ZHANGJIAKOU, China—Snowboarding exists on a continuum of perpetual progression. What won you an Olympic gold last time won’t even get you on the podium this time around. It’s not just go big or go home, it’s go bigger than anyone’s ever gone before.
Shaun White, the snowboarding GOAT about to drop into the halfpipe for his final Olympics, has spent his entire career both raising and clearing the bar. He’s won Olympic gold three times, each time needing to find a new level, a new trick, a new height above and new strength within.