Shaun White Reveals the 2024 Olympics Moment He Calls “Insane”

Not many 37-year-olds can say they’re retired, but Shaun White’s already had quite the career. The professional snowboarder and skateboarder is a five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist with world records and firsts to his name. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, however, White announced his retirement from competition, and since then, he’s taken his life in new directions.

That same year, White launched snowboarding gear and apparel company WHITESPACE. He also recently formed The Snow League, a professional winter sports league for snowboarding and freeskiing. In a new collaboration with protein shake company Ka’Chava, White is also offering a limited edition t-shirt to highlight both nutrition and conservation efforts—which some ecology experts say is a growing concern for snow-loving athletes in an era of climate change.

The Healthy by Reader’s Digest spoke with White about staying active after retiring from the sport he helped put on the map, and the nail-biting moments that have kept him on the edge of his seat during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Experts are highlighting how skiers and snowboarders are facing a shorter season, and also more injuries, due to a warming climate and factors like the use of fake snow. Tell us about your partnership with Ka’Chava.

Shaun White:  I’ve been using Ka’Chava for three years, so it felt like a natural partnership to design a limited-edition WHITESPACE t-shirt to show my enthusiasm and support for the brand. I find there to be so many synergies between my own passions and Ka’Chava’s mission of using the highest quality ingredients in nature to fuel yourself. Additionally, Ka’Chava has mission is to protect the environment, so we chose to donate 10% of sales of the tee to Rainforest Trust. Land conservation is also a passion of mine.

The Healthy: Olympians’ diets are on many people’s minds right now, with glimpses of what athletes are eating in the Olympic Village all over social media. Talk to me a bit about nutrition—what do you prioritize? How has your diet shifted since you stopped competing?

Shaun White: Nutrition is still a large part of my daily life, whether I’m competing or not. Of course, I’ll allow myself to indulge at times with my favorite snacks, but I balance that with a healthy lifestyle overall. I’m now more focused on consuming foods that not only taste great but also offer nutritional benefits and align with my wellness objectives.

The Healthy: What is it like watching the Olympics now that you’re retired from competition? Obviously, there’s no snowboarding to enjoy this year, but do you have a different perspective on the Games from this new place in your life?

Shaun White: It’s been great being on the other side and cheering on my fellow Team USA athletes. It’s not my first time at the Summer Games, but I will say I’ve been able to enjoy it in a different way, as this is my first Games after retirement. Also, my girlfriend Nina [Dobrev] has never been to an Olympics, so seeing everything through her eyes and experiences has been so much fun.

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The Healthy: What have been some of your favorite moments from Paris so far?

Shaun White: Watching Celine Dion serenade the city from the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony was insane and definitely a highlight for me. And, of course, women’s and men’s skateboarding. That final was one of the heaviest events I’ve watched in a long time, and so suspenseful. It really showed skateboarding—only at the Olympics for a second time—in a great way. We also watched our good friend Miles Chamley Watson compete in fencing on Sunday. I’ve never watched that event in person; it was such a blast!

The Healthy: What about your own projects—what inspired the Snow League?

Shaun White: I’m so excited about The Snow League. We announced it two months ago, and I’ve been working on it for quite a while. The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league for snowboarding and freeskiing competitions.

I remember when I was 16, I had won everything there was to win at that point. I was 19 when I won my first gold at the Olympics, and I’ll never forget it: Some reporter came up to interview me and said, “Congrats on an amazing season, but how does it feel not to be the world champion?” I was like, “What do you mean? What did I not do?” I was doing it all: Halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, rail. I was winning every event. I knew right away that there was a big disconnect.

When you look at the sport, you see that there are all these major competitions that don’t really connect with one another. And they’re all amazing events promoting a sport we all love. After I retired, I really got to take a step back and look at the industry and what was needed. Right now, there aren’t too many events for snowboarding and freestyle. The time is right to bring all the riders together and start something new, but also promote the sport to keep all these other events going, hopefully.

It will debut in March 2025 in the US and start with five events this first season. The remaining four events will be held at winter resort destinations around the world, and the season will end after the 2026 Games in Milan.

If I can leave this sport in a better place than I found it, it would be amazing,

The Healthy: Is there a self-care routine you can never skip?

Shaun White: I’ve taken the advice of other professional athletes to heart: Enjoy the beauty of nothingness. I’ve focused on my well-being and made my mental health a top priority.

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