Athletes

Our presenters are all members of the Protect Our Winters Canada Ambassador Alliance. As some of the most accomplished professional athletes in Canada, they are committed to environmental leadership and using their influence to create change. We support each athlete presenter by equipping them with the information, training and tools needed to effectively deliver the Hot Planet, Cool Athletes program. As role models for the leaders of tomorrow, they hope to inspire students to use their own voices for climate action.

get to know our ambassadors

KELSEY SERWA

Ski Cross Athlete, Olympic Champion

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Kelsey Serwa started skiing as soon as she could walk. With her grandfather, Cliff Serwa co-founding Big White Ski Resort in the early 1960′s it was inevitable that Kelsey would lead a life greatly influenced by the skiing community. From the age of six Kelsey progressed from level to level in the Alpine world and in 2008, was named to the Women’s National Development Team for Canada. Embracing opportunities, the avid alpine racer made the decision to try something new and transitioned to ski cross in 2009. She took the World Cup ski cross tour by storm, making a name for herself instantaneously and earning the prestigious “FIS Rookie of the Year” award. With an entire community of family, friends, teachers and sponsors supporting her, Kelsey has earned 18 World Cup podium finishes, is an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, World Champion, 2-time X-Games gold medalist, 2-time Olympian, 2-time National Champion, 2-time South American Champion, and University student. Kelsey is the only Triple Crown winner, encompassing victories at the Olympics, World Championships and X Games. She is also the only ski cross athlete in the World to win multiple Olympic medals.

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CHRIS RUBENS

Professional Freeskier

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Truly dedicated to the mountains and passionate about movement in them, Chris spends the majority of his time self-propelling in the backcountry and putting down beautiful lines for both film and photo projects. Lately his pursuit of adventure has become year-round; creating quality climbing, running, hiking and bike content. An impressive athlete, a strong character, a funny personality- Chris stories resonate with audiences because they are a window into an amazing life. He spends most of his winters collaborating with Salomon TV, MatchStick Productions and Sherpas Cinema. Between trips you can find Chris at home in Revelstoke, BC the perfect backyard for endless opportunities for outdoor pursuits.

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MARIE-FRANCE ROY

Professional Snowboarder

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Marie-France Roy grew up in Quebec, Canada, and began following her two older brothers around the local resort on a snowboard at 11 years old. A love for snowboarding influenced her move to Whistler, British Columbia, and she has been happily living the life of a professional snowboarder for over a decade. From her early competition experience at the X Games to her more recent back-to-the-mountains approach, Roy has traveled the world while enjoying the ride. Known for being one of the most stylish and versatile riders in snowboarding, Roy is also recognized for her humble and giving nature. She is the recipient of the 2015 Climate Activist Award from Protect Our Winters and TransWorld SNOWboarding magazine. Roy divides her time between Whistler and a self-built, environmentally-minded cob home on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

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MIKE DOUGLAS

Professional Freeskier & Film Producer

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[:en¸]Mike Douglas has been called one of the 10 most influential freeskiers of all time. He, along with the members of the New Canadian Air Force, pioneered modern freestyle skiing and developed the first high-performance twin tip ski with Salomon back in 1997. Since then he’s won dozens of awards for his skiing, and has more recently added award-winning filmmaker to his resume. His company, Switchback Entertainment, produces documentary adventure films and the web series Salomon TV.

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KIM LAMARRE

Freestyle Skier, Olympic Medallist

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The mountains have been at the centre of Kim Lamarre’s entire life. She started skiing at the age of 2 and snowboarding at the age of 7. With her grandmother, Ginette “Gigi” Seguin, being an Olympian that represented Canada in alpine at the 1956 Cortina Winter Games, Kim started dreaming big at a very young age. She wanted to excel in a sport but she just didn’t know which one. In 2001 Kim saw the ski movie “Propaganda” by Poor Boyz Productions. That’s where her passion for freeskiing started. She now had the dream of competing at the X Games. She achieved that dream when Women Ski Slopestyle made it’s debut in 2009. She also got her first medal in 2011, a bronze medal at the European X Games in Tignes, France. To cap off an amazing 2011, the Olympics announced that Ski Slopestyle would make it’s debut at the 2014 Sochi Games. Kim now had one goal in mind: Follow her grandma’s footsteps and become an Olympian! Sadly for Kim, she tore a ligament in her right knee both in 2012 and 2013. Consequently the Canadian Freestyle team decided that the Quebec freeskier wasn’t worthy of a spot on the team anymore. Kim wasn’t ready to give up on her dreams and gave it her 120%. The hard work paid off. With the support of her family, friends and the community, Kim went on to have the best season of her life. A podium finish at the Dew Tour, X Games and Olympics. The three biggest events of the season.

