February 28, 2026
A massive thirty-five thousand people turned out for Red Bull Heavy Metal outside Montreal’s Olympic Stadium
Just hours prior to the start of Red Bull Heavy Metal’s Montreal event, and the weather has taken a dramatic change. From the frozen tundra that is perfect for winter sports, to a welcomed +3 degrees, but raining – which is less than desirable for a street style snowboarding event.
However, by the time the action got underway, the weather was gorgeous. Enough so for thirty-five thousand people to show up to watch some of the best snowboarders of the planet, so fresh off a Winter Olympic stint in Italy last month.
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This was the first time Red Bull Heavy Metal has come to a Canadian city, and given the incredible turnout and overall atmosphere surrounding the Olympic Stadium, it surely won’t be their only stop off in this amazing city.
Fans lined-up for two hours prior to the opening of the gates, while others chose to climb to higher ground ground and watch from across the street. A select lucky few even gathered on the balconies of nearby apartment buildings and watched the event that way.
The course itself was made up of three sections, following a massive ordeal to gather as much snow from around the Olympic Park from which to shape the obstacles and ramps with.
The first section gave riders the option of rail sliding down a flight of stairs of hitting a ramp and jumping over the gap instead.
The second section was all about big air tricks which the riders took full advantage of, pulling out all manor of flips and tricks imaginable over a twenty four drop. While the third and final section saw a long staircase with a down-straight-down rail to grind.
Awards were given to the best trick on each segment, with no time spent on second or third place finishers – because if you’re not first, you’re last!
Overall winner of the day in the men’s category, was 18-year-old Maddox Matte who won brownie points with the Montreal faithful early on, by rocking a vintage Vladimir Guerrero Expos jersey while riding the slopes with the Olympic Stadium, the former home of the Montreal Expos, as the backdrop.
“It felt special having this event here, this city means so much to me, the crowd really showed up and proved how many people love snowboarding here,” said Matte. “It was one of the biggest events of its kind, and right here Montreal, which is really the birthplace of street snowboarding. The setup of the course left me speechless, I had so much fun being here today.”
The overall winner on the women’s side, was Mela Stalker who kept on pushing the limits all day long, and deserved the accolades at the end of the session.
“It was insane how many people came today, the crowd really played a huge part in the competition,” Stalker said. “It made the event, the energy was so high.”
The lineup featured both Canadian and international talent including Eli Bouchard, Benny Milam, supported by Red Bull athletes and homegrown heroes Sebastien Toutant and Craig McMorris.
The roster also welcomed home Canadian talent in their first competitive session since Milan, Laurie Blouin.
The Quebec native described the feeling of competing again at home. “For me, Red Bull Heavy Metal means a lot. It’s rare that we get the chance to compete in front of our friends and family, so it feels amazing to have a competition at home,” Blouin said. “Honestly, it’s one of the best rail jams I’ve ever done. I didn’t think I was going to have that much fun because of how big the setup was, but for real, I had such a great time – and that’s what matters most.
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Red Bull Heavy Metal winners:
Overall Men: Maddox Matte , Women: Mela Stalker
Zone 1 Men: Lane Weaver , Women: Mela Stalker
Zone 2 Men: Truth Smith Women: Veda Hallen
Zone 3 Men: Mees Oostdijk, Women: Paula Benito
