“It’s important to keep it tight,” said Robin Van Gyn. She was referencing the short list of riders selected to compete in her inaugural Research & Development [RnD] event at Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson, BC. “I was consulting with Kimmy Fasani, Jess Kimura, Leanne Pelosi, Marie-France Roy and Hana Beaman to build this list. It ended up being 14 women and was supposed to be eight, but I couldn’t say no; there were so many riders banging down my door to have the opportunity that we decided to open it up a little more. The goal is to take freeride and freestyle to the next level, and these are the women who have the most potential. You give riders the opportunity to try and they will rise to the occasion.”

A women-only hybrid event in the Whitewater backcountry, RnD was built to amplify snowboarders who blend freeride and freestyle. Equal parts film session and competition, the weeklong gathering brought in ladies from as far afield as New Zealand and Finland. With a handful of well-respected media professionals on hand and mentorship from some of the best women to ever do it, RnD was designed not only as a feeder event to bigger contests (one competitor will be part of next year’s Natural Selection Tour), but also as a crash course in backcountry media production. And the contest winner was a surprise addition.

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