Overview
- The American snowboard cross racer, 44, begins competition in Livigno on Feb. 12 at the Milano Cortina Games.
- He publicly set a goal to keep racing into his 50s with hopes of retiring on home soil at the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics.
- Baumgartner became the oldest Olympic snowboard medalist at 40 after winning mixed-team gold with Lindsey Jacobellis in Beijing 2022.
- He says snowboard cross rewards race craft over raw tricks, and he has shifted to fast-twitch work with tech-based workload monitoring to reduce injury risk.
- Recent World Cup podiums have been sparse, including a third-place in Turkey last year, yet he frames his pursuit as competitive and inspirational.