at the European Championships; he did it in 1994.
In 1993, after Ross competed in Japan, a fan club began in his name. ("Well, it's not official or anything," Ross said shyly—typical Ross *^.^*)
When Ross was in high school, his principal at Lord Byng gave him permission to miss classes on Mondays and Fridays so that he could travel to competitions.
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Other Stuff |
Ross grew up wanting to be a surfer; unfortunately, he "grew up in the wrong climate".
Ross used to be a ski racer, but got so hooked on snowboarding that he practiced in his room even before he started the sport.
When Ross was 10 years old, he ran down a flight of stairs on his bike; afraid that the other school kids would copy him, the principal wrote a warning letter to Ross' father.
Ross' favourite get-away is surfing in Costa Rica.
Ross' favourite run in Whistler-Blackcomb was "Ridge runner". Hmmm, I wonder if they're going to rename that......
Ross' favourite places to snowboard are Whistler, BC (natch) and Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.
If Ross was to design his own snowboarding outfit, he'll use natural colours like blue,
black, white and earthtones. He thinks it's nice to blend with the
surroundings while on the hills.
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Future Plans |
Ross would like to get into making snowboards after he retires from competition. (And he's well-prepared for that too, having had that "damn good board" of his at Nagano used as
a prototype for new snowboards!)
Other future plans: movies, car racing, but he'll definitely be snowboarding forever (though not competitively)
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If you have any news, pictures or other info on Ross, you can send 'em all to me by doing any of the following:
©1999 Marina Liteyearz
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