Behind the crew: Adrénaline Urbaine

Behind the crew: Adrénaline Urbaine

Adrénaline Urbaine has big plans in the works and they are all about the growth of board sports culture in Quebec. With the imminent opening of a Sport Center integrating skateboarding and snowboarding, the Défi Hors-Piste Challenge, school programs and much more, the young company really spread its wings over the past few years. And that's just the beginning!

We recently told you about the summer edition of the Défi Hors-Piste, but without going into who is behind this project and what they are up to besides DHP.

After speaking with F-O Jutras, the founder of Adrénaline Urbaine, we quickly realized that there was no shortage of plans for him and his team. On the eve of the opening of their sports center in the heart of Trois-Rivières, we are happy to be associated with such a passionate team who has boardsports at heart just as much as we do.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the next Quebec "Woodward", the origins of Urban Adrénaline Urbaine and the multiple upcoming projects from this one of a kind company.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet F-O Jutras from Adrénaline Urbaine!

 

Sup F-O, to start, introduce yourself and your role at Adrénaline Urbaine. My name is François-Olivier Jutras and I am the owner / promoter / director at Adrénaline Urbaine. Before going into details, tell us a bit about your background. Are you from the skate and snowboard scenes? Of course! I have been in the board sports culture and industry for a very long time, especially in surfing, snowboarding and wakeboarding. I come from a small village called Sainte-Perpétue and as there was not really a surface where to skate there, I was a bit less involved in this sport, but still, it’s always been a part of my life. As I was very fond of these sports, I decided to study coaching at University. I subsequently became a wake trainer and then redirected myself to snow coaching with Apex in Saint-Sauveur. It was cool to coach the next generation of rippers and help them progress in their sport. During this time, I have accumulated a lot of experience in events. By touring the local wake and snowboard comps, I have contributed and been exposed to a lot of events. Finally, it allowed me to accumulate a good experience in what are the pillars of Urban Adrenaline. Coaching, the influence of board sports and events. When was the company Adrénaline Urbaine created? I started Adrénaline Urbaine about 4 years ago. After starting to collaborate with Phil Joyal during the “Wake Dans Rue” wakeboard competition tours, I discovered that there was a gap to be filled and that adding multiple board sports in one event could be a great way to do so. I then bought Phil Joyal’s equipment and company and I pushed the concept further to finally transform it into our very first event: The Défi Hors-Piste 2017. The first event of its kind in Quebec mixing snow, skate and wake in the heart of Trois-Rivières.

What has been your main inspiration when it comes to DHP. The first Défi Hors-Piste was mostly a group of friends who wanted to create a hype in Trois-Rivières by bringing together the board sports industry in one event. What started as a weekend trip with the crew quickly turned into a bigger project with a summer and winter edition, but the primary motivation is still there: to mix all our favorite sports into one event. What is the long term mission / vision of the company? Adrénaline Urbaine seeks to democratize board sports and make them interesting and accessible for everyone. All this while promoting personal development and physical fitness through stimulating activities. We would like our sports to ultimately become as popular as all the other sports that we watch on mainstream television channels. How many members are on your team? At first, Urban Adrenaline was me and one of my good friends. Today, we are a team of 12 employees and we expect to increase to 20 people with the new sports center, scheduled for January 2022.

Can you give us more details about your future Sports Center? Basically, our sports center will be a means of mixing sports practice, training and coaching as well as events under the same roof. Winter and Summer, in the center of Trois-Rivières. Not trying to reveal too much, but there will be an indoor skatepark, a rooftop snowpark as well as designated areas for climbing, trampoline and obstacle courses. The Adrénaline Urbaine sports center, which is an idea I have been working on since university, will be located in the new district 55 in Trois-Rivières, right on the edge of the highway. This place will be at the center of a new and very active location that includes a Coliseum for Junior Hockey players and a training center for NHL rookies, restaurants as well as several other attractions that will make it a place where stuff happen at all times. Will the Adrénaline Urbaine Center be an extension of your famous “Backyard” or a whole different thing? It’s the follow up. The "Backyard" served us as a market study which allowed us to prove that the demand for an alternative sports center was indeed present in Quebec. We called it the backyard because the snowpark (Winter) and skatepark (Summer) are located right in the backyard of our offices. After a few years of doing events, coaching and promoting our favorite sports, we decided that the next step would be to mix everything under one roof: The Urban Adrenaline Sports Center. The Backyard is a bit like the pilot project of this future sports center. A test to see if people would use this type of installation. Let us tell you that our statistics have shown us this is the case! There is real enthusiasm for an alternative sports center in Quebec.

Your company also gives skate lessons/initiations in schools. How many schools do you work with currently? We are doing demonstrations, lessons, initiations during lunchtime in 35 schools now. There are also plans to implement sports/study programs in 10 schools within the next few years. What does Adrénaline Urbaine have in store for 2022? Do you have any scoops about what the Urban Adrenaline Sport Center will offer? First, we will have a roof top snowpark in winter, an indoor skatepark open year round. To encourage more customers to take an interest in our world and have fun with our sports, we have also included trampolines, obstacle courses and climbing.

Stay tuned for the official opening of Quebec’s next "Woodward" and follow Adrénaline Urbaine on Instagram to stay up to date on all their events and upcoming news! See you at the Urban Adrenaline Sports Center in winter 2022!