Snowboarding has become one of the most popular winter activities in the world, and it’s easy to see why. The sport is exciting and requires a high level of skill.
It’s a sport that combines the thrill of skiing with the excitement of skateboarding, and it’s a great way to stay active in the cold weather.
So, how can someone not love snowboarding, right? It’s one of the most exhilarating activities and fun for all ages.
But have you ever wondered who are the best or most famous snowboarders are?
We’ve got you covered!
We’ve compiled a list of 35 famous snowboarders – both male and female – from all over the world who are some of the best and most famous in their sport, and they will sure to make your heart go pitter-patter:
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35 Famous Snowboarders
If you’re looking for inspiration to get into the sport, this list of famous snowboarders will give you some ideas about who to look up to as role models.
The following list includes 35 famous male and female snowboarders from around the world – some of whom you may already know and some of whom you might not have heard of.
Regardless, this list is an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about these talented athletes and what makes them unique!
Let’s get started!
1. Shaun White
Shaun White is one of the most well-known snowboarders in the world. He has won many awards, including the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
White was born in 1986 in California and started snowboarding at age 6. While he was still a child, his parents used to take him to Snow Summit Mountain Resort for winter vacations. When he reached age 10, his father decided to buy him his first snowboard so that he could practice at home as well as on vacation.
White’s career has been filled with many high points and victories. In addition to winning gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics, he has also won several other medals, including bronze (2002) and silver (2010). He also won gold at X Games events in 2003 and 2005, as well as silver medals in 2008 and 2010.
He won his third gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Shaun’s total number of medals is 18, including 13 gold, three silver, and two bronze.
2. Travis Rice
Travis Rice was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and is the son of a ski patroller. He is one of the most well-known riders in the world and is hailed by reviewers as the best all-around snowboarder in the world.
He is best known for being an innovator of freeriding, powder, and extreme skiing.
Travis has won an impressive number of awards, including the Transworld Snowboarding Riders Poll Award for Snowboarder of the Year in 2002 and 2003 and a Gold medal at the X-Games Big Air Competition in 2009.
He has also won TransWorld Snowboarding Men’s Readers Choice Award in 2017 and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012.
The thing that sets him apart from other athletes is not just his skill but also his personality: he is known for being a humble and hardworking person who always gives back to his community. His story is one of hard work, perseverance, and success—and it’s one that anyone can learn from!
Travis has appeared in over 38 snowboarding films. He has also co-produced many films, including That’s It That’s All and Art of Flight.
3. Gretchen Bleiler
One of the best female snowboarders to ever grace the slopes, Gretchen Bleiler, has been riding at the top of the game for years.
She was born in Toledo, Ohio, on April 10, 1981. Gretchen Bleiler is a professional snowboarder who has been competing in the sport since 1996.
She won the gold medal in the women’s halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She has also won several X Games medals and is considered one of the best female riders of all time.
Her career highlights include winning World SuperPipe Championships in 2003, the Overall Grand Prix Title in 2003, US Open Halfpipe Champion in 2005, Olympic silver medalist in 2006, and X Games Superpipe Gold Medalist in 2010.
4. Mark McMorris
If you’ve ever watched the Winter Olympics, you’ll know the name, Mark McMorris. The Canadian snowboarder is famous for his stunning ability to land tricks.
He finished third in the slopestyle event at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Mark also won gold medals in the slopestyle event at the Winter X Games in 2012 and 2013.
He’s also famous for his philanthropy work, raising money for charity. Mark founded the McMorris Foundation with his brother in 2012 to help Canadian children pursue their passion for sports.
McMorris won gold in both the big air and slopestyle events at the Winter X Games XVI in 2012. It was the first time a Winter X Games athlete had won two gold medals since three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White in 2009.
5. Danny Kass
Danny Kass is an Olympic-level professional snowboarder from the United States. He was born on September 21, 1982, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.
Though he was born in New Jersey, he attended Okemo Mountain School in Vermont to focus on the snowboarding.
Danny Kass started snowboarding when he was 12 years old and quickly rose to become one of the sport’s top riders.
He triumphed in all significant competitions in 2000 and 2001, taking home victories at the US Open, Winter X Superpipe, and the overall Chevy Grand Prix championship.
He also won Olympic silver medals in the halfpipe in 2002 and 2006.
