The female and non-binary snowsports community made up for lost time this September. She’ll Be Right took over Cardrona, with their annual event that served up a seriously high level of riding and space for those behind the camera to shine.
We came on board to back the community side of things. And we didn’t just rock up with Merino and slap around a logo. We got stuck into the whole week, from build design and the hard yards, to the welcome night and panel yarns. And then we handed out the goods.
Here’s the rundown from our crew on the ground, Lily and Grace.
What is She’ll Be Right and what did Mons have to do with it?
She’ll Be Right is a grassroots collaboration of female and non-binary pro riders, emerging talents, cat operators and park crew, working alongside a stacked collection of videographers, photographers, artists and event pros.
The event grew out of a lack of female representation in New Zealand’s snowsport world, and we’re not just talking about the people who stand in front of the camera. The goal was to create a stage for riders, photographers, filmmakers, and the people who build and look after the park community.
Mons Royale was stoked to be part of the build, welcome and industry panel night, and the community day at Cardrona. So, a bit of everything really.
Before the riding, there’s the digging. What went down on build night?
Build nights are all hard yards and no highlight reel. Watching a design come to life from the middle of it was something else. Fifteen to twenty people turned up. Only three were blokes. One of them was Ed Leigh, legend and friend of Mons, so we’ll allow it. A special shout to Melanie Joan Lloyd, the only woman working for Cardrona Parks.
It’s easy to forget how much work goes into a park before anyone drops in. Most people see the feature on the day. Few see the night before, when a crew gets stuck in so the riders have something worth riding. That’s the side of snowboarding this event puts front and centre, and it’s a big part of why we wanted in. Getting to be part of the build, not just the polish at the end, made the rest of the week feel like we earned it.
Give us the round up on the welcome night and industry panel.
Our mates down the road at B.Social Taproom and Eatery took us in for the welcome night. The Mons crew ran an interactive polaroid wall and took a snap of every person who came through. Evidence, if you like. It gave the night a loose, hands-on start, which is exactly how you want a room full of strangers to begin.
Then came the industry panel. Haley Ashby and Rach Hadfield from Depth of Field hosted a panel of greats: Olympic snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, psychologist Mariane Wray, Creative Design lead at Burton Casey Callahan, filmmaker and manager Chiara Grisoro, photographer Belle Grace, and our very own Mons Royale representative (and ex-competitive freeride skier) Lily Balsom.
The panel nailed the whole vibe of She’ll Be Right. This event exists because women in New Zealand’s snowboard world, in front of the camera and behind it, needed an opportunity to do their thing. Putting riders and creatives on one stage, with a room full of the wider community listening, is how you start building that. We loved being part of it. And the polaroids were on point.
And then came the community jam.
The community jam and shoot was the highlight of the week. After being part of the build-up to the event and all that went into it, having an insane turnout made it all so worth it.
Grace and I were vibe hype girls, we met so many talented humans, kitted some people out in Mons for photos with Rach Hadfield, hosted an impromptu bedazzle station (glitter kindly provided by Sophie Luther), and ran a ‘spin the wheel’ set up that had different tricks on it with help from Sian Leigh.
Overall, She’ll Be Right did what it set out to do: more room, more visibility and a whole lot of riding. We got stuck in from build night to community day, and we’d do it all again. Keep an eye out for the event next year, because it only gets bigger from here. Bring your board, your camera and/or your glitter.
