Jake Canter stood above the Milano Cortina slopestyle course and surveyed the terrain with a laser-like focus. Then, with a determined slap of his hands, he ollied 90 degrees and dropped in for his third and final run, needing a near-perfect performance for a medal.
Rolling down the course, he executed precise boardslides, a double underflip off a cannon, and a succession of spins that grew ever more difficult, including a switch BS 1620 melon (4.5 rotations), a BS 1800 nose (5 rotations), and a BS 1980 (5.5 rotations). As the run unfolded and Jake landed each trick, the tension grew.
Approaching the final jump, he tucked to increase speed, his front hand dangling by his leading ankle. Then, at the lip, he exploded into rotation, almost like a helicopter blade, rotating 1980 degrees before landing centered on his toe edge, sticking the landing. He’d done it.
What followed was a score of 79.8 and a Bronze Medal among the best riders in the world. But the journey there was anything but easy. While growing up in Colorado, he suffered a traumatic brain injury at age 13, which included four skull fractures and four days in a coma.
But that wasn’t it. Four months later, he contracted bacterial meningitis, which led to another six days in a coma and the loss of hearing in his right ear. Doctors gave him a 20% chance of survival. Amazingly, he not only survived but thrived.
I spoke to Jake about resilience, freedom, and training at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center (APC) in Los Angeles. Here’s what he had to say.
From Creative Riding to Olympic Preparation
The Manual: I’m curious about the first time you went snowboarding. Could you tell me about the sensations or any particular moment that got you hooked?
Jake Canter: From what I remember, I think I started on Christmas when I was about six years old. I got a rental snowboard and a lesson. I remember that the instructor wouldn’t let me do a lot. I skated prior to this. So it was difficult. It was definitely a learning curve. I remember being on flat ground, spinning around in circles and doing 180s and 360s, and becoming obsessed with it from there.
TM: So once you got going snowboarding, was there a time you realized, I’m pretty good at this, maybe I could take this somewhere?
JC: I don’t think there was really a time of that. I was always very shy. I’ve always been like the little brother. But I will say, my World Cup podium in 2022 — it just felt reassuring and definitely helped my confidence.
TM: Now, going back to your injury, can you tell me a little bit about that period, like the mental aspect of it and the process as far as you deciding to continue as a pro?
JC: I’m very thankful my functional neurologist at the time used snowboarding as therapy to help with my equilibrium and my balance. I used snowboarding as my escape from, obviously, a lot of trauma at a young age. It was for sure my escape and my freedom. Where I was most creative and most happy was on the mountain, on my snowboard, with my friends. I just enjoyed every second of it.
TM: Now you mentioned the word creativity. When you’re taking a run at your home mountain, what does that look like? What is creativity to you?
JC: Creativity — or I’ll say snowboarding or skiing, whatever it is — it’s like the mountain’s our canvas. We all look at a mountain differently. It’s different features or different rails or what I like versus what someone else likes. But for me, on a normal day, hanging out with some friends and riding a mountain, it’s finding one thing that really gives me a good feeling, makes me feel really happy in a sense of like, well, that trick feels really good, or that feature is really fun.
Creativity — or I’ll say snowboarding or skiing, whatever it is — it’s like the mountain’s our canvas. We all look at a mountain differently.
TM: When you came back, I imagine there was a little bit of a fear aspect at first. How did you break through that?
JC: Honestly, I think the concussion removed the fear part from me for a while. Everything happened really fast in the sense of learning the double corks to the triple corks, to where we are now with the 1800s. For me, it’s like a puzzle piece or a math problem, and I’m trying to solve it and figure it out, like how this rotation is going to feel or how it’s going to look, and visualization. Snowboarding never really gave me fear. I feel more anxiety driving than I do trying to 1800 or something like that.
TM: I’ve wondered how progressing riders go from backside 360s to these Olympic-level spins like 1800s. Is it simply repetition or something more?
JC: I think a lot of it is repetition. I think at the same time, though, it’s just confidence-building. It’s building blocks. It’s like anything in school, you slowly build and keep going and going and going.
I think if you approach it in fear, if you put it on a pedestal, like it’s unachievable, that’s where the anxiety and the overthinking and all of that really starts. But if you come into it confident and have acceptance for every outcome, regardless of if you land or fall, but just being confident in the sense of like, OK, like if I don’t land, I’ll go to my butt.
TM: In another interview, you said, “I look at snowboarding differently from other athletes and that it’s 10 percent skill, 90 percent mental.” Can you expand on that?
JC: I think in the day and age where we are with snowboarding, with the amount of rotations and also the consistency that you have to have to be one of the best, it takes digging deep and knowing how to manipulate your brain to kind of not think.