Danny went on to participate in several other competitions around the world with great success! However, this did not stop there – he also participated in many other activities, such as modeling and acting!
6. Anna Gasser
Anna Gasser is an Austrian professional snowboarder. She was born on August 16, 1991. She is one of the most well-known female snowboarders in the world.
Ana claimed that she had many happy memories of spending time by the lake as a young child. She was a true water baby who was enthralled by the diving platform. She could even jump from a height of 16 meters when she was 12 years old.
Anna was motivated by pictures of freestyle snowboarding that her cousin had shown her. She began to experiment with aerial acrobatics on the snow and quickly developed her talent.
Anna Gasser is the brightest star among a new generation of female freestylers. She became the first woman to complete a Cab Double Cork 900 in November 2013.
Anna has won many awards and competitions, including the 3 X Games medals in the 2017 season, Gold in slopestyle, and Gold at the snowboarding World Championship.
She won gold in the inaugural Big Air event at the 2018 Winter Olympics with a total score of 185 points. Furthermore, she took part in the women’s slopestyle final, where she finished fifteenth.
By landing a Cab Double Cork 1260 on her final run, Ana successfully defended her Olympic Big Air title at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
7. Chloe Kim
Chloe Kim is a snowboarder from the United States. She’s only 22, but she’s already one of the most famous snowboarders in the world.
She was born in Long Beach, California, and began snowboarding at the age of 4. Kim began competing as a member of Team Mountain High when she was six years old.
She won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea in the Women’s Halfpipe event.
Kim was the first American woman to win a gold medal in snowboarding at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2016, and she had the highest snowboarding score in Youth Olympic Games history at the time.
Kim was also nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete at the 2016 ESPYs.
She has been very successful in her career as a snowboarder and has won many awards. Her achievements include winning six-time X Games gold medals, two gold medals at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, and becoming the X Games champion in the halfpipe. She is also the first to win the title at all four major events.
In 2018, Kim came out on top of an international field at the Winter Olympics by landing back-to-back 1080s on her way to winning gold in women’s halfpipe snowboarding— becoming the youngest woman to ever land two 1080-degree spins in a row at the Olympics.
8. Lindsey Jacobellis
Lindsey Jacobellis is the golden child of snowboarding, having won two Olympics gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, six-time world championships, and being a 10-time X Games gold medalist.
Lindsey was born in 1985 in California, where she learned to ride a sled at age three from her father—who was a ski instructor. Her parents were both involved in sports, so Lindsey grew up with an athletic background and spent much of her childhood playing soccer and softball.
She started snowboarding when she was quite young and quickly fell in love with it because it challenged her physically and mentally as well as provided an outlet for her creativity.
Lindsey competed in her first X Games when she was 15 years old!
She dominated the sport for nearly two decades, winning five World Championships and ten X Games.
Jacobellis won a silver medal in snowboard cross in her Olympic debut at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
She is also a member of the United States Snowboardcross Team. She is currently 37 years old and aspires to mentor the upcoming female boardercross racers.
9. Jamie Anderson
Jamie Anderson is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the most decorated snowboarder in the history of the Winter Olympics. She has won a total of seven Olympic medals for her performances on the halfpipe, and she is widely considered to be one of the best female athletes in any sport today.
Jamie was born on September 13, 1990, in South Lake Tahoe, California, and she began snowboarding at age 9. She competed in her first X Games in 2005 when she was 13 years old, winning gold in halfpipe and silver in slopestyle.
In 2014, Jamie became the first woman to win back-to-back X Games gold medals in halfpipe events. She won X Games gold medals in 2011 and 2012, as well as from 2013 through 2017. In addition to this incredible record at X Games events, Jamie has also won three Winter Olympics medals: one silver medal at Sochi 2014 and two golds at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014—one for halfpipe freestyle and one for slopestyle (snowboarding’s version of skateboarding).
Anderson won her seventh X Games gold medal in the slopestyle earlier in 2021, making it her 18th medal overall. She’s also got two silver medals.
Jamie Anderson is an inspiration to women everywhere who are looking to get into sports or other competitive activities—and her story proves that anyone can do it if they set their minds to it!
10. Tom Sims
Tom Sims was a pioneer of snowboarding, and he’s still known as one of the sport’s most influential figures. In fact, his name is often brought up in discussions about the sport’s origins.
