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Solitude • It was on a chairlift in Aspen, Colo., 14 years ago that Nate Holland, then of the shoulder-length black-and-blue dyed mane, told his future national coach that he was going to be something in the world of snowboardcross someday. Peter Foley looked on as the brash young snowboarder told him he was ready to make his introduction to a sport burgeoning in popularity worldwide.
The last part of that memorable message?
"That I was going to tear it up," Holland still recalls.
In a conference room at Solitude Mountain Resort on Thursday afternoon, the snowboarding legends could only laugh when reminiscing of that day. After all these years, Holland, is one of the reasons why snowboardcross stuck, why it became an eventual Olympic-sanctioned sport in 2006. And at 38, Holland, the 11-time Winter X Games medalist — eight of which are gold — is still charging hard out of the gate, soaring over the jumps and managing berms.
Ahead of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix World Cup in Big Cottonwood Canyon, it was Holland who blazed through the course at Solitude with the fastest qualifying time entering finals scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Beating kids nearly half his age, he said, is fun. Don't get it twisted. While the youngsters may be able to bounce back from crashes like Holland once did in his early days, he understands that the years are ticking off faster now than ever.
"I know how old I am," he said. "I wake up every morning and feel the age. It just takes me a little bit longer to get ready in the mornings."
On the World Cup tour, he blends into the millennial lifestyle well, although it takes time. He knows what Snapchat is, he jokes, and when he's having trouble with his iPhone on the road, his young American teammates step up when needed. Competing not only with the world's best, but with the up-and-coming U.S. riders like Hagen Kearney and Mick Dierdorff is keeping him invigorated, he says.
And while he admits he enjoys the role of mentor for the future generations, he remains addicted to the victory. As the wear and tear of the last two decades is catching up, Holland must rely on his experience to "out-think these guys." Example: Kearney is considered the fastest athlete out of the gates in the world, so he tries to game-plan around it every time. He's always sure to hold a couple aces up his sleeve, moves he has planned on the course that he doesn't tell coaches or teammates.
"You're homies," Holland said, "but you're also competitors."
Foley said as the years have added up, Holland has become a much more tactical racer. But of all his strengths, Foley said, Holland remains the "best passer" the world of snowboardcross has to offer. American teammate Alex Deibold, a bronze medalist from the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, said Holland still remains a snowboarder with "just raw talent."
"He's still a force to be reckoned with," Deibold said.
A victory in last year's Olympic test event in Pyeongchang, South Korea, kept Holland's mind — and body — still very much in the race. Earlier in the World Cup season, he sprained both his hips, which later left him with a disappointing result at the X Games. In Pyeongchang, he probably wasn't in any condition race. But he did anyway. And won on a course he hopes will shift his Olympic fortunes.
The 2018 Games would be Holland's fourth, and very likely, his last. For all the X Games glory, the World Championship and World Cup success, Holland admits he's still haunted by the fourth-place finish at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. At home in Lake Tahoe is a trophy case full of medals, "and none of them say Olympic," he said. Deibold calls it the missing piece that his friend, teammate and rival has been after for a decade.
That win in Pyeongchang last year locked Holland in for another two years. He'll do his best to stay healthy over the next 12 months before going into a possible fourth Olympics, "as hot and reckless as possible to lay one down there," he said.
"You always want what you can't have," Holland said. "I'm still chasing it. So hopefully that's the one. We'll see."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
2017 U.S. Grand Prix World Cup
Solitude Mountain Resort
Friday • Skicross finals: 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Saturday • Snowboardcross finals: Noon to 1:40 p.m.
Sunday • Snowboardcross team finals: Noon to 1:20 p.m.