If there's a so-called "It Girl" in snowboarding at the moment, there's no question "it" would be none other than Annie Boulanger. Thanks to a cover shot and an impressive part (shared with Marie-France Roy) in Absinthe's Neverland, plus plenty of play from her sponsors, Annie wound up atop the Transworld "Exposure Meter" this fall: something rarely accomplished, if ever, by a female rider.

But don't be fooled: Annie's been earning this success for years. When every other female pro was strong-armed into entering contests, Annie headed straight to the backcountry, where she learned to sled and shred in deep snow among all-male film crews. Her persistence paid off; not only for her, but for other female pros, who are now being encouraged to chase shots instead of podiums. This freedom didn't come easily, but the results are now obvious: when it comes to dropping cliffs and ripping lines, Annie's in a category all her own.

With the snow already piling up in record amounts in Annie's hometown of Whistler, BC, she's enjoying the rare freedom of riding without cameras before she starts another filming stint with the Absinthe crew this winter. I caught her between pow days to talk about the recent recognition she's received, plus any on-snow shenanigans that went down last season. Hey, you don't know if you don't ask, right?

At the moment you're on top of the Transworld Exposure Meter, which is an impressive accomplishment. You've had plenty of strong coverage over the years, but there seems to be something special happening this year. Why do you think that is?
Wow, good question.... I'm not sure. I didn't expect this. I'm really stoked, though, ‘cause I thought I had some good photos last year, but I didn't feel like I killed it. So I'll have to go with probably a combination of luck, good timing and hard work.

On that note, a lot of female pros can't seem to escape the contest circuit, even when they're also trying to film a part. Yet somehow you've been able to avoid contests for a long time now... Have you just been really persistent about that, or have you been fortunate to have the right support from your sponsors over the years?
Well, at first I still went to a few contests, but I really didn't want to be at them and so I didn't place well. Then I became very persistent with my sponsors and stuck to my idea of not competing. I was getting lots of calls from them demanding that I go to the Open and such. I can't say that they where very happy about my decision at first, but with time they became more supportive when they started to see photos and footage.

Speaking of sponsors, you were one of the first riders on the Nike program. People are fascinated with Nike, and I have no doubt you must get asked about them a lot... How stoked were you when you first got approached by them?
At first I was super stoked, but definitely a little scared 'cause they had failed before. As soon as the program started, we visited the offices and started designing boots with the Nike skateboarding guys and saw how much Nike respects athletes, I was so pumped. They're fun, with cool ideas, and they treat athletes like no one else out there. I had no idea it was going to be this cool. It's really awesome to have had the chance to be a part of it from the get-go.

FS 360.

Nike are so big compared to the even the biggest snowboard companies. What kind of unique opportunities come along with riding for them?
Going to a basketball game and meeting Michael Jordan! [laughs] No, not really, but I wish... I'd say the way they treat athletes for sure. They're also open to new ideas and doing things differently than others. It's fun to work with a company that has the budget to support new ideas and take risks. They have a big history of working with the greatest athlete, and I think they've been very successful because they've listened to them.

You've been living in Whistler for a long time... What do you think about the Olympics coming up soon? Are you stoked about it, or are you just planning to get out of town and avoid all the craziness?
I was never a supporter of having the Olympics come to Whistler. The less people around here, the better for us... If I didn't have to film, I'd probably go see a few events, but I'm going to get out of town as fast as possible.

What do you think of the recent trick developments in the pipe?
Wow... watching people ride pipe now-a-days is crazy. Guys and girls are pushing it and learning tricks so fast. It's crazy how much time they're spending in the pipe! I still prefer to see smaller tricks done big with sick style. Back threes in the pipe are my favourite tricks to watch.

Half cab.

Any predictions of who you think will win, both for women and men, at the Olympics? For women, who do you think is really pushing it in the pipe these days?
I think Torah [Bright] is killing it and doing creative runs. I also love to watch Gretchen [Bleiller] and Kjersti Buass. For the men, I'd love to see Danny Davis and Scotty Lago up there killing it.

Over the past few seasons, I know you've been having to "go it alone" in the backcountry a lot, in terms of having to be in crews with mainly guys. What difference did it make getting to ride with MFR last winter when you were filming?
It was super fun to have someone to relate to, and it's so fun to travel with her. She's super funny, and it really felt like going on a road trip with a buddy. It's so nice to hang out with a girl while traveling and riding. We feel like eating the same kind of food, and chilling a bit more then the guys.

Watching your Absinthe part, you could really sense an energy between you two... what was the average day like when you'd be out shredding and filming together? 
Every day is different, but we're usually in a good mood and we laugh a lot. We'd generally try to find terrain that both of us would like to ride. Some days she'd really want to build a jump and I'd prefer hitting cliffs. So we'd push each other to get out of our comfort zone.  Some days we'd both ride so bad, but we'd just laugh about it and remind ourselves that we're not in Iraq.

Annie in Absinthe's Neverland

There must've been some moments of comedy that went on... any funny stories you can share?  
This one jump we built... it was a massive cheese wedge, ‘cause Marie's jumps have to be perfect! We couldn't' land anything. Marie got to the bottom after her eighth attempt, totally discouraged, and says: "We should just be sluts!" And then Romain [De Marchi] puts on all of Marie's gear on -- board, beanie, jacket -- and said, "I'll get that shot for you." So he went up and did a sweet front seven with her gear on. It was awesome!  Kind of one of those moments where you had to be there...

It's a lot of hard work filming for a part... What would you say your perfect winter day be when you don't have to film, and you can just go ride and do what you want and have fun?  
A perfect day is one of those early season days when nobody is in town, and it just keeps dumping and dumping every day so we have a good base, and you can ride the trees all the way down to the valley. Those are the best days ever! I can never get over those; it's always the best part of my life right there. Just go up the hill and ride deep powder with a few friends...

Half cab drop.

Do you have any specific goals for the winter? 
Do some nice fun lines, hit some cliffs and get some air time!

Lastly, tell us one thing that most people don't know about you.
Maybe there are some things that I don't want people to know... [laughs]

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Related:
The Award-Winning Marie-France Roy
Absinthe Returns With Neverland
Game On: How To Get Ready For Winter (with Annie Bolanger)