Born in 1950, Tom Sims grew up in the California suburbs and was an avid skier before he picked up a board. By 1975, he was traveling around the world to compete in and promote snowboarding.
Sims is considered one of the most influential people in snowboarding history. He created many moves and tricks that are still used by riders.
In 1975, he became World Skateboard Champion, and a year later, he founded SIMS and designed its iconic winged logo.
Sims was also crowned World Snowboarding Champion in 1983.
He was famous for his creativity and style, which he brought to the sport of snowboarding. He helped create the first modern bindings, which allowed riders to stand up and ride in a variety of ways.
Sims also created some of the first skateboard-style snowboards, as well as one of the first brands of snowboards: Sims Snowboards.
Sims died from cardiac arrest on September 10, 2012, at age 61. He left behind a legacy that continues to influence every aspect of modern-day snowboarding.
11. Karine Ruby
Karine Ruby was one of the most successful female snowboarders in history. She was born on January 4, 1978, in Bonneville, Haute-Savoie, France, and grew up in Argentière, Chamonix.
Ruby was known for her style and grace—and also for being able to pull off some pretty crazy tricks!
She holds a record of 67 Snowboarding World Cup victories, which no one has come close to breaking.
Ruby began competing at the age of 14, unfazed by the fact that all of her rivals were male.
Between 1996 and 2005, she had an incredible run of success thanks to her technical prowess, mental fortitude, and extraordinary desire to push herself to the absolute limit.
She took home two gold medals—won one in the Giant Slalom at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and one in the Parallel Giant Slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Ruby was a six-time world champion with several World Cup victories on the snowboard.
She announced her retirement following the Olympics in Turin in 2006. Ruby had been pursuing her goal of becoming a mountain guide ever since, and she was anticipated to succeed.
Sadly, she passed away on April 10, 2009, in a climbing accident in Mont Blanc while pursuing her dream of becoming a mountain guide.
12. Max Parrot
Max Parrot is a Canadian freestyle skier who has won more medals than any other Canadian in the history of the Winter Olympics. He won gold and silver medals at the 2022 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
Max Parrot was born in Cowansville, Quebec, Canada, on June 6, 1994. He started skiing at the age of 3 and discovered snowboarding when he was 9. It did not take long for him to start dominating his sport.
In 2019, he won gold at Norway big air.
Max has continued to win medals at events such as X Games Norway 2020, where he won silver in Norway big air, gold in Norway slopestyle, and gold in Aspen big air.
He’s one of the best-known Canadian athletes, and he’s also known for being incredibly friendly and humble.
13. Scotty Lago
Scotty Lago is a famous snowboarder from the U.S. He was born in Seabrook, New Hampshire, U.S., on November 12, 1987.
Scotty Lago is known for his unique style, his ability to land multiple jumps on one ski lift, and his potential to ride the slopes in a variety of conditions.
Scotty quickly rose through the ranks, winning World Cups and eventually taking bronze in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
His career highlights include winning the 2004 World Quarterpipe Champion, 1st place at the 2006 Fis World Cup Halfpipe, 1st place at the 2006 Paul Mitchell Progression Session, 1st place at the 2007 World Cup Halfpipe Opener, and 2nd place 2010 Grand Prix Halfpipe.
14. Terje Hakonsen
Terje Hakonsen is one of the most well-known snowboarders of all time. He was born on October 11, 1974, in Norway, and he began snowboarding at an early age.
He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe, and he’s been hailed as one of the greatest snowboarders in history.
Terje Hakonsen is known for his technical prowess, which has helped him win many competitions over the years. He’s also well known for his ability to make snowboarding look easy and fun.
He competed in the Winter X Games from 1995 to 2000 and won gold medals in every event he entered. In 1998, Terje Hakonsen won a gold medal in the Winter Olympics for Halfpipe Snowboarding.
15. Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter is a professional snowboarder from the United States. She has won many awards and is considered to be one of the best female snowboarders in the world.
Born into a snowboarding family, became the U.S. Snowboarding Team’s youngest member in 2003. At the age of 16, she won her first X Games medal.
Over the course of her career, she has won five more.
Hannah has won several championships, including the 2004 Winter X superpipe, the 2005 FIS World Cup halfpipe, and the 2004 US Overall Grand Prix halfpipe.
Hannah rose to fame when, at the age of 19, she dominated the field to win the halfpipe gold at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin.
