by The Editors on June 19, 2012
Thanks to court documents related to what appears to be pretty nasty divorce proceedings between Ross Rebagliati, the first Olympic Snowboard Gold Medal winner, and his wife Alexandra Rebagliati, we are all privy to bales of Rebagliati weed smoking allegations, according to a story on HQ Kelowna (and Canada.com). Here’s one:
The three year old son of Olympic gold medalist Ross Rebagliati tests positive for “Cannabinoids” by way of a hair analysis test conducted by MotherRisk laboratories.
And if that’s not enough, even his old girlfriend is jumping in on the action:
Rebagliati’s ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Friesen, states in her sworn affidavit “through our relationship Ross could not get out of bed without smoking weed to function and he could not sleep at night unless he smoked an entire joint. Ross told me he smoked a joint at his friend Lumpy’s wake just weeks before the Olympics and that he had a bag of weed in his room in Nagano and smoked a joint only hours after his win. As soon as word came out that he had tested positive, he stashed his weed in the hotel and hid his medal in the ceiling tiles.”
Doesn’t sound so much like the whole Olympic weed scandal was much of a conspiracy after all.
[Link: HQ Kelowna Canada.com]
by The Editors on October 24, 2009
Following in the footsteps of Barack Obama, former Olympic snowboarder Ross Rebagliati has written a book and entered politics, according to a story in the Whistler Question.
Rebagliati — who lives with his wife Alexandra and five-month-old son Ryan in Kelowna — on Friday (Oct. 23) announced his candidacy for the Liberal Party nomination in the riding of Okanagan-Coquihalla in the next federal election. . . “It was going to be an election without an option, basically,” Rebagliati said in an interview. “I felt like there needed to be a choice for the constituents.”
Rob’s wrife Alexandra is temporarily running his campaign.
[Link: Whistler Question and Vancouver Sun]
by The Editors on October 20, 2009
Ross Rebagliati won snowboarding’s first gold medal in Nagano ’98. Though the IOC tried and failed, no one can take that away from him. Sadly, it was a medal in giant slalom and not in the crazy, off the hook halfpipe. This hasn’t stopped Ross from telling the story of snowboarding history himself in the book Off The Chain.
Off the Chain takes readers on a wild ride through the rise of snowboarding, from its hippie origins in the backwoods of Vermont and California to its present incarnation as a $150 billion global industry. Illustrated with 100 color photographs, Off the Chain begins with the sport’s early days, when the pioneers built their own boards and snuck onto the slopes. Author Rebagliati profiles snowboarding’s most notorious figures, explores the nature of snowboarding culture, and tells what touring as a young World Cup snowboarder is like. . . . He’s unsparing in revealing the sport’s more controversial aspects, from groupies to drugs, including his own experience having his gold medal revoked — and then restored — after failing a drug test. Rebagliati pulls no punches in this lively mix of personal memoir and sports history.
Seems like a bit of a strange title coming from Ross, but regardless, we’re looking forward to checking it out. Click here to pre-order the book.
[Link: Amazon]
by The Editors on October 21, 2023
When Canadian Alpine racer Ross Rebagliati won the world’s first snowboarding Olympic gold medal in Nagano Japan in 1996 it was kind of funny that he immediately tested positive for marijuana. Of course, snowboarders are pot heads. All that.
But Ross said recently, in an interview with CBC News, that when he was being held in Japan on the drug issue he decided that “I am going to fight for this plant for the rest of my life, start a cannabis company and show everybody what cannabis is really all about.” And it appears he’s done something close. . maybe.
And while he took on other jobs to fund his dreams, he kept at it, founding medical marijuana dispensary Ross’ Gold in 2013. And on Feb. 8, 2023 — 25 years to the day since he won gold in Nagano — Ross’ Gold products started being sold in licensed dispensaries, a moment Rebagliati said gave him as much pride as his Olympic victory.
Way to stick to it, Ross. Still doing snowboarding proud after all these years. For all the details from an audio interview with Ross, please click the link.
[Link: CBC News]
by The Editors on January 24, 2013
After a short run at local Canada politics and some divorce troubles the world’s first snowboard Olympic gold medalist Ross Rebagliati has now announced plans to open a “franchise of medical marijuana shops” called Ross’s Gold, according to a story in the Calgary Herald.
. . . Rebagliati said the federal government’s decision to get out of the medical marijuana business is opening a tremendous business opportunity for Ross’s Gold, which also goes under the company name Rebagliati Gold Ltd. . . “As the federal government gets out of the medical marijuana business, taxpayers will no longer be subsidizing its sale. Under the current program, the marijuana costs about $5 per gram. Under the proposed changes, that price will rise to about $8.80 a gram,” the company said in its statement. . . And the sky is the limit should the Canadian government ever decriminalize pot, he said.
Yeah, Ross. Sales could go sky high and we’re guessing a shop in Whistler would do quite well with all those tourists who suffer from debilitating illnesses.
[Link: Calgary Herald]
by The Editors on June 20, 2012
Yesterday (June 19, 2012), several hours after we posted a link to a HQ Kelowna story (which has since been removed) covering the unseemly details of Olympic snowboard gold medalist Ross Rebagliati’s divorce proceedings (read about it here on Canada.com), we got a email from lawyers representing Rebagliati. The lawyers, Lorne MacLean QC and his associate Ronak Yousefi of the MacLean Family Law Group, included an official statement from Rebagliati. Here it is:
Mr. Rebagliati will not litigate what is best for the parties’ son in the media. Rather, he will more appropriately continue to focus his energy on making sure that his son is not exposed to any danger or detriment. Mr. Rebagliati hopes that both parents will be child focused in this shared parenting case so that their son can grow up in a caring and nurturing environment free from parental conflict.
