Run-In: Juliette Pelchat—As Seen in Issue 1.3

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p: Chad Chomlack

DOB: 12/4/2004
Home mountain: Whistler Blackcomb
Stance: Regular
Sponsors: YES, Volcom, Now, Vans, Oakley, POC, The Circle local shop

JULIETTE “Jubes” Pelchat is the daughter of snowboarding legend, JF Pelchat, but has begun making waves of her own as one of the notable up- and-comers from Canada. With a skate crew called the Real Wild Kittens,named hilariously after the famed Wildcats, Jubes and her sister have gained some news coverage through their crew’s goal to get more women skating. From good fundamentals on pow jumps, to an impressive ability to 360 o almost any rail, we chat with Jubes about her intro to the Wildcats, best Canadians, and whether or not she and her sister could take Spencer O’Brien in an arm wrestling match.—Stan Leveille


At what age was Wildcats footage first introduced to you?

I was always hidden from the videos because there was a lot of crazy stuff on them. But I remember being really young and searching my dad’s name google and finding all the Wildcats videos. I found one of him running around in his underwear jumping on a super high table and I was just like, “Papa, why would you do that?” That was when I started to watch all the videos.

Your nickname is Jubes. Where does that come from?

To be honest I don’t know where the nickname Jubes came from. I think my family and I were in Tofi no for Halloween skating an indoor bowl, and my dad was partying in a pink suit trying to learn how to skate and a boy named Truth just said it earlier that night, and it caught on and it has been my nickname ever since.

I’ve heard about The Real Wild Kittens. Who is in the crew and what’s it about? 

Real Wild Kittens A.K.A RWK, was named after the Wildcats crew and originally started o as a girls’ snowboard crew. We gained a following on Instagram, then my sister and I alongside our friend Maggie started a brand promoting female involvement within male dominant sports. We started by targeting skateboarding and hosting weekly non-profit ladies’ skate events on Fridays. We expanded to camps and private lessons, as well as getting merchandise made and making connections. My sister and I got the brand incorporated and we are very excited to see where we can take it hopefully expanding to snowboarding in the near future.

What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliette is the daughter. Whistler, BC. // p: Chad Chomlack

Best part about having a shred-legend as a father?

The best part of having a shred-legend father is he is able to shred better than the majority of the people on the mountain, he also shows me the ropes and I am always trying to keep up with him. Also, he knows what style is... haha, some parents don’t know what snowboarding truly is. Lastly, having JF Pelchat as a father means I get to one day film a video part with him.

Worst part about having a shred-legend as a father?

The worst part of having a shred-legend father is that he is always setting up my board for me! Haha, it doesn’t seem as bad as it sounds but when I first started to go on trips I wouldn’t know how to set up my stance because he wouldn’t let me do it. He loves to play around with bindings and parts so I never get the chance to do it myself!

Jeff Pensiero says I am too hard on Canada, is he allowed to speak for Canada if he is from Ohio?

I mean the guy owns Baldface and if I ever want to go back there I better agree with him! So, I guess he can speak for Canada.

Let’s say you get to take five women to come ride with you at Baldface—who you taking?

If I am going to take five women to Baldface I would take my younger sister Amalia A.K.A Billy Pelchat, Maggie Crompton—a local RWK member, Estelle Pensiero, Jamie Anderson, and Zoi Synnott. The reason why I would take these girls is because I want to film a small RWK movie and I think this would be a dope crew—especially with Zoi and Jamie who are insane backcountry boarders.

"Jubes, this is where the bindings go." // p: Chad Chomlack

Best jibber in the game right now?

Uhh that’s a hard question, so I am going to say Liam Brearley—a Canadian national team athlete, and one of my friends has stood out to me with his rail riding. He can do some pretty insane tricks! Or Pinkman, my coach (Sam Weston) with a new learn, back three onto a gap rail. And of course let’s not forget the queen of jibs, Jill Perkins.

Snowboarders that influence you?

A snowboarder that influences me is Jess Kimura. I got to watch her movie that hasn’t been released yet called Learning to Drown. This was super emotional and motivating for me especially to know how much she has gone through and where it has got her. It made me feel like I could do anything.

Non-snowboarders that influence you?

A non-snowboarder that influences me is my mom! She’s the freaking raddest person out there. She’s so smart and funny. When you talk to her it feels like you have known her forever, her energy is just so radiant. Kristy LaMantia is definitely someone you should get to know because she is one of a kind. 

Current warm up trick on a pow jump? 

Front three indy poke!!!

Best Canadian you can think of?

Best Canadian I can think of is Seth Rogen, funniest actor out there!!

Most underrated Canadian Province and why?

I think all the provinces are rated accurately because some are definitely mediocre! But I think the best province in Canada is British Columbia because it has everything! Surf, skate, snow. It’s so beautiful and you feel so connected to nature. 

Better feeling: Toeside turn or heelside turn?

Toeside all the way, because you can really get low and look super gangster.

Frontside spin or backside spin— you can only do one for the rest of your life. Which do you choose?

I think frontside for me because I like all the different grabs you can do and the different axes you can get on.

Social media. Best part about it, worst part about it?

Best part about social media is the crazy content you can see from people halfway across the world. Sometimes you will be sitting in  bed and just end up seeing some- one throw down in Austria or something. Worst part about it is that you never know what’s real and what’s not.

Do you think if you and your sister teamed up, you could beat Spencer O’Brien in an arm wrestling match?

Definitely not. My sister and I got chicken arms haha, Spencer is a beast in the gym. She’s so strong. I went with her to the Tofino gym and I was like what the actual frick, you are insane.