Snowboarders get 'lost in the air,' too

Shaun White can relate to Simone Biles when it comes to the dangers of getting lost in the air.

He didn't experience exactly what the American gymnast was going through while vaulting at last year's Tokyo Olympics — losing orientation while spinning through the air, known as the "twisties" in gymnastics — but the disorientation White experienced during the US Grand Prix at California's Mammoth Mountain came close.

"I had never heard of the 'twisties' before because it's not my sport," White told DW last month. "But I think it's the closest I felt to what she was describing."

The snowboarding icon, who is set to take part in his fifth Olympics, had just recovered from a COVID-19 infection. Though he tested negative ahead of the competition, crucial to his qualification for the 2022 Winter Games, he was still not back to his old self.

"I was just trying to flip through the air with the lights and having a really tough time. Then, in the qualifying run, I hurt my ankle, so I decided to save it," the 35-year-old said. "It was a nightmare competition."

In a sport where athletes flip, twist and spin several meters in the air and land on compacted snow or icy half-pipe walls, it is mental fitness that not only can make the difference, but also keep the competitors safe.

'Scared every time'

Park and pipe snow sports are all about testing the limits. It's why they became part of the Olympics, why the popularity of competitions like the X Games has skyrocketed over the last two decades, and why energy drink brands supply millions in sponsorship funds. But the courage required to soar to new heights isn't always easy to muster.

"I'm basically scared every time I ride a competition," the Norwegian Marcus Kleveland, who is set to make his Olympic debut, told DW. "The level of snowboarding right now is through the roof."

Kleveland, a slopestyle and big air specialist, has contributed to that rising standard. At the 2017 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, he landed the first-ever Quad Cork 1800 in competition, a trick that involves four off-axis flips and five full rotations.

"We have to push ourselves to do the craziest stuff," the 22-year-old said. "It's super f---ing scary to ride."

Orientation is crucial for snowboarders as they complete moves in the air. Much trial and error is involved before unveiling a trick in competition, a process which usually begins by landing in giant foam pits at the end of a jump.

But, even if they have their tricks down, things can go awry — a frightening proposition when trying to land a trick that can take a competitor 8 or 9 meters (25-30 feet) in the air.

"Sometimes you lose tricks that you can already do," Austrian Anna Gasser, also a slopestyle and big air specialist, told DW. "I think the most scary thing that can happen in snowboarding is that you lose where you are in the air."

'Lost up there'

Gasser, 30, said she could "feel for Simone" Biles when the American pulled out of competition in Tokyo to focus on her mental health. But the Austrian, who won gold in the big air competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, doesn't expect similar situations to happen at the Genting Snowpark in Zhangjiakou, where this year's park and pipe events will take place.

"I feel like if you have your tricks on lock now and you're mentally feeling good, it won't be a problem in Beijing," she said.

Visualization is a common practice for the riders, both before and during competitions. Between runs they can often be seen with their eyes closed, hopping and twisting as they go through their runs. Gasser admitted she also tries to visualize her runs the night before, but also goes through her plan when things don't go to plan.

"In slopestyle, so much can happen that I even think about worst-case scenarios and how I can finish my run," she said. During, "I try to concentrate on myself, not watch too many runs and just concentrate on what I have to do. And then what for me is really important before I drop in is to think just about every feature, not think ahead."

Kleveland said he didn't prepare as much as his competitors do. "I just go into a contest with a clear mind and focus on the round I'm doing — just listen to some good music to get myself pumped up." When he spoke to DW, he was listening to rapper Gunna's new album DS4Ever.

When he doesn't land a run, Kleveland said, he wants to jump right back in. "But you have to wait quite a while up there for your turn again, so you're standing up there trying to keep yourself warm and healthy."

As far as disorientation is concerned, the Norwegian believes that snowboarders can rely on their experience. Though just 22, he has already spent half a decade competing professionally, winning slopestyle gold in his X Games debut in 2017, three months before his 18th birthday.

"We've been doing it for quite a long time, and we kind of know what we're doing," Kleveland said. "But, yeah, we can get lost up there sometimes."

Edited by: Michael da Silva