Fresh off the Winter Olympics, we met three Olympians as they made a stop in Denver before heading to Aspen to resume The Snow League season this weekend.
“Crazy, honestly, just pretty overwhelming as far as excitement and gratitude and emotions,” said Jake Pates of his experience in Milano-Cortina. “It was a long journey back from a place that felt really far away and felt like the Olympics was quite unattainable. So yeah, it was really cool.”
Pates, Chase Blackwell, and Alessandro Barbieri were on hand to reflect on the Olympic Games and perform tricks for the media at the Ruby Hill Rail Yard.
Pates was one of many comeback stories in Italy. He returned to the Winter Games after eight years. He had retired due to a traumatic brain injury and mental health issues. Despite not reaching the podium, he gained a huge following after reaching the finals and finishing eighth in the men’s halfpipe.
Pates, 27, admitted that he was initially disappointed in his performance but reflected on his journey back to the Winter Olympics.
“I had to take a second and say, ‘Man, look how far I've come,’” Pates said. “The Olympics — it wasn't even in the cards for me two years ago or even a year and a half ago. I had a lot ahead of me to get myself to that point. So once the dust settled, I just fell into gratitude and just feeling super blessed with the whole experience. It's been quite incredible.”
Blackwell from Longmont finished 15th in the qualification round of the men’s halfpipe in his Olympic debut. Despite not making the finals, Blackwell said he still had fun.
“It's been such a grind just to make the US team. There are so many good snowboarders, so many good riders. So it was such a challenge just to even get there,” Blackwell said. “Then getting there, I knew that there were going to be a bunch of people back home watching, and I wanted to make everybody proud, and I think I did a good job about that.”
Italy was a homecoming of sorts for Barbieri. The 17-year-old was born in Portland to Italian parents who are from around Milano-Cortina. It made the experience more special for him.
“Being in Italy, the food and the vibe of the whole village just felt like my second home,” Barbieri said. “I've been going there since I was like one month old. I had my family around me and my support crew, so I felt like it was a home event for me.”
The road to the Games
Pates was a snowboarding prodigy, winning gold medals at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He qualified for his first Winter Olympics in 2018. In PyeongChang, South Korea, Pates finished eighth in the men’s halfpipe.
Then, in 2019, he sustained a concussion at the Mammoth World Cup. Eventually, Pates stepped away from the sport in 2021. He said those issues made it really tough for him to deal with the pressure and expectations that came along with professional snowboarding.
With the help of a portable brain scanner from WAVi Medical and other recovery and training methods, Pates was able to return to the sport. He credits Japanese snowboarders and brothers Ayumu and Kaishu Hirano for encouraging him to get back on his board. He even trained with them in Japan.
“They're always trying to motivate me and instill belief in myself,” Pates said. “It got to a point where they had just inspired me so much, and watching them was really incredible, and I was motivated and wanted to get after it again.”
Now he’s looking to qualify for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. In the meantime, he’s an alternate in the Snow League and will compete for the first time this weekend. He also hopes to find love off the slopes and is partnering with sponsor Bumble to make that happen.
“I've spent a lot of time working on myself the past bunch of years, and then really the last year, just jumping back into training, everything has been super busy,” Pates said.
Blackwell, 26, is also looking toward the 2030 Winter Games after his experience in Milano-Cortina.
“Just the whole experience of being there and having everybody there, having a lot of family come out, that was amazing for me,” Blackwell said.
As of Tuesday, Blackwell is sixth in the men’s standings of the Snow League. He said he’s more motivated to finish the season strong after his Olympic experience.
“Missed the finals there but felt like I was riding really well. So we're going to have pretty much the same competitors here at the Snow League,” Blackwell said. “I’m just going to be more motivated coming into the next two. Really excited for the one in Aspen. I did really well there last year; unfortunately, I had a little crash, but just honestly excited to just go back and throw down.”
Barbieri finished 10th in the Olympic finals. He described his performance as a “risk-reward” situation.
“I landed badly on the first run, and then I fell the second on a trick that I normally land,” Barbieri said. “And then the third, I went for the Hail Mary just to get onto the podium or win or whatever. And I didn't pan out; I fell on the back 16, which is I'm the only person to do it in competition.”
The confident Barbieri expects to be in France in 2030 and wants to compete in the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. For now, he’s focused on the Snow League, where he sits at #5 in the men’s standings. Barbieri sums up the rest of the season in one word.
“Redemption,” Barbieri said. “Redemption definitely. What happened at the Olympics is not how I want to show myself. And I definitely have more in the tank and more skills to show the world. So definitely redemption and just showing my overall riding skills.”
The Snow League returns to Buttermilk at Aspen this Friday and Saturday. Athletes will compete in the halfpipe. The Snow League, which was founded by snowboarding legend Shaun White, is in its first season. This is the league’s second stop on the schedule. It debuted at the same location last March. Japan’s Yuto Totsuka and Sena Tomita won the men’s and women’s halfpipe, respectively.
Qualifying will be held on Friday, where athletes will be divided into two heats and compete in a best-of-two format. The heat winners will advance to the finals on the following day. The top 8 athletes will face off in a head-to-head format.