She has competed in the X Games, where she won one gold medal, two silver medals, and six bronze medals. She was named the first Special Olympics Action Sports Global Ambassador in 2014.
Hannah went on to compete in the 2010 Olympics, winning a silver medal in the halfpipe, and was a contender in the 2014 Games, finishing fourth.
Hannah also serves as a global ambassador for the Special Olympics, a wonderful organization that uses sports to combat the stigma, discrimination, and inactivity that people with intellectual disabilities experience.
16. Torah Bright
Torah Jane Bright is a well-known Australian professional snowboarder. She was born on December 27, 1986, in Cooma, New South Wales.
Bright, who has always loved the snow, began skiing at the age of two and had broken into the snowboarding scene by the age of eleven. Torah joined the ROXY team in 1999 and has since gone on to dominate competitions worldwide.
She won a silver medal at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, in 2006.
Bright defeated 2002 Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark to take first place at the 2007 World SuperPipe Championships in Park City, Utah.
This Australian snowboarder is known for her consistent style and big tricks.
Bright made Olympic history in 2014 when she qualified for all three snowboarding events—halfpipe, slopestyle, and boarder-cross—becoming the first male or female snowboarder to do so.
She is Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian, having won both gold and silver medals at the Games.
Bright has also won two X Games gold medals, three U.S. Open champions, and two Global Open champions.
17. Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark is one of the best-known snowboarders in the world. She was born on July 26, 1983, in Newport, Rhode.
Kelly has been competing since she was 16 years old, and she’s racked up a number of medals in her career—including 14 X Games medals, five World Snowboard Tour titles, three Olympic medals, six U.S. Grand Prix titles, and eight U.S. Open titles.
Kelly has dominated competitive snowboarding for over 15 years. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, she won a gold medal in the women’s halfpipe. Kelly won a bronze medal in the halfpipe at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
She also won the ESPY Award for Best Female Action Sports Athlete in 2015.
Kelly announced her retirement from the sport on January 25, 2019, at the Winter X Games in Aspen.
Her accomplishments have made her one of the most successful athletes in any sport, and she’s done it all while being a great role model for young girls everywhere.
18. Peter Line
Peter Line, a famous snowboarder, is known for his ability to do tricks and flips on the snow. He has won many competitions and has been featured in many magazines.
Peter Line is from the United States. He was born on August 3, 1974, and he started snowboarding when he was only 12.
Line signed with Division 23 snowboards and became a professional snowboarder in 1993.
He is known for his fast and aggressive style, which has made him one of the most successful snowboarders in history. He has won many awards, including six X Game medals and two U.S. Open medals, and he is also a World Snowboarding Championships gold medalist.
The line was named the fourth most influential snowboarder by Snowboarder magazine. According to ESPN, he is the tenth-best X Games Snowboarder of all time.
He is one of only a few people to have received the Transworld Snowboarding Legend Award for his legacy and ongoing contributions to the snowboarding culture.
19. Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones is a famous snowboarder who has been in the sport for over 30 years. He was born in Michigan, raised in Vermont, and started snowboarding when he was nine years old.
Jeremy Jones was born on January 14, 1975, and he grew up in different parts of the United States New England region.
His snowboarding career officially began in 1991, two years after he first took up the sport in 1984.
He soon became known for his incredible ability to ride steep terrain and big jumps, as well as for his skill with freestyle tricks.
Jeremy is known for being one of the most daring athletes in snowboarding history, and he’s not afraid to show it.
He’s won multiple awards and has produced some of the most iconic films in snowboarding history.
After competing for a long time, Jones decided to concentrate on the big mountain snowboarding, especially in Alaska.
Jeremy is also an environmentalist, as well as an ambassador for Protect Our Winters, a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness about climate change.
20. Trevor Andrew
Trevor Andrew is one of the most famous snowboarders in history. He was born in 1979 in Canada and started snowboarding at age 7, but he didn’t become a professional until he was 15 years old.
He has been competing in the world championships since 2000, and he has won three gold medals at the Winter X Games in the Slopestyle event. In addition to these accomplishments, he has also competed in several other events, including halfpipe and slalom.
Trevor Andrew is renowned for his smooth style and technical tricks. He finished ninth in the halfpipe event at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
After suffering a fractured vertebra and six broken ribs in 2004, Andrew decided to stop competing professionally.
