Meet snowboarder Erin Sauvé, Flylow athlete and the most humble champion on the FWT.
Erin Sauvé is not a nobody. But she jokingly likes to call herself that. A year ago, she had no sponsors, minimal social media following, and she was a snowboard instructor from Canada with a few impressive competition results. By April 2024, Sauvé was officially a somebody. A rookie on the Freeride World Tour, she blasted onto the scene by winning the FWT finals in Verbier, Switzerland, and securing the top overall title amongst women snowboarders. It’s quite a journey for a 35-year-old athlete who grew up in the flatlands of Mississauga, Ontario. We called up Sauvé to hear how that all went down.
Erin Sauvé
What first drew you to snowboarding?
It was the ’90s. Snowboarding was this cool new sport. I was getting bored with skiing and snowboarding felt like this fun new challenge. I loved it so much that I started teaching snowboarding at my local hill when I was in high school.
You didn’t stay in Ontario for long.
After high school, I moved to British Columbia. I always knew that BC had mountains. It was where real snowboarding happened. I knew at a young age that’s where I wanted to go. So, I found a college program out West that checked all the boxes. I ended up going to school for ski resort operations and management because that’s where my interests were.
Being a snowboard bum often requires holding down a few different jobs and hometowns at first. What were some of yours?
I bounced around a bunch. I spent five years in Whistler teaching snowboarding in the winters. In the summers, I worked for an outdoor zipline company and eventually, I found tree planting, which has been a big part of my life ever since. I lived up north in Smithers for a couple of years, then I went to New Zealand. I ended up in Rossland, BC, about eight years ago, and this is home now. I still plant trees in the spring and other forestry work, and I work as a contract firefighter.
What’s it like fighting fires?
Fires impact everyone. With the drying climate, summers in BC have been hectic in recent years as fires have made their mark. It’s super challenging work. But doing this job makes me feel like I’m contributing to a greater cause.
How did you get into big-mountain competitions?
I was part of the events crew at Red Mountain when the Freeride World Qualifier came through. Seeing all those athletes competing was really eye opening. It was inspiring seeing the athletes come down, seeing the scores, being a part of the whole environment.
Fast forward a few years—you sweep the FWT Challenger Series in 2023—then suddenly, you earn entry to the grand stage on the Freeride World Tour and you’re in one of the top positions going into the final stop in Verbier in 2024. What was going through your head?
It was an all-out fight getting to the top. I was in third in the rankings coming into the final stop, but the scores were tight between all three of us, with basically 100 points difference between us. So, whoever won the final event would become champion. It was anyone’s game. Which made it very intimidating. I knew I wanted to go big, but I also wanted to set myself apart from the other women.
How do you do that?
I try to think of ways that I can make my run stand out. I try to find a line choice that rides the fine line of being terrifying and exhilarating but still realistic in terms of I will 100 percent land this. My nerves were at an all-time high. I had to find the biggest features I could link up. I try to keep it light hearted and not focus on the fact that this is a big competition. I listen to good music, focus on my breathing. I try to stay positive and remember that this is just snowboarding and it’s supposed to be fun.
What’s your favorite thing about traveling around Europe for these competitions?
Cheese and bread: That’s my main diet when I go to Europe. I drink espresso and eat pastries for breakfast. That’s very non-Canadian of me.
What’s the most Canadian thing about you?
Hmmm. Good question. I like poutine.
What’s your plan going into this season’s FWT as the returning champ?
Last year, I felt like a nobody. Which I was. I was a rookie on tour. I was a relatively unsponsored athlete. But there’s going to be a lot more focus on me this year as a returning champion. I’m going to try not to let the pressure bother me. It’s all good, we’re just snowboarding. And I’m super excited for the women’s field this year. Being a nobody makes me want to be a somebody. There’s a push to draw attention to yourself—I do like attention, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. But there’s also this motivation to make a mark and show the world who I am.
Erin Sauvé will return to the Freeride World Tour in Baqueira Beret, Spain, in January 2025. She’ll be wearing the Flylow Foxy Bib and the Domino Jacket. You can follow along on her journey here.
Domino Jacket
Forecaster Beanie
