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Q&a / Shaun White on returning to the Olympics as a commentator and mentoring young snowboarders

STORYVincenzo La Torre
Shaun White at the Moncler Grenoble fall/winter 2026 show in Aspen, Colorado. Photo: Handout
Shaun White at the Moncler Grenoble fall/winter 2026 show in Aspen, Colorado. Photo: Handout
Fame and celebrity

We caught up with the Moncler Grenoble ambassador at the brand’s Aspen show to chat about his viral Central Park stunt and projects The Snow League and Whitespace

Snowboarder Shaun White stopped competing after the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, but the three-time Olympic gold medallist is still very much involved in the sport that made him famous. He is the founder of The Snow League, a snowboarding and free-skiing circuit that also mentors young athletes, and of Whitespace, a performance brand that specialises in boards and ski gear.
He is also a brand ambassador for Moncler Grenoble, the performance-wear line of the luxury outerwear company, and has collaborated with the brand on a series of boards that have also been featured at Moncler Grenoble events.
We caught up with the 39-year-old in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday, where Moncler held a show for its latest Grenoble collection. This is just before he headed to Italy for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which kicks off this week; White will be a special commentator for US channel NBC.
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You recently went snowboarding in Central Park, New York, for a comedic stunt that went viral. How did that come about?

That was fun. That whole thing happened so randomly because I saw a video a long time ago of somebody snowboarding in New York. I was like, I have to do that if it snows again, so it’s been on my mind. I heard the storm was coming and I just flew in from Austria to go ride Central Park. I was texting with Shane Gillis, the comedian. I said I was going to the park to snowboard. He’s like, I gotta see this. I have to see you jump over something. I’m like, dude, I’m gonna jump over you, and we just had this awesome time.

How does it feel to be here in Aspen with Moncler?

It’s beautiful. It’s so good to be back in Aspen with the Moncler family, and the boards look amazing. We’re really proud of that. It’s our third year collaborating and it has been a fun relationship. Aspen has always been a hub for this glamorous side and scene, as well as these beautiful mountains, and when I heard Moncler was going to do a show here, I thought, it’s a great location. It’s gonna be probably the best, most exciting one by far and I’m just so proud to be a part of it.

How do you balance performance and design when working with Moncler?

The Grenoble line is “the peak to the chic”, as we say internally, or the [idea that] fashion meets function to create something that is stylish but also performance-driven, so I love the fact that that’s where the two worlds meet. The boards for my brand, I’ve been testing them for years and dialling in the perfect sort of feel and ride, and I’m putting my stamp on it. And then when you work with Moncler – we wanted to elevate it so the board that is being used for the show is one of our newer shapes, and it’s been our favourite shape by far. We gave it to our team to test, and no one gave them back because they loved them.

A Moncler Grenoble snowboard created in collaboration with Whitespace. Photo: Handout
A Moncler Grenoble snowboard created in collaboration with Whitespace. Photo: Handout

Do you feel that fashion and snowboarding are getting closer?

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