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' inclusion in the pages of history, he was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.
Born July 14, 1971, Ross 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 took top position at the Canadian and U.S. Amateur Snowboard Championships. As the years moved forward so did Ross' winning streak. Over the next few years, Ross took home a gold medal at the Mount Baker Banked Slalom (1992) and the U.S. Open (1994). Following his win at the U.S. Open, Ross traveled to Germany to compete in the European Championships. There Ross not only carved his way to the finish line and the top spot on the podium but was the first non-European to win the European Championships.
With the European Championship win under his belt, Ross focused his training on winning the 1996 World Cup in his hometown of Whistler, B.C. Surrounded by Canadian fans and neighbours, Ross raced to the finish line to take home the winning medal. Making its Olympic debut in 1998, snowboarding was quickly becoming know as the world's ground-breaking new sport. At the Olympic snowboarding giant slalom race, Ross 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 has been able to take his love of the sport to reach out to youth in the community. As an active member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ross has helped grant the wishes of children from as far away as Florida. Ross' name and offer of a snowboard lesson can be seen on silent auction ballots for many charities including the Canadian Diabetes Association, Whistler Rotary Club, British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the Endeavour Auction and the Steve Nash Foundation. Always happy to meet with upcoming Olympic hopefuls, Ross is an active participant at annual events hosted by the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver and Kids Help Phone.
Ross is also the founder of the Rebagliati Alpine Snowboard Training Academy (RASTA) and currently Sales Manager for Westterra Point. He lives in Kelowna, B.C.
