Passion to push sport beyond boundaries drives James at fifth Olympics

Courtesy Australian Olympic Team

The name Scotty James is not only synonymous with snowboard halfpipe in his hometown of Warrandyte in Victoria, or across Australia’s close knit winter sports community… 

In the global action-sports community, Scotty James is synonymous with some of the most technical advances in halfpipe riding the world has ever seen. 

As the 31-year-old heads into his fifth Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina, it is his enduring desire to push the sport beyond its limits that continues to motivate and define him. 

The Olympic silver and bronze medallist arrives at the Games fresh from winning his eighth X Games gold medal, where his final run featured a switch backside 1440 into a backside 1440 – the first time this combination has ever been landed in competition. 

James said that while recent results give him confidence, the focus of his past few seasons has been on elevating halfpipe snowboarding into realms previously unexplored. 

“I’ve had an awesome lead into this, which has been the dream. As an athlete and a competitor, you can only really hope to have good momentum,” James said. 

“My plan this year was always to – regardless of the results – try to revolutionise halfpipe snowboarding in the way that I interpret it. 

“I think the most rewarding part, aside from the accolades, is just that I feel like I'm snowboarding the way I want to snowboard and fortunately being rewarded for that.” 

Looking back at his previously Olympic experiences – since debuting as a 15-year-old in Vancouver – James said he started out running with the pack in terms of the tricks that were considered the most challenging at the time. 

“In [Vancouver] 2010, the double corks were the new hot thing to do and that was the most technical, hard thing to do,” he said. 

“2014 it was the frontside double cork 1440, and Shaun [White] learnt it the year he created the trick. 

“Coming into 2018 and the back-to-back 1440s was the trick to do.” 

But ahead of PyeongChang 2018, James decided to stop running with the pack. Instead, he wanted to focus on what he viewed as the sport’s most technical and demanding direction – backside and switch backside riding. 

“In 2018, I wanted to push it and do the switch backside 1260 which I was able to accomplish, which was amazing. But Shaun [White] got the job done that day… he deserved it,” James said, recalling his Olympic bronze medal. 

By Beijing 2022, switch backside riding had begun to surface among the top riders, with Japanese gold medallist Ayumu Hirano and silver medallist James pushing the boundaries to take the top steps of the podium.

“History tells the facts of what's actually hard to the people and the novice that don't follow our sport. Between 2022 and now, there's still only a handful of guys that are really doing switch backside riding… and for me it's been really rewarding because it's probably the mark I want to leave in the sport. 

“Regardless of the results, I know that riding backside is really challenging and this year the majority of the field is doing two backside hits with three front side hits. These Games, I'm doing two front side hits with three backside hits. That's how I interpret it to be more technical, more difficult, more demanding physically.” 

While James was tight-lipped about the tricks we can expect to see in the pipe this week, he said the evolutions of the 1440s will add an exciting element and he plans to “leave something to surprise.” 

What is guaranteed is seeing the likes of James, fellow Aussie Valentino Guseli, Japan’s Ayumu and Ruka Hirano and the other top podium contenders pushing the limits of death-defying tricks in their pursuit of Olympic glory. 

Aussies Scotty James and Valentino Guseli will compete in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe qualifiers at Livigno Snow Park on Wednesday 1 February (5.30am AEDT Thursday 12 February).  

Watch the Winter Olympics on Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport.