At the age of 42, the Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medalist in parallel giant slalom is in top shape. The four-time world champion in snowboard – and still the winningest, most-decorated alpine snowboarder – is preparing to take part in the sixth Olympic games of his career. Tremblant Express met with the athlete, who devotes most of his time to the research and development of high performance snow boards. He continues his quest to discover the formula that will allow him to design the world’s best alpine snowboard. “Because, without top-level equipment, an athlete is nothing in alpine snowboarding,” says Jasey-Jay Anderson.

Will these Olympic Games coincide with the culmination of his seven years of dedication to research and development? We wholeheartedly hope so.

Tremblant Express: “Do you see an Olympic medal in the offing? »

T.E.: “What do the Olympic Games represent for you?”
J-J.A.:  “A specific moment when your quest reaches its end and you start going down another road. That’s it. You do your Olympic runs, and the following day, it’s a day completely different from the hundreds of days that preceded the Games.”

T.E.: “What have you retained from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games?”
J-J.A.: “After the 2010 Games, I told myself that I would like to benefit more from the quest itself. Everything I did prior to Vancouver was to pull all stops to achieve the ultimate goal: a gold medal. I had built my life around that objective. And what I’ve learned over all those years is that the journey, the quest, is more important than the objective to be reached.

T.E.: What result are you aiming for?
J-J.A.: “If I concentrated solely on the results I would risk sacrificing my learning period, my apprenticeship. But I believe I know exactly what it takes to win an Olympic medal.”

T.E.: “Will you use it?”
J-J.A.: In part, yes. Why only in part? Because you have to have the humility to understand that you can always learn. Even if I know a great deal in my own field, I have to focus on the 20 per cent I don’t know and not on the 80 per cent I know. That’s what allows me to grow.” 

T.E.: “Are you at the point of reaching the goal in your research?”
J-J.A.: “I adore learning. I’ll do it as long as my body will allow and I’m able to travel. But I’m nearing an end point. And it could coincide with the period of the Olympic Games. It’s possible, unfortunately, that it will spill over a bit. Whatever happens, I’ll continue to develop. Whether I’m making a ski or a board, one of the most important things in my life is performance.”

TREX:  “Do you have a lot of support?”
J-J.A.: “I have good resources, like my patent from Sport Canada; very loyal sponsors; and research and development credits that help me face the astronomical costs of development.

“Tremblant helps me enormously, too. When I have to test a new board, the guys in the Shop are my best friends. They have very highly specialized machines that I don’t have. They do superb work. And if I need to block off a run to test or train, Tremblant accommodates me. I have done that very few times, but the offer is there. It’s a golden opportunity, particularly at critical moments, which correspond to major development periods like before the Olympics and the World Championships.”

T.E.: “Who helps you stay in shape?”

J-J.A.: “I have three names. Physiotherapists Jacinthe Lemieux, of Cliique Mouvement Optimal, Carole Tremblay, who is in Laval, and osteopath Annie Moreau, of Mont-Tremblant. I have also learned to know my body and I don’t have any injuries, which helps. In the end, you have to know how to manage yourself.”

T.E.: “How do you feel as part of the national team?”
J-J.A.: A bit alone. I compete with the young ones, and I can’t share what I live because it’s too specialized. Only my wife Manon, who works with me, understands my work. I dedicate myself body and soul, to the point where my life is somewhat constrained. I didn’t expect to do research and development for so long. I expected that the companies would know more about their field. That’s why I keep looking for the recipe that will allow development of the best system.”