MEET THE TEAM

Chad has made a career out of sound design, composition, film editing and recently produced a documentary (See Me) that explores 3 men and their journey through opioid addiction. He loves working on stories that blend adventure, the beauty of the mountains and stories of resilience.

He found snowboarding 20 years ago through his twin boys, Jamie & Jordan and loves how it brought them together in the mountains.  It started with family trips to Fernie and progressed to traveling with them to slopestyle competitions and rail jams across North America.  “The boys loved snowboarding more than anything else, and would constantly push and support each other to test their limits.“ 

“The most memorable trip was to Mammoth for the Volcom Peanut Butter Rail Jam which featured jibbers of all ages across North America. I couldn't keep up with them through the terrain parks and features so Jamie & Jordan would bring out the GoPro to capture the day and I would enjoy my evenings editing their footage together with them.”

“When you become a parent your most important job is to  raise healthy and happy children. So watching Jamie struggle with anxiety and opioid dependency were the most painful times in my life. I couldn’t understand how the pull of opioids was stronger than his love of friends, family and his passion for snowboarding. As a parent I went through a lot of shame, guilt and wonder what I could have done differently.” 

Jamie’s sense of humour, healthy challenge for authority, and close connection to family and friends will never be forgotten and make up the values of our foundation. We want people to talk openly about their mental health, stay connected with each other and most of all have fun and keep active through snowboarding.

Jordan Blain grew up skateboarding at a young age with his twin brother Jamie, and they fell in love with snowboarding as soon as they first strapped in.

"Jamie and I were about as close as brothers could get. We shared the same friend group, had a similar sense of humour and attitude, and we both had the same love for snowboarding" They joined clubs like Riders On Board and Winsport Academy to help progress their skills and travelled around North America.

Some of his favourite memories come from time spent on the road with friends and family travelling to competitions, or on the mountain. After some time he took a step back from competing and went to study at SAIT and start a family.

Recently Jordan has been able to balance his day job with coaching in the evenings with Riders On Board . "I am very thankful to be able to reconnect with this great snowboard community. It has helped me in so many ways and I'm grateful to be able to give back and help others through the JBMF."

"I know that over the years while Jamie struggled with addiction, it took a toll on my own mental health. There were times that I felt that people would judge Jamie for his addiction and not who he truly was. Tragic events like what happened to Jamie and mental health issues aren't easy to talk about, but it's even harder to go through it all alone. The more I opened up about Jamie's story, the more I saw that people understood and could relate in one way or another, and this helped me a lot. Every time I strap into a snowboard I feel happy and lucky to do so. It also helps remind me of all the great times we shared. Having fun on the mountain and talking about my own struggles are the two things that helped me get through this all the most, and I hope that the JBMF can do the same for others."

❤Snowboarding Saves❤

Chris is the National Team Lead Freestyle coach with Canada Snowboard and co-founder and director of the Jamie Blain Memorial Foundation. His roots in snowboarding and skateboarding date back 27 years ago when he was inspired by his brother Ed. Like many of us Chris started snowboarding for fun, then as a sponsored competitor. After a couple of knee injuries he transitioned to coaching at 21 where he led up-and-coming riders with success in events, getting sponsored and becoming amazing individuals in their adult life.

In 2011, Slopestyle snowboard was announced as an Olympic sport and in 2012 Chris was named Slopestyle National team coach for Canada. He is currently prepping for his 3rd Olympics and his team has won 5 medals from 4 different athletes under Chris’ leadership! 

Although the team has been very successful, they always consider their real success when “Our Behaviors Match Our Values” and this is a motto Chris lives by. “When we do this the results and success are a bi-product of our real definition of success. Although it is great when we get results, at the end of the day when I see athletes move on in their lives as great human beings that is when I feel like we have been successful.”

“This is why I am a part of this cause. We want to bring more awareness to mental health through the memory of Jamie Blain. I coached Jamie and his brother Jordan for many years when they were grommets. Jamie and Jordan have a deep love for the riding but also connecting with other riders and the community. I am proud to have known Jamie. He was a caring person and it's important for all of us to learn from his story.”

Kevin is an elementary school teacher, snowboard judge, former President of Alberta Snowboard and co-founder / director of the Jamie Blain Memorial Foundation.

Kevin moved to Calgary from Ontario to be close to the mountains. He completed all of his instructor and coaching levels, helping all ages to stand sideways on the hill. He really enjoyed coaching 8-10 year olds in freestyle. 

"That age range was fun to work with as those kids are so enthusiastic and have a great capacity for learning. For many of these kids it was their first introduction into competitive sport and it was a privilege to share that experience with them."

In 2005 he was introduced to snowboard judging in Ontario and has since judged local, national and international snowboard events. "My most memorable judging experience was the 2014 Burton US Open. It was amazing to be part of such a historic and iconic event"

He is now a father of two girls and spends much of his time teaching them to snowboard. "My best day of riding would be 30 cm of fresh snow in Fernie, riding with friends and family"

Professionally, he is a teacher with a focus on physical education. "I try to incorporate physical activity into all of my teaching, including outdoor activities like snowboarding. I see the challenges of mental wellness in my students on a daily basis and wish all of these students had an outlet to support their mental health"

POW turns for all ❄👊

Stacey Hicks has spent her life dedicated to snowboarding and is a co-founder and director of the Jamie Blain Memorial Foundation.

She is a former Canada Snowboard halfpipe athlete that has competed in well over 100 events with a national title and world cup podiums. Her favourite memories? Travel, friends and the journey... not the results.

Today Stacey is a proud mom to Turtle and team manager with AMP Snowboard Academy She is focused on identifying gaps in coaching and training programs so we can better support athletes with neurodiversity and mental health issues.

This photo goes back to 2019 Sunshine Village when Stacey (right) was Executive Director of Alberta Snowboarding and helped organize the first ever Jamie Blain Memorial Fund Banked & Style event.

Starting as a young child Harrison was instantly hooked on snowboarding. He got into competitions at a very young age and by 14 signed contracts with Burton, Oakley and Nike 6.0. "In 2013 I broke my back and had 4 vertebrae fused in my spine, which put an end to my career and also really started the mental wellness problems." Having suffered from these afflictions JBMF is a very passionate cause for Harrison.

Currently he is in a recovery program and holds a few service positions in the local Whistler recovery community, and looks for any way to be of service. "Finding out I wasn't alone with these wild and dark thoughts made it so much better and easier to persue help and change. 

Through working with JBMF I plan to give back and help in as many ways as possible! There is lots of space in our snowboard community for mental health and wellness support and to be there for each other."

The JBMF team is fortunate to have Harrison with his enthusiasm and lived experience to promote mental wellness in our community.