Team Members

Maëlle Ricker
SBX

Full name	Maelle Danica Ricker
Date of birth	December 2nd, 1978
Age (as of January 1, 2010)	31
Birthplace (Birth)	North Vancouver, BC
Hometown (Grew-up)	West Vancouver/ Whistler, BC
Residence (Currently reside)	Squamish, BC
Snowboard/Ski Club	Whistler/Blackcomb, BC
Current coach	Marcel Mathieu, Rene Brunner, Tim Milne
Training center	Whistler, Level 10 Fitness
Board Company you ride on	Burton
Stance on board	Regular Foot
Boots company	Burton
Nickname	Mighty Mouse
Sponsors	Canada Snowboard, Whistler/Blackcomb, RONA
Years on National team	13-ish
Language you speak	English, French

RESULTS
>> FIS World Cup
>> FIS Nor-Am Cup
>> Olympic Winter Games
>> World Championships

Have any of your relatives played sport at a high level?

My brother was on the National Team for Halfpipe back in the 90s. He just missed qualifying for the Nagano Games.

Why and how did you start snowboarding?

I copied my brother. He stopped ski racing and starting riding powder. I followed in his footsteps a few years later.

What is your first memory of snowboarding?

I rented a board and went up the mountain with my dad and brother. My little feet didn’t fit the bindings on the rental board so my dad gave me his Sorels. I put my boots inside his boots; it was a perfect fit. I never had cold toes and I got very strange looks in the lodge at lunch... Little girl with size men’s 12 boots on ;)

Why is snowboarding so much fun to you?

I love riding powder and being in the mountains. Being outside and active all the time is perfect for my short attention span and restlessness. Racing snowboardcross is fun in a different sense. It allows me to fuel my competitive side and travel the world.

Who has had the most influence on your snowboarding career and why?

My brother was a huge influence. He taught me to ride and always looked out for me on the mountain. I was also fortunate enough to grow up riding with Natasza Zurek. She pushes the level women’s snowboarding every year and rides from dawn till dusk everyday. I love her quote about snowboarding… “ I will ride forever, even if all my body parts are metal”

What is the most memorable moment you had in your career?

I have a few. It’s too hard to pick just one. The first one is from a freeriding trip to Chile. I got to do a first descent. It wasn’t a really crazy line or anything, but the feeling of being up in the middle of the Andes and dropping into a line that no one else had yet ridden or skied seems epic to me. The second moment would be from my first Olympics in Nagano. I remember my first run of pipe finals. I stuck a run that I had only done a couple times previously to that day. I specifically remember grabbing indy on one of my frontside airs and tweaking it. It felt great and the rest of the run was a dream. Unfortunately the second run didn’t go the same way. The third moment is from a World Cup SBX in Japan. I had a great day riding and had tons of fun with my team. I ended up winning the race and deemed it my best race of my career to date. The last moment is every time I get to go ride powder in the trees. It’s my favorite “type” of riding and I would ride fresh lines in Kyber’s (run on Whistler) all day everyday given the opportunity… ok tree riding in Japan is pretty good too!

Do you currently support a charity of any kind?

Nothing worthy of mentioning.

Do you do competitive sports other than snowboarding?

No… ok Scrabble.

Did you win any awards? If yes, which ones?

2000, Transworld Boardecross female rider of the year

What do you do in the summer?

Bike, hike, run, workout, snowboard

How would you describe your style of snowboarding?

Boardercrosser/ freeride wannabe

What was your first job?

Volunteering at a kids summer camp

What was your first car?

86 Toyota Tercel 4x4, “The blueeee heron”. This car was great for road trips. You could sleep in it and it was surprisingly great off road... And very cheap on gas. I wish I still had it to be honest. I see them on the road and wonder if mine is still chuggin’ away somewhere.

What is your highest level of education?

High school. Sentinel Secondary School in West Vancouver, BC

What’s on your Ipod right now?

Don’t own one that works...

Favourite musical type?

I like songs that you can sign along with in the car.

What music do you listen on race or contest day?

I don’t listen to music on race day.

Favourite band of all time?

Don’t have one but I love listening to Chumpy (Aussie racer Alex Pullin) play his guitar when we’re on the road. I’m also impressed by people who can belt something out when you sit around a campfire.

Favourite movie of all time?

Don’t have one

Favourite food/meal?

I love Asian Cuisine. Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese. Yum...

Favourite book/reading material of all time?

Don’t have one. I like adventure novels where you learn about the culture of another place.

Favourite World Cup region/location to compete?

South America or Japan. They both are great fun for different reasons. I love Japan because the chance of riding powder around the time of the event is high and the people/food are great. I love competing in Chile/Argentina because we actually get some time to see the country (we race there in September so there’s no rush to get to the next event)

Favourite travel/touristic destination?

Don’t have a favourite. I like hiking and exploring in new places.

Any superstitions?

I usually put a bit of snow on the back of my neck when I’m standing in the start gate. It’s a bit of a routine that zaps the system before I drop into a SBX course.

Who’s your snowboarding hero/favourite snowboarder?

Don’t have a favourite. I like Natasza, Terje, Jamie Lynn, GIgi Ruff, Nicolas Muller and many others.

Who’s your hero (actor, athlete, etc)?

I like Clara Hughes. She seems very nice and down to earth, and also has won medals in the summer and winter Olympics. Wow.

Do you have any hobbies?

Scrabble, biking, backpacking, fidgeting.