21. Gigi Ruf
Austrian snowboarder Gigi Rüf is one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. He’s known for his unique style, which includes a lot of technical tricks and an overall laid-back demeanor.
Gigi Rüf was born in 1981. He is best known for his film segments, which he has shot extensively for Absinthe films, Kingpin productions, and The Pirates.
He is always on the list of the most popular snowboarders. Gigi is known for his progressive approach to the sport and his ability to pull off some of the most difficult tricks out there.
Gigi has now launched his own snowboard company, Slash.
He’s famous for his technical style of riding as well as his ability to land tricks that are seemingly impossible.
22. Shannon Dunn
Shannon Dunn-Downing stands out as one of the most famous snowboarders in history. She was born in 1972, and she took to the slopes at a young age. She started snowboarding in 1988 when she was 16 years old, and it did not take long for her to become a champion.
Dunn-Downing competed in the World Cup for many years. In 1997 and 2001, she won gold at the Winter Olympics in California. After this victory, Dunn-Downing went on to win many more races and championships.
She also became an ambassador for several companies related to snowboarding equipment and apparel.
In addition to her gold medals, Shannon has also won many other awards, including 2-time ISF World Halfpipe Champion.
Shannon retired from professional snowboarding in the mid-2000s to focus on raising her family.
She considers her greatest accomplishment to be being able to spend time snowboarding, surfing and living an outdoor lifestyle with her husband and teenage sons.
Shannon continues to pursue her passion for snowboarding by riding with friends, attending events, and sharing stories about the sport’s history.
23. Craig Kelly
Craig Kelly is a top-tier snowboarder who has been featured in dozens of films and magazines. He was known for his technical skills, including his ability to backflip off a cliff into a halfpipe.
Craig began snowboarding in 1981 after a local shop purchased a couple of boards as a test case. In the early 1990s, Kelly elevated snowboarding professionalism to a new level.
He has competed in a lot of contests and won a lot of medals, but his fame goes beyond that.
Craig won the World Cup four times, the U.S. Open three times, and the Baker Banked Slalom three times.
Craig was famous for his amazing style and attitude, which make him one of the most respected snowboarders in the sport.
Craig was also known for being able to take risks that other people wouldn’t dare take—and he does it with such style that it looks effortless.
Kelly died in an avalanche near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, on January 20, 2003, at the age of 36.
The snowboarding industry will never be the same without Craig Kelly. He was one of the most gifted, intelligent, and cautious riders on the planet, making his death all the more difficult to comprehend.
24. Johan Olofsson
Johan Olofsson is one of the most famous snowboarders in the world. He was born in Sweden and started snowboarding when he was 15 years old.
Since then, Olofsson has continued to win many competitions and land on podiums around the world as one of the most talented competitors in his sport.
Olofsson’s popularity comes from his style of riding, which is characterized by smooth and flowing movements that look almost effortless. His signature move is a half-corkscrew, which he does by rotating 180 degrees in the air without flipping over his board. This trick makes him instantly recognizable to fans of the sport.
He has competed in various events and has won dozens of medals at major competitions around the world.
25. Terry Kidwell
Terry Kidwell was the father of freestyle snowboarding.
Kidwell started riding at a time when snowboarders were still figuring out the rules of the game. He used his talent as a skier and his experience with gymnastics to create moves that were never before seen in snowboarding, like the 180 spins.
He also popularized doing tricks on rails and halfpipes, which is now standard practice for every snowboarder today.
He’s won four halfpipe world championships. He won almost every competition he entered, despite being significantly younger than most of his competitors.
Names like Kidwell are among the forefathers of the sport that we now enjoy. He and other pros from his era should never be forgotten for their contributions to the snowboarding sport and lifestyle.
26. Bryan Eguchi
Bryan Iguchi is a snowboarding professional from Los Angeles, California. He was born in 1973 and went by the nickname ‘Guch.’ Furthermore, he had half-Japanese ancestry.
He grew up in California and spent his early days surfing and skateboarding before taking up riding and becoming obsessed with it. With a Darwinist approach, he has followed the evolution of board sports from the sea to the mountains.
Bryan rose to prominence in the early 1990s for his classic style, which was embodied by shifty backside 180s and characterized by unmistakably frozen denim.
He considers snowboarding to be the most satisfying way of life, and he is fascinated by the endless possibilities that the mountains have to offer. He enjoys exploring his surroundings, and the thrill of discovery keeps him going.