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Philip Marquis

Freestyle Skier, Olympic Medallist

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Philip Marquis is a Quebec City native who started skiing at the age of 2. Thanks to his parents’ cabin in front of Stoneham ski resort and to his big brother Vincent, Philippe developed a strong passion for freestyle skiing. Over the years, Marquis has developed as one of the very best moguls skier in the world and a chief rival of Kingsbury. The two shared the dual moguls podium at the 2015 FIS World Championships, along with teammate Marc-Antoine Gagnon, during what was the first ever sweep by a Canadian trio in the history of the sport. Marquis is a fierce competitor with a positive outlook, two personality traits that helped him make his way to finals in the 2018 Olympic Games despite a torn ACL. His emotional journey to the Olympics captured Canadians’ hearts from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Marquis’ lovable personality has made him a natural on camera, but has also proved useful as one of the veterans of the Canadian team over the past 12 years.

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Haley Daniels

Whitewater Canoeist, Olympian

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Haley’s story began with a paddle in her hand and a smile on her face. She grew up exploring Canadian rivers on canoe trips with her family and quickly fell in love with the thrill of fast-moving water and the hidden places it took her. Haley’s been at the forefront of gender equality reform to push for equal opportunity in sport. As the multiple Canadian champion in women’s whitewater slalom canoeing and Pan Am Games Bronze Medalist, she’s pioneering a legacy towards Tokyo where women’s canoeing will make its debut in the Olympics. When Haley isn’t paddling, you can find her running trails, skiing down mountains, or biking on roads and ridges to take in all the outdoors has to offer.

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GREG HILL

Professional Ski Mountaineer

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Greg Hill began backcountry skiing in 1995 and completely immersed himself in this sport ever since. His enthusiasm and endurance slowly separated him from the pack. Countless days spent skinning up hill, honed his skills till he has become one of the foremost ski mountaineers in Canada. Always pushing deeper into the unknown, be it his personal limits or an unexplored mountain side. He has hundreds of first descents around his home range in British Columbia, Canada, as well as South America, Norway and Pakistan. Best know for when he climbed and skied 2 million vertical feet (609km) in 2010, climbing 71 mountains (in both North America and South America). which earned him “Top 25 fittest guys in the world” Men’s Fitness 2011 ‘Skiers of the Year” Skiing magazine 2011 He was also “Adventurers of the Year” National Geographic Adventure 2006 He has accomplished many goals, be it climbing and skiing 50 000 ft in a day or his March Madness in 2014, when Greg climbed and skied 100 km, or 330 000ft up. It was all backcountry skiing, each day he visited a new area and never repeated any zone. He has amassed well over 200 summits gained throughout the world. Recently he has taken to deeply looking into sustainable adventure and exploring these realities. He has sold his F-350 and snowmobile, no longer heli-guides, travels to all his mountain adventures in an Electric car. and has now climbed 40 mountains without the use of fossil fuels.

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NATALIE SEGAL

Professional Skier

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Born and bred as a skier in Australia’s Victorian Alps, since 2010, Nat has been traveling the world as a top competitor in freeride skiing events, including the Freeride and Freeskiing World Tours. Nat is known for her high energy, adventurous spirit and driven personality. It is these attributes, as well as her proactiveness in the media and her passion for skiing that has found her travelling the world working on a range of projects. This includes filming with Shades of Winter (2014) and co-organizing and participating in the Shifting Ice and Changing Tides Expedition to Greenland, for which she received a National Geographic Young Explorers grant. Based in Chamonix, France, Nat continues to progress her freeride skiing and ski mountaineering skills.

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IAN MCINTOSH

Professional Big Mountain Skier

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An started skiing at the age of two, learning to walk just two months prior. Growing up in a small ski town near Banff, CA, Ian knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life: ski. After high school, he moved to Whistler, where he and several ski friends would live for a year. Following a ski bum year, he traveled to New Zealand to follow the snow and his passion. Since then, he has competed on the Freeride World Tour and has been featured in multiple ski films. For Ian though, “It’s all about being in the powder.”

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IZZY LYNCH

Professional Skier, POW Program Director

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While most Calgary skiers Izzy’s age were riding the lifts and hitting gates, the Lynch family was busy building a backcountry lodge in British Columbia, an experience which fostered Izzy’s love for nature and big mountain skiing at a young age. Although Izzy did ski race and compete at an international level, it was that feeling of freedom that she found in the isolated mountains at the lodge that pulled her to build a life in the mountains. Now a mother, she shares those same values with her own son. As a storyteller, Izzy’s craft is to merge skiing with those kismet moments she has in remote areas, sharing different narratives of herself and others pushing their boundaries in films and writing. She wears many hats in the outdoor industry, merging all facets of her life – from backcountry skiing, coaching, motherhood and filmmaking, to collaborating with fellow athletes and since May 2019 has worked as the Program Director for POW Canada. She resides in Revelstoke, BC.

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JOSHUA DUECK

Professional Freeskier, Paralympic Champion

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Father of two little chaos machines and husband to a real beauty. Former Canadian Paralympian; Paralympic, World and X Games Champion. Executive Director for Freestyle BC. Peer Mentor with Spinal Cord Injury.

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