Olympic snowboard cross competitor Maëlle Ricker won the gold medal—she's the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal on home soil! Check out her favourite places in Squamish and Whistler:

About Maëlle

Age: 31 

Sport: Snowboard Cross

Home Turf: Squamish, B.C.

If you weren’t an Olympian, what would you be?

“I love geography and physiology, so I'd probably be working in one of those fields. I also love to travel. It would be great to create a job that involved all three.”

Who's your Olympic hero?

“I absolutely love Clara Hughes. Winning Olympic medals in both the Summer and Winter Games is amazing. I got to go and watch her in Torino when she won the 5,000-metre [speed-skating race] on the second-last day of the Games, and I met her that night.”

Best memory of growing up in Whistler?

“I always loved riding with my brother [Jorli Ricker] and our friend, Ben. We had so many great days on the mountain and they definitely pushed me to be the rider I am today."

Behind-the-scenes Photoshoot

Watch behind-the-scenes as up! Art Director, Robert Biron directs December's feature photoshoot with three 2010 Olympians: Justin Lamoureux, Kelly VanderBeek and Maelle Ricker.

Maëlle Ricker's Picks

Best Breakfast

“Zephyr Cafe in downtown Squamish. They have a yummy egg dish called Standing Rock that is to die for—it’s a bit of a hippie version of eggs Benny.”

Best Drinks

“The Watershed Grill in Brackendale [a suburb of Squamish]. You can sit out on the patio and watch the eagles fish and gaze off at the Tantalus Range in the background. It’s the perfect spot to chill after a long mountain bike ride.”

Best Apres-ski

“Dusty’s Bar & BBQ at Creekside in Whistler is always fun, especially after doing top-to-bottom runs in the powder on Khyber’s all day in early December. Nothing beats Whistler glades in December.”

Secret Spot

“Levette Lake, north of Squamish, is perfect in the summer. Last year, a few of us went there directly from the airport after a month of winter in Argentina. We were the only ones there and the water felt sooo good after travelling for two days straight.”

Want to know more? Check out what other Whistler and Vancouver spots our Olympic athletes recommend