Among Bryan Lguchi’s accomplishments are his second-place finish at the World Half-Pipe Championships in 1992, his bronze medal at the X Games in 1997, and numerous appearances in well-known snowboarding movies.
27. Shaun Palmer
Shaun Palmer is probably the most famous snowboarder in history. He’s also one of the pioneers of the sport, having helped to make it what it is today.
He was born on December 15, 1968, in South Lake Tahoe, California. He started by riding a sled down a hill and then moved on to snowboarding.
Palmer showed promise in both skiing and baseball, but he became obsessed with the still-infant sport of snowboarding. He built his own snowboard when he was 12 years old.
In 1990, Palmer won the Swatch World Halfpipe Champion. He also took home medals from the U.S. Open Championships and the Winter X Games. In 2002, he won a Gold medal in Gravity Games Ski Cross and a Silver medal in FIS World Cup Boarder-cross in 2006. In 2008, Palmer won a Silver medal in FIS World Cup Boarder-cross.
28. Ross Powers
Ross Powers is a world-champion halfpipe snowboarder from Vermont’s South Londonderry. He was born on February 10, 1979.
Rose Powers made a name for himself as the top pro halfpipe rider in 2000. He took home two gold medals from the Winter X Games in 1998.
Powers easily won the halfpipe event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, making him the first slider to win two snowboarding medals.
He led the United States to victory in the men’s halfpipe competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Powers outperformed the opposition with a score of 46.1.
Ross Powers had a remarkable career as a snowboarding competitor, and he is still helping those who are succeeding on the slopes after him.
He has been the director of the Stratton Mountain Snowboard School since 2010, where he has led his team to numerous Rev Tour victories and top World Cup results. Several of his athletes have been selected for the United States snowboard team.
29. Todd Richards
Todd Richards is a Paxton, Massachusetts-based snowboarder. He is one of the most accomplished snowboarders in history.
Richards grew up skateboarding on the East Coast and applied his skills on four wheels to riding a snow halfpipe.
Todd was passionate about skating from the beginning, and he could see progress.
He started competing in competitions when he was just twelve years old and has won many awards since then. He’s also been featured in several movies and T.V. shows.
Todd went on to win multiple X Games medals and two U.S. Open halfpipe titles and was a member of the first-ever U.S. Halfpipe Team at the 1998 Winter Olympics. He won five of the seven halfpipe competitions he entered in the 1997-98 season.
In 1997, he took silver in the Snowboard Halfpipe World Championships at Heavenly Mountain Resort. He was a member of the United States Olympic Halfpipe Team in 1998.
He’s won various X Games medals and a silver medal at the Olympics, making him one of the most decorated athletes of all time.
The “wet cat” maneuver, in which he would plant his front hand and rotate 900 degrees into the landing, was his most famous move.
Richards is a legend in the sport, and his legacy will live on forever as one of the greatest snowboarders ever to hit the slopes.
30. Daniel Franck
Daniel Franck is a professional snowboarder from Norway. He was born on December 9, 1974. Danniel is one of the most famous snowboarders in the world, and he’s been a professional since he was only 15 years old.
He began riding in 1991 and has been doing so professionally since 1993.
Daniel won his first international championship gold medal at the European Championships in 1995 and finished second in the World Cup Rankings that season. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he won silver in the men’s halfpipe.
He has won many competitions and is ranked among the best in the world.
Daniel started competing in the World Cup when he was 15 years old, and he has been on the podium multiple times in major competitions.
He also took part in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. He finished ninth there.
Daniel won the World Championships, European Championships, and World Cup all in one year in 1999-2000.
A record that stands to this day!
Daniel Franck has 16 world cup victories, 11 championship medals, and over 40 international podium finishes in his career.
He’s also known as “The Slippery Hotdog” due to his easygoing demeanor and ghost-like disappearance.
31. Torstein Horgmo
Torstein Horgmo is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. He was born in Trondheim, Norway, on February 18, 1987.
Horgmo has been called one of the best snowboarders in the world, with his tricks and skills earning him many awards and titles over the years.
He started snowboarding when he was eight years old and took it up as a full-time career at 16. Horgmo won three gold medals in Winter X Games in 2008,2011 and 2013. He also won three silver medals in Winter X Games 2009, 2010, and 2012.
Horgmo is also known for his tricks and stunts, which he performs with ease and grace.
He defeated Shaun White twice in the slopestyle competition during the Dew Tour winter of 2009–2010.
Horgmo is famous for his incredible ability to perform tricks that seem impossible to pull off, even by other professionals.
He made history by becoming the first person to land a triple cork off a 100-foot jump in Folgefonna, Norway, in the summer of 2010.
32. Tara Dakides
Tara Dakides is a famous snowboarder who has been riding the slopes since she was a young girl. And she has been competing ever since.
Dakides was renowned for being among the first female snowboarders to compete on an equal footing with men. She is also known for her ability to perform tricks on the halfpipe that are considered impossible by most other riders.
In 1999, Dakides took home two medals from the Winter X Games: a gold in big air and a silver in slopestyle. She finished first in slopestyle and fifth in big air at the 2001 Sims World Championships.
Dakides is a very talented athlete who has performed at many competitions around the world. She’s won multiple awards, including the gold medal in slopestyle, and has been featured in several magazines.
She was also named ESPN’s Snowboarder of the Year.
33. Jake Burton Carpenter
Jake Burton Carpenter, who is credited with inventing the snowboard, was born on April 29, 1954, in Burlington, Vermont, U.S., and grew up in New York.
He began skiing at an early age, but he didn’t like the way his skis were designed. So he started making his own, which eventually led to him creating a pair of skis he could ride on.
After that, he tried to sell his invention—but no one wanted it! So he decided to start making boards himself and selling them to friends.
Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards in 1977, and the rest is history! It quickly became one of the most popular snowboard brands in the world.
Carpenter loved skiing and had aspirations of joining the university’s ski team, which at the time was the NCAA champion. However, his competitive skiing career was cut short by an auto accident.
34. Silje Norendal
Silje Norendal is a Norwegian snowboarder who has been competing on the pro circuit since 2012. She’s best known for her technical style and smooth riding. Norendal has incredible control over her speed and pressure.
In 2015, she won the women’s slopestyle at Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, for the second time—the first Norwegian women snowboarder to win two slopestyle.
She placed fourth overall with a score of 73.91 in the women’s slopestyle finals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Norendal is known for her technical style on the slopes—she uses a lot of spins and flips in her runs.
She also has an impressive ability to adapt to different courses, whether they’re icy or steeply angled. In fact, she’s one of the few snowboarders who have won four golds in the Winter X Games.
35. Kaitlyn Brooke Farrington
Kaitlyn Brooke Farrington is an American snowboarder, and she’s known for being one of the best female athletes in her field. Kaitlyn was born on December 18, 1989. She is also an Olympic gold medalist, having won the halfpipe event in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Kaitlyn began snowboarding at the age of nine. Later, she went on to compete in the Winter X Games, where she won silver and bronze medals in 2011 in the SuperPipe event.
She was the first woman to perform a backside 1080. Kaitlyn rides about 9 feet above the half-edge.
She also competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and won a gold medal in the halfpipe event.
Kaitlyn has won a number of awards and titles, including:
- 2012 U.S. Grand Prix overall champion
- 2012 Dew Tour Breckenridge, gold medalist
- 2011 X Games Aspen, silver medalist
- 2011 Dew Tour, silver medalist
- 2010 X Games Europe, gold medalist
- 2010 Dew Tour, overall champion
- 2008 Junior World Championships, silver medalist
In October 2014, while competing in Austria, Farrington fell while trying to execute a frontside 360 off a small jump.
When Farrington returned home to Salt Lake City, she had an MRI that confirmed she had congenital cervical stenosis—a congenital spine condition that makes it difficult for her neck to rotate, which could put her at risk of serious injury if she continued competing in snowboarding events.
Doctors told her that continuing competitive snowboarding would put her at great risk of extreme injury due to her condition.
Farrington announced her retirement from competitive snowboarding on January 16, 2015, via Instagram. She was only 25 years old at the time.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of 35 famous snowboarders, and if you do, please also check out these hottest female surfers list and the best skateboarders in the world right now
The snowboarders we’ve covered in this article are just a fraction of the amazing athletes who have made a name for themselves in this sport.
Some snowboarders like to go fast, and some like to take it easy. Some like to keep it mellow, while others want to get wild and rowdy. But at the end of the day, all these famous snowboarders share one thing in common: they love snowboarding.
Do you have a favorite snowboarder? Who do you think is the best? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
