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A Life of Snow
It's quite possible that Marie-France Roy was born in the snow, and if not, there was surely snow on the ground that day in 1984.  In fact, Marie-France can't remember an April 17 birthday without snow and ice all around her.  This may not be a surprise given that her hometown of Les Eboulements, Quebec is nearly 900km northeast or the winter-wonderland known as Montreal.  "I come from a beautiful little town," she says with a big smile, "and the natural thing for most kids is to play hockey, ski, and have giant snowball fights!" 

 
Marie credits her two big brothers for getting her into snowboarding, a less popular sport in the relatively reserved county of Charlevoix, QC.  "I remember my first day on the mountain with my Dad and brothers," says Marie-France. "My Dad and I were on our skis, and my brothers had snowboards.  I kept falling and thought what they were doing looked way more fun.  So that was the end of my brief ski career!"
 
Indeed Marie had found her calling even before ever strapping into a set of snowboard bindings, and she hasn't looked back.    
 
Her Very Own Style…and way of thinking
While following her brothers into snowboarding was natural to Marie-France, she’s anything but a follower.  "MFR," as she's known to many friends, likes to create and maintain her own style, and is not one to walk in the footprints of others. 
 
"It has always been important to me to be myself, and not what the industry or snowboarding scene wants me to be," she says. "Hopefully I have a good long road ahead, and to be successful, I can’t ever forget who I was before my pro snowboard career began." 
 
Being grounded is what MFR is all about, and those that know her best know that Marie is just as happy to talk about punk rock or better methods of recycling as she is to explain how to land a huge Frontside 720.
 
Paying Her Dues
Do young and determined skiers and snowboarders really go to contests without a place to stay, barely enough money to eat, and sleep in their car?  Ask MFR and you'll learn the truth – they do.  The 21-year-old says she remembers driving up to 10 hours to compete even in small local competitions in Quebec and Vermont.  Why?  Perhaps she made a small profit after paying for gas, skipping the motel and packing a bag lunch.  But probably it was because she felt compelled to do so - there was no other way for her to climb to the pro ranks. 
 
"While I don’t miss those cold nights, it was probably good for me," Marie giggles. "I always felt like I was the most motivated girl at every competition, and that I had probably sacrificed more to be there than the girl next to me.  So I really had something to prove."
 
If nothing else, going from rags to riches has kept the 2005 Transworld Female Rookie of the Year Nominee very humble.  Few pro snowboarders use the words "thank you" more than MFR does.
 
From East to West
Sleeping in a car overnight in Whistler was bound to be warmer than sleeping in a car in Quebec, but that's not the reason Marie migrated west.  "I knew from an early age that to take my riding to the next level, Whistler-Blackcomb was the best place for me.  Canada may be huge, but word travels easily in the snowboard world, and I always knew that Whistler could help to make my dreams come true."
 
This isn't to say that Marie couldn't find challenging terrain back home in Quebec.  She just had to work a lot harder to get to it – riding between trees, down steep embankments, and frequently launching off squirley cliffs.  "I was lucky to have some really fun, and also really fast guys to chase around in the Charlevoix-style backcountry when I was young.  It's probably one of the reasons I've gotten to this point today – they were crazy and refused to wait for me!" laughs Marie. 
 
Does MFR credit anyone else for helping her along?  "Yes, I've always believed in my little angels that keep me strong so I don't get badly injured.  They're always there for me."