I work a lot with a sports psychologist. It’s all the mental side of standing at the top of the drop-in and not letting that pressure destroy you. If I’m trying a new trick, just making sure he’s always reassured me. I trust him with my life. If I’m like, all right, I’m going to try this, he’s like, yep, you got it.
Just think about your takeoff. Visualize the trick. Think about landing and how it’s going to feel when you land that trick. And if he doesn’t think I’m ready, he’ll just be honest with me and tell me, hey, I don’t think this is the time.
Just think about your takeoff. Visualize the trick. Think about landing and how it’s going to feel when you land that trick.
I really believe within the competitive space with the rotations and the tricks, it really comes down to confidence, visualization, being able to remove emotions in a sense of being able to compartmentalize things and move things into different directions so you can truly focus on what you are doing.
TM: That leads into this next question. I was watching the Olympics, and you’re perched at the top of the course, and the entire world is watching. You have to perform perfectly. What is going through your mind? What’s your strategy when you’re dropping in?
JC: I’ve built a ritual in a sense. I have certain music to get me in these rhythms and breathing techniques to calm my heart rate, and visualization. When I visualize my runs, I think about where I’ll be taking breaths. I don’t want to hold my breath the whole time through there and pass out.
I’ve said this a million times, but pressure is a privilege. I’m so beyond lucky to be standing in this position and have pressure on me. That’s helped me a lot.
I remember standing at the top before my third run, and looking out to the crowd of people, all the cameras, the sunny, beautiful day, and a good slopestyle course, and being like, this is such a privilege to be here.
I remember standing at the top before my third run, and looking out to the crowd of people, all the cameras, the sunny, beautiful day, and a good slopestyle course, and being like, this is such a privilege to be here.
TM: Slopestyle at this level is so precise and explosive. Can you describe the blend of athleticism and skill to do a run like yours?
JC: I spent a lot of time in the gym. I’ve always stretched. This year has been different with the amount of power, but also the strength you need, the core strength, and lower back and leg strength to be able to hold these landings. Also, the strong core to be able to stay tight in these balls while doing rotations. It’s a different type of snowboarding now. You need to make sure that you are in the gym with trainers and physical therapists, and you have to keep your body in the best shape possible.
TM: As far as explosiveness or spinning, can you share an exercise that you have found particularly helpful?
JC: I do a lot of core circuits. It’s a lot of crunches, Russian twists, and then V-Ups and then half V-Ups. Obviously, a lot of time at the squat rack, but at the same time, a lot of pistol squats and jumping into pistol squats. Also, single-leg box jumps, explosive jumps, like dropping off a box with one foot and then trying to explode as fast as you can up in the air.
With Red Bull, we do explosive tests at the APC. It’s been fun for me because I have one of the highest vertical jumps in the APC. I think I’m in the top three (54.1 cm).
It’s a vertical jump test on force plate testing. It’s funny because — compared to other athletes who are in, like, high jump and summer games — I think Torey Pudwill, who’s a professional skateboarder, has the highest vertical jump.
TM: You’ve said from your work at the APC, you have this perspective of “letting the snowboard do it for me.” Can you talk more about that?
JC: I think this is another thing that my coach James has instilled in me, which is don’t force it. It’s like when you feel the snap and the crack off your tail on like a certain backside rotation, frontside cab, whatever it may be, just let the snowboard power through it. It’s like loading up a spring and then shooting it in a way, if that makes sense.
TM: Turning to your medal-winning run, and that incredible backside 1980 on the last jump. You landed perfectly and reached for the sky. It looked like the most wonderful moment. Can you tell me what you were feeling?
JC: Going into the trick in itself, I didn’t do it in practice. I didn’t do it for a while, but I remember talking to my coach. He’s like, we’ve got to do it. And I was like, all right, let’s do this thing.
I remember tucking and tucking for speed going into it. And then I took off, and like I was just saying, I cracked my tail and had my wind up, and I knew it. As soon as I left the takeoff, I knew it was going to go exactly where I wanted it to. The rotation felt very comfortable. It almost felt like time stopped for a while there.
I don’t know how to describe it because there’s so much adrenaline running through my veins, and there’s so much going on. It felt very pure. It felt very in the moment.
TM: Now, as far as the rest of the season, what does that look like for you? Do you have any goals or places you’re going?
JC: I’m not stopping anytime soon. I want to keep this momentum going. I truly enjoy competing. I’m very competitive. I will be going to Austria for another World Cup, and then right after that, we have another World Cup in Switzerland and in Corvatsch in Germany. I’m very excited for both of those. I enjoy that environment. I like the pressure now. I think that used to be a big struggle for me, but I really do enjoy it.
I’m also very excited to look forward. I’m looking forward to the next one (2030 Olympics), to be honest. I want to change the bronze into gold.
