Nick Baumgartner

the Journey

My Story

Nick Baumgartner is an American snowboarder from Iron River, Michigan, who has made significant strides in snowboard cross (SBX). His journey includes qualifying for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Notably, he clinched gold and silver medals at the 2011 and 2012 Winter X Games, showcasing his prowess in the sport. Baumgartner continued his competitive journey by participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

However, in the 2022 Winter Olympics, Baumgartner etched his name in history. At 40, he secured his first Olympic gold alongside teammate Lindsey Jacobellis in the inaugural Olympic mixed snowboard cross race.

Gold from Iron

Every summer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Nick Baumgartner went to work pouring concrete, taking on the harsh physical conditions of the construction trade to support his professional snowboarding dreams come winter. To limit travel time while he trained for the Olympics an hour and a half away from home, he lived out of a crusty, old construction van, parked anywhere he could find a spot.

And in 2022, after 17 years of failure—all the crashes, injuries, and personal setbacks—he won Olympic gold at 40, becoming the oldest Olympic snowboard medalist in history.

#BlueCollarOlympian

I hope my story inspires somebody to dream. The crazier, the better. Dreams should be so big they scare the crap out of you.

Or maybe it inspires somebody to do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. Perhaps you must take a job you don’t like to pay for your dreams. OK, so please do it. Do you think I wanted to pour concrete? Heck, no. Working concrete beat me up. Hurt my hands. I killed my back. But concrete funded this wild journey and paid the bills. So, I’m thankful for concrete. I love concrete!

Or maybe it inspires somebody to get back up...after being knocked down.