Vans is proud to partner with the Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation and the Montreal Olympic Park to allow snowboarders to practice their sport at no cost in the center of the city.
*** Dillon was our dear friend, team rider and an all-around great human who always influenced us in the most positive way. Still to this day, his positive influence is steadily shining on us through his foundation and projects like the Vans Snowpark. A major thank you to Vans, the Olympic Stadium and Dillon Ojo’s Lifeline Foundation for fulfilling Dillon’s dreams of accessible snowboarding and for blessing us with a free facility in the city.
HOW IT CAME ABOUT
Montreal’s new snow park by the Olympic Stadium was established in honour of Dillon Ojo, a beloved local snowboarder who left us in a 2018 accident. Launched on Jan. 20 by Vans, the Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation and the Montreal Olympic Park, this dream playground for snowboarders was created to fulfill Dillon’s vision, which is to give city kids easier access to snowboarding.
Going to the resort is expensive. You’ll need to pay for a lift ticket, gas to get there and probably food too. Without mentioning all the planning that goes into a day at the resort. With the Dillon Ojo snowpark, none of that will be necessary. Alex Auchu and Gio Vacca from Vans Canada both remember how Dillon used to think that snowboarding was too expensive to be accessible for everyone. “Having something like this in the city makes this sport way more accessible." Vacca mentioned.
Elaine Charles, Dillon’s mother and founder of the Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation confirmed that making snowboarding accessible was her son’s goal and this park is the proof. “Dillon was born in Montreal, and he would have loved to have a park like this one to train in without having to plan for transportation to a ski station. He wholeheartedly enjoyed life. He liked to laugh, learn, play, share special moments with loved ones, and help others. The snowpark will be a place where these values will be shared and where young people can create lifelong memories”.
“We want everyone to be able to discover and take part in this fine sport which our son loved so much. We know he would have wanted to pass on his passion to the greatest possible number of people, so we took on this mission in his honour." She added.
"The Olympic Park is proud to offer these sports facilities free of charge to the community, at the very place where Montreal youth gathered nearly a hundred years ago, on the Morgan slope, for sliding sports. This snow park adds to our growing offer of sports facilities accessible to all. A century later, we continue to support Montrealers in the practice of physical activity by revealing ourselves once again as a great urban park that is active, useful and a must in the city." - Michel Labrecque, CEO, Montreal Olympic Park.
“We are delighted to be able to once again participate in the mission of the Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation through this new initiative. It is also important for us to make snowboarding accessible to all and allow Montrealers to immerse themselves in this culture. We hope the project will continue through the years.” — Alex Auchu, Marketing Manager, Vans Canada.
THE PARK
The new Dillon Ojo snowpark is situated on the east side of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, is easily accessible by Metro and has obstacles for every skill levels. Located close to the Viau subway station, steps away from the Vans skatepark, this new playground is open every day, from 9 am to 5 pm, until the end of March or as long as the weather permits. Access is free at all times for all visitors.
Among the state-of-the-art snowboarding infrastructure, you’ll find 8 obstacles, with rails of various levels of difficulty and a medium-sized jump, so that people at all levels and of all ages can make use of it. The rails sizes go from small to big, allowing everyone to take advantage of the free installations available at the Stadium.
The lines at the park are easy to understand and the obstacles are perfect for progressing on your board. The layout of the obstacles on the short slope is also perfect. There are 3 sections back to back and each section has 2 or more obstacles next to each other, allowing boarders to hit 3 obstacles of their choice in a row.
On the first pitch, you'll find a mellow flat box next to a nice down rail. For the second hit, a flawless down flat down round rail and a rainbow box. The last hit of the park is the most packed. On the far left, a medium size jump with a corner hip that you can jib. Right next to it, a flat down rail, a flat tube rail and a flat rail into bank. Everything you need to keep your skills sharp or simply to develop them and bring them to the next level.
This Snowpark is a conception of the Quebec agency Dizzle Entertainment in collaboration with Today's Park for the design, creation, and maintenance. Its production required more than 5,000 cubic meters of snow. Manual maintenance of the installations will be done every Thursday and mechanical maintenance every two weeks in order to ensure the quality of the modules. There is no chair lift, and wearing a helmet is mandatory.
