The 13th edition of the Ride Shakedown, presented by Videotron crowned not one, but ten champions on Saturday night at Mont St-Sauveur. Due to strong wind gusts and constant snowfall, the top 10 athletes felt it was wiser to set aside the international snowboarding competition’s Big Air jump, opting instead to give the crowd a show on the rail feature.

“Our event is organized for athletes. It is ultimately their decision and we respect it. Furthermore, we fully agree with their decision. The weather was a serious safety concern,” expressed Patryck Bernier, co-founder and producer of the Ride Shakedown along with Brendan O’Dowd.

In a rider’s meeting, all 10 finalists also decided to split the $40,000 prize purse in equal parts. As a result, Quebec natives Justin De Castris, Philippe Fournier, Maxence Parrot, Michael Roy, Sébastien Toutant, and Marc-André Tremblay, Americans Brandon Davis, Mark Hoyt, and Seamus O’Connor, as well as Norwegian Emil Ulsletten will all leave the competition with deeper pockets, $4,000 deeper to be exact.

As an added bonus for being the top ranked semifinalist, Maxence Parrot earned the surf trip to Hotel Cinco in Punta de Mita, Mexico, which was meant for the Ride Shakedown title champion. Furthermore, athletes will be awarded points on the World Snowboard Tour as per their semifinal ranking.

While the decision demonstrated utmost sportsmanship, the the 90-minute final was set to be quite the showdown, as the top two of four judged runs would set athletes apart from one another. This laid-back approach beloved by all contestants, at the very heart of the Ride Shakedown’s unique format, had set the scene perfectly for the execution of spectacular performances.

All was not lost for the courageous spectators who traveled to St-Sauveur. Many athletes stepped up and gave the audience a show, despite Mother Nature’s trying temperament.

Despite the wind and snow, Patryck Bernier and Brendan O’Dowd believe to have exceeded ever growing expectations for the 13th consecutive year.

“The near 15,000 people who travelled to Mont St-Sauveur on Friday and Saturday bear witness to their faith in our event. They have high expectations for our event and we are always sure to meet those expectations, if not go beyond!” said Mr. Bernier, proud of their achievement.

“We want the Ride Shakedown to constantly evolve and we do it as much for the riders as for the fans who travel to be here. We want to reach athletes all across the world and present our event to as many people as possible,” concludes MR. O’Dowd.

For more info, results, pics and vids visit: http://www.worldsnowboardtour.com/events/ride-shakedown-presented-by-videotron-mobile-2014/

Image courtesy World Snowboarding Tour