On February 8, 1998, Ross Rebagliati made Olympic history in Nagano, Japan by winning the first ever gold medal for snowboarding. In Canada and around the world, fans of the sport celebrated the Olympic milestone. In 2005, to commemorate Ross Rebagliati's inclusion in the pages of history, he was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
Born in 1971, Ross Rebagliati took to the mountains at an early age. With his snowboard in hand, he moved to Whistler in 1990 to pursue his dream of becoming a world-class athlete. In 1991, Ross Rebagliati took top position at the Canadian and U.S. Amateur Snowboard Championships. Over the next few years, he took home a gold medal both at the Mount Baker Banked Slalom (1992) and the U.S. Open (1994). Following his win at the U.S. Open, Ross Rebagliati traveled to Germany to compete in the European Championships. There he not only carved his way to the finish line and the top spot on the podium but was the first non-European to win at the European Championships. In 1996 Ross Rebagliati won the 1996 World Cup in his hometown of Whistler, B.C.
Making its Olympic debut in 1998, snowboarding was quickly becoming known as the world's ground-breaking new sport. At the Olympic snowboarding giant slalom race, Ross Rebagliati competed with the world's top athletes. His years of training and endurance paid off, as he raced to victory and brought home the gold medal for Canada.
Ross Rebagliati has been able to take his love of the sport to reach out to youth in the community. He is an active member of the Make-a-Wish Foundation and his name and offer of a snowboarding lesson can be seen on silent auction ballots for many local charities including the Whistler Rotary Club and B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Always happy to meet with upcoming Olympic hopefuls, Ross Rebagliati is an active participant at annual events hosted by the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver and Kids Help Phone.
In May 2007, Ross Rebagliati accepted the position of Director of Snowboard and Ski Operations for the new resort Kelowna Mountain, in Kelowna, British Columbia. He is in charge of designing and managing snowboard and ski operations.
RASTA (Rebagliati Alpine Snowboard Training Academy) opened in 2008 with its first camps held in Bardonecchia, Italy, site of the 2006 winter Olympics. The RASTA camps offer intimate coaching by Ross Rebagliati and World Cup coach Andreas Matteoli. With their skill and expertise, He and Andreas are able to give campers valuable instruction and insight to help campers improve their riding. Camps are open to alpine snowboards of all ages and skill level. A maximum of 22 riders will be allowed to take each camp to ensure that each camper receives individual attention.
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