Snowboard Cross Champ Nate Holland’s Road to Sochi: Exclusive Photos
Nate Holland has seen gold many times as a snowboard cross competitor: seven times at the Winter X Games, and five times at the FIS World Cup, to be exact. But the most elusive gold medal for Holland has been at the Winter Olympics, where he finished in 14th at the 2006 Torino games, and fourth at the 2010 Vancouver games.
To complicate matters, Holland fractured his clavicle at the World Cup in Austria this past December, jeopardizing his qualification for the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi. However, after a quick surgery and an even quicker recovery, Holland was able to qualify and even went on to win snowboard cross gold again at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, this past January. With his eyes now set on Sochi, Holland seems ready as ever to prove himself.
Rolling Stone caught up with Holland at the Winter X Games in Aspen to get a close-up look at what makes a champion tick.
By Sean McCabe
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Daily Therapy
A physical therapist massages the area around Holland's fracture site. Since his injury this past December, Holland has been receiving daily treatments to keep his shoulder loose and allow it to fully heal in time for Sochi.
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Scar Tissue
Holland's "Frankenstein scar" from his surgery on the fractured clavicle. After getting his collarbone reinforced at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, Holland was snowboarding only 10 days after the operation. He qualified for the Olympics a few weeks later, and then went on to win Snowboard Cross gold at the Winter X Games just six weeks post-op.
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Handle With Care
Holland dries off his Kessler-brand snowboard after a ride. The Swiss company provides Holland with handcrafted, one-of-a-kind boards built just for him.
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Wax On, Wax Off
Holland pulls the bindings off his board, putting it "to bed" for the night. From there, his board technician Andrew "Andy" Buckley will start waxing the boards down based on air temperature, humidity and snow, something Holland calls "a science all its own."
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Tools of the Trade
Wrapped in protective casings and marked with tape to signify the type of wax used, Holland's boards await future rides. Each board has a unique grind on the bottom, like tire treads, to handle different snowboarding environments, from slush to frigid temperatures. Holland will bring three or four boards to each race, and may use all of them by the end of the day.
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Coffee Break
Kicking back with some java at the team house in Aspen, Holland always tries to find some time for R&R. "That's a big part of it, to decompress," says Holland. "[Got to] have some alone time, recharge the batteries, and do it all over again."
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Prep Work
Holland and fellow snowboard cross teammate Alex Deibold ready their boards in the team wax room at the previous Winter X Games in Aspen. The two are now Olympic teammates in Sochi.
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Battle Plans
Hitting the powder at the Winter X Games, Holland watches a run he just took on his iPad. Whether it's training or racing, Holland's runs are filmed and then relayed to his device by his coach, letting him watch his work almost immediately. "It's instant, on-demand feedback, which is super valuable for what we do," says Holland. "You're able to make adjustments each run and try to get faster throughout the day."
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Calm Before the Storm
Holland and fellow racers load up at the start gate for a practice session. Pushing oneself swiftly and powerfully out of the gate can secure an early lead. "This is one thing I've been focusing on, as of late," admits Holland. "With my shoulder not being a hundred percent, I've had to make some adjustments on my starts." Holland switches up his starts depending on the specific course he's racing on, as well.
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Air Holland
On a training day in Aspen, Holland reaches the "rhythm section" of a course, in which a racer grabs air on two "rollers," or small hills. Staying compact and aerodyanmic is key to keeping one's momentum during a race. "It's one of my favorite parts [of snowboard] cross," says Holland. "If you hit [the rollers] just right, all goes really well. If you screw up, you pay the piper."
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Stretching It Out
Warming up before a ride, Holland must be flexible to navigate the course. If a crash occurs during a race, stretching can mean the difference between "bending [and] breaking," in Holland's words.
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Talking It Over
Holland and Coach Jeff Archibald discuss the course in Aspen. Holland has worked with his coaches for more than 10 years now, nearly "writing the book" on snowboard cross back when the sport was just emerging. Holland and Archibald have established a great rapport and pseudo "code language" over the years in order to talk race track specifics or Holland's performance. "It's the little things that win a race," says Holland. "Everyone's fast, but if you can put together the little things, that's what wins races."
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Ins and Outs
Holland watches a fellow rider alongside his "wax man"/board technician Andrew "Andy" Buckley. "People always tell me how fast I am, but I wouldn't be anywhere without [Andy] putting in the long hours," Holland admits. The two exchange feedback after every run, making sure the boards and wax are working to their maximum potential on the course.
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Facing the Future
Examining the Winter X Games course in Aspen on an inspection run, Holland looks to memorize the race track and check for any imperfections. After winning gold (yet again) at the X Games, Holland's hard work has paid off. He'll look to continue his success in Sochi.
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Last Ride In
Holland takes a casual run with some earbuds on as the Winter X Games come to a close. "It was kind of a grey day, kind of depressing, so I just threw on some ([Alice in Chains'] Jar of Flies and raced in that depressing mode," laughs Holland.