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I am Griffin Mason, a 21 year old Snowboard Cross (SBX) athlete born and raised in Wakefield, QC. With five ski hills in our area and parents who pioneered snowboarding in the '90s, I was destined to spend winters on the slopes as soon as I could strap on a board. I made my first turns at Ski Vorlage, located a block from my elementary school. I was there everyday after school all winter long. In February 2011, we heard of a SBX race at Mont Ste Marie (MSM). Decided to give it a try and I won the U11 category both days. That's when my racing career began with my dad, Tom Mason, as my coach and training at MSM. Snowboarding is a family affair. My two siblings, Johnny and Emmy, are CASI snowboard instructors and coaches in our snowboard club - Club Prestige at MSM. My dad not only coaches me but is the head coach of Club Prestige with my mom, Carly Woods, both coach and coordinator of our club.
After my early success in the U11 category, we followed the Coupe Quebec Circuit and I was invited to join the Quebec Development Team. In 2018 and 2019 I brought home the U15 National Championships races at Big White in BC. My first year FIS was 2019/2020 and I have been competing with other Quebec SBX athletes in Europe and North America since then and represented Canada at the World Juniors in Russia in 2021. My first World Cup race was at Mt. Ste. Anne in March of 2023. Currently, my racing circuit is focused on the NorAm Cup. I’ve had many top 10 finishes in the NorAm circuit over the years and was excited to start this season off with 1st one day and 2nd the next at Sun Peaks in January 2025, With that satisfying start, I look forward to representing Quebec in North America for the remainder of the season. And perhaps represent Canada again in the future.
SBX is a thrilling sport but with most winter sports at this level, it’s an expensive one. I support myself by working as an arborist, cutting firewood and snow making. I also help design, build, and maintain our SBX track at MSM. I appreciate the opportunity provided by Snow Athletes Canada to raise funds to help me on my snowboard competitive journey.
Thank you all.