Mr. Rebagliati has steadfastly focused on ensuring the parties’ son’s emotional and physical health is protected and advanced in the best way possible and will continue to do so moving forward.
Lorne MacLean QC and Ronak Yousefi, Counsel for Mr. Rebagliati, have been successful in the past two child custody Court Orders. These Orders awarded and maintained a regime of 2 week on 2 week off shared child custody and parenting of their three year-old son.
Mr. Rebagliati looks forward to the BC Supreme Court determining the veracity of these allegations not the media.
Mr. Rebagliati is very concerned about the validity of the alleged test results and is making it a priority to get to the bottom of how his son could have tested positive for low levels of marijuana in or on his hair and the methodology and background to how this test was conducted. The existing Court Order requires both parents to authorize and approve any medical treatment and testing. This testing was conducted without any consultation with Mr. Rebagliati as required under the existing Court Orders nor was any Order made authorizing such testing.
Lorne MacLean QC notes that children do not forfeit the love and guidance of two caring and concerned parents merely because of marriage breakdown.
Can’t say we disagree with a single thing Rebagliati has said. Divorce sucks.
[Link: Canada.com]
by The Editors on November 22, 2010
Ross Rebagliati, the world’s first Olympic snowboard gold medal winner, has not has the same luck with British Columbia politics, according to a story in The Globe and Mail.
“For personal and family reasons, it is with regret that I must step down as the Liberal candidate in Okanagan–Coquihalla,” Mr. Rebagliati said in a news release Friday. “I remain steadfast in my support for the Liberal Party of Canada and our Leader Michael Ignatieff, but the time has come for me to focus on new life challenges.”
Rebagliati decided last October that he was going to seek office, but since then has apparently decided that (unlike the 1998 Nagano Olympics) he had very little chance of winning. Wonder what his new “life challenges” are going to be?
[Link: The Globe and Mail]
by The Editors on January 25, 2010
Ross Rebagliati, the first snowboarder to ever win an Olympic Gold medal (and have it taken away and given back) took to the streets yesterday on a skateboard and carried the Olympic Torch for 300 meters near Osoyoos, BC without smoking it. According to CTV it was pretty heavy.
“That was very, very exciting, emotional,” Mr. Rebagliati, 38, said after completing his torch run on wheels, as his wife, bundled-up baby and parents tried to keep up on the side of the highway.
Rebagliati took the opportunity to talk to the media about the legalization of marijuana.
“Prohibition didn’t work; this isn’t working,” he said after running with the torch, which some have even said resembles a giant joint. . . “You look at the numbers; it’s not helping by throwing people in jail. I think the thing we can focus on is helping people with addictions, taking a proactive view. . . How can we help people rather than throw them in jail?” Mr. Rebagliati was jubilant in his post-skateboard moment, and either forgot about his party’s edict that he not speak to the news media, or chose to ignore it.
Smoke two joints in the morning, smoke two joints at night. . .
[Link: CTV Olympics]
by The Editors on December 1, 2009
Since we seem to be on a Canadian snowboarders and drugs groove today here’s another one.
In his new book Off The Chain, An Insider’s History of Snowboarding Ross Rebagliati suggests that his positive weed drug test at the Nagano Olympic Games was part of an International Olympic Committee plot to put snowboarding in its place, according to a story in the Canadian Press.
“I smoked weed on tour because it relaxed me, and unlike alcohol, it did not result in hangovers or weight gain,” he writes. “To be sure my results would be clear by the Olympics, I’d smoked by last spliff in early April 1997.” . . It wasn’t until after the Olympics Rebagliati learned he had failed every drug test he had taken in the six months leading up to the Games, but was never told the results. . . “When I tested positive for marijuana during those pre-Games doping controls, the FIS said nothing so that, should I win at the Olympics, the IOC could seize the opportunity to show snowboarders what would happen if we didn’t straighten up. . . I’m sure that many other snowboarders failed their drug tests for marijuana in the months leading up to the Games too. And if one of them had won the gold medal, the same thing would have happened to that winner. Too far-fetched? You decide.”
We wouldn’t put anything past the IOC, but this does sound just a tad paranoid. No?
[Link: Canada Press]
by The Editors on May 6, 2008
Ross Rebagliati, the first snowboarder to ever win an Olympic gold medal has finally settled his two-year old legal dispute with CTV the creators of the TV show Whistler . Apparently, Ross felt he should be paid because he thought a character on the show was based on him.
“I am the only Canadian Olympic snowboard gold medalist, with blue eyes, blonde hair who lives in Whistler,” said Rebagliati in a statement. “The similarities between my personality and the central Whistler program character Beck MacKaye are obvious.
“I am glad I was able to get my message out, as I have worked very hard on my image since returning home from Nagano. I am grateful that CTV has taken this matter seriously and I look forward to working more closely with them in the future.”
Many may not remember (as the show was cancelled after two seasons) that Whistler also included the acting talents of Brandy Ledford (aka The former Mrs. Damian Sanders).
According to a story in Pique News Magazine, the details of the settlement were not released, but Ross is looking forward to working with the Canadian TV network when the Olympics come to Vancouver.
[Link: Pique News]
Thanks to court documents related to what appears to be pretty nasty divorce proceedings between Ross Rebagliati, the first Olympic Snowboard Gold Medal winner, and his wife Alexandra Rebagliati, we are all privy to bales of Rebagliati weed smoking allegations, according to a story on HQ Kelowna (and Canada.com). Here’s one:
