Snowboarding’s Olympic Origin Story: Part 1

The Olympics either saved snowboarding or ruined it, depending on who you talk to. We were the first un-Olympic sport to join the Games and had to pave the way for other countercultural movements to become Olympic on their terms. In this 2-part series, Tricia and Jen go deep on the hype, the hope and the heartbreak of snowboarding’s first 2 Olympic appearances: Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002. Ross Powers, the true Boss of snowboarding and a medal holder in both events (famously leading the U.S. podium sweep in Salt Lake), taps in as our live human expert. Part 1 of the series drops into a wild ride on the road to Nagano. Heroic dreams. Snowboarder vs. skier culture wars. Contested qualifications. Olympic uniform foibles. It’s all in a day’s work when you’re going for the gold.