Whistler snowboarder Finn Finestone has finally received the call he’s been waiting years to get—he made the national snowboard team as part of the Slopestyle Next Gen program.
“I had an idea that it was about team selections, but I didn’t know why they were calling me. Like I thought that it was maybe to tell me that I wasn’t on the team anymore. It was great but also surprising,” said Finestone.
“It was kind of a weight off my shoulders, like a relief. So I was stoked and relieved.”
However, Finestone won’t be the only member of the team representing the Sea to Sky area as Whistler’s Juliette Pelchat and Pemberton’s Jadyn Chomlack are already part of the Next Gen program.
Finestone and Chomlack have been close friends, and riding partners, for most of their lives and it’s that friendship and competition that Finestone believes to be a major reason both have made it this far.
“We’ve kind of grown up pushing each other. We go to a contest and it’s always head-to-head with both of us and that’s super good pressure to have. I find it’s like having a brother in the sport,” he said.
“And I think we just thrive off of each other’s riding and we always have, and that definitely helps with progression.”
According to Brian Finestone, Finn’s father and the man who first got him on a snowboard at just three years old, this news is extremely exciting but not entirely unexpected.
“I certainly knew that he had all of the resources here and he showed early promise so it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if someone had told me one day he’ll be that good. It’s sort of just the dots connected naturally,” said Brian.
“I think it was great timing for Finn, the fact that he just graduated from high school, he now has all the time in the world to dedicate to the sport. So I’m super excited for him and obviously proud, knowing how much he loves it and how much dedication he has to it—to see him successful is every parent’s dream.”
Finestone considers his dad to be one of the most influential people in his snowboard career so far, but according to Brian, that inspiration goes both ways.
“Well, I’m honoured,” said Brian. “And I would like to say he is as much an influence on my snowboarding. He got me trying things that I hadn’t tried in a decade or two decades. He is absolutely an inspiration to me to ride and keep riding. I directly benefit from his skill set and he’s my biggest influence and now I get hand-me-down equipment so that’s great too.”
Finestone made the team despite not really being able to compete much in the past year due to the pandemic. However, that might have been a blessing in disguise as it allowed him more time to hone his skills.
“[This year’s] been a little tricky just based on [the fact that] I haven’t actually competed in a while, but then again it was a good season because we did have an opportunity to have some training camps with the team, which was really helpful,” said Finestone. “This year was really about trick development, and it felt really good to just have, I mean I wanted the pressure, but it was also nice not to have it, just to sit back and focus on some things. I think it worked out the best it could have for me.”
Heading into his first year on the team, Finestone continues to focus on trick development and the little details like getting his body stronger that will help him achieve his next goal of making the full national slopestyle team one day.
“I think a big thing is obviously focusing on my snowboarding and trick development but I think for me right now, [I’m focused on] getting my body strong, so that when I’m on snow I can progress and move forward as fast as possible,” he said. “But I’m stoked and it’s a new step for me, so I’m learning and it’s exciting for sure.”
