Alexis Fortin

Profile and significance

Alexis Fortin is a Quebec freeski rider rising out of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean scene with a focus on urban and park skiing. He is closely associated with the independent crew The Blueberries, a collective known for do-it-yourself rail builds, creative lines in local streets, and low-budget, high-stoke edits. Fortin’s name began circulating more widely thanks to community events that reward style and originality over points, including a standout week at Akamp 2025 on the Laurentian summer snowfield at Sommet Avila, where he earned second in Phil “B-Dog” Casabon’s rail jam. As an emerging rider documented in crew films and grassroots sessions rather than federation circuits, his significance is the way he channels Quebec’s rail culture into approachable, reproducible tricks that intermediate park skiers can study and emulate.

Competitive arc and key venues

Fortin’s “competitive arc” is unconventional by design. Instead of chasing World Cup slopestyle or big air starts, he has built credibility in gathering spots that define modern freeski culture in Quebec. Akamp’s long-running summer setup at Sommet Avila has served as a proving ground, where Fortin’s mix of tech and flow earned podium recognition in the B-Dog jam and kept him lapping and digging features from morning to night. In winter, his crew’s home base around Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and the surrounding hills informs the look and feel of their projects, with missions into the snow-loaded terrain of Parc national des Monts-Valin and sessions in regional towns. The Blueberries have also appeared in Quebec festival programming tied to the Laurentians at Ski Mont Blanc, while Fortin’s street-inspired contest laps have popped up at community jams in Shawinigan’s Parc de la rivière Grand-Mère. The throughline is a venue list that highlights where Quebec’s rail culture actually lives: compact parks, city features, and crew-built setups.

How they ski: what to watch for

Fortin skis with a clean stance and a style-first approach that favors precise edge control over brute force. On rails, look for patient, centered approaches with minimal speed checks and early edge sets to lock onto narrow surfaces. Switch takeoffs are deliberate rather than rushed, and landings are scrubbed with small edge releases to keep the trick tidy. He tends to pair medium-spin rotations with well-chosen presses and surface swaps, prioritizing trick construction and body position over spin count. On small-to-medium jumps, Fortin emphasizes takeoff symmetry and grab security; you’ll see stable knees, quiet hands, and timing that keeps the skis flat on approach before popping cleanly. The net effect is the kind of line you can pause and break down frame by frame to understand why it works.

Resilience, filming, and influence

As part of The Blueberries, Fortin contributes to a run of grassroots films and crew edits that spotlight regional identity and hard work. The projects document early-season spot hunts, snow farming, and repeat attempts that are part of any urban/street skiing mission. That process—shoveling, salting, resetting angles after misses—shows up in Fortin’s riding as composure under pressure and the ability to retry without sacrificing style. The community-first ethos matters too: at Akamp he was applauded not just for tricks but for helping dig and maintain features throughout long days, a detail that has earned him respect among peers and younger skiers who learn by watching how crews operate.

Geography that built the toolkit

Quebec geography is a quiet co-author of Fortin’s technique. Storm cycles and temperature swings in the Saguenay basin create variable surfaces that demand adaptable speed control. Access to rolling terrain around Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and the snow reliability of Monts-Valin foster a mix of natural features and packed-in urban spots, while the Laurentians’ dense resort network, including Sommet Avila and Ski Mont Blanc, provides park mileage and event exposure. Sessions in places like Shawinigan translate those park skills to real-world architecture—stairs, ledges, and rails—tightening up approach lines and exit control.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Fortin’s setup choices echo his spot selection. Urban and park work usually calls for a moderately rockered, symmetrical park ski detuned at the tips and tails to prevent hook-ups on rails, paired with a mount point near center for predictable switch performance. Durable edges and frequent base repairs matter more than chasing the latest graphic. His Akamp rail-jam prize haul included bindings from Tyrolia, underscoring a pragmatic truth for progressing riders: bindings should be chosen for retention, elasticity, and reliable release in repeated impact scenarios. Whatever the brand, the maintenance habits—sharp underfoot edges for hardpack, detuned contact points for kinked rails, and fresh wax for sticky summer laps—are the hidden performance gains that keep lines consistent.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Alexis Fortin represents the pathway many newer park and street skiers will actually take. He’s not defined by World Cup bibs; he’s defined by the discipline to build, rebuild, and refine tricks in the places where most of us ski. For fans, that means edits with clear, readable style. For skiers looking to progress, it offers a template: controlled speed into features, early alignment, locked body position, and thoughtful exits. Follow his lines and you’ll see how Quebec’s rail culture turns modest setups into expressive skiing—something you can bring to your local park the very next session.