Shaun White
Shaun White is undoubtedly the first global superstar in the history of snowboarding. Shaun started snowboarding when he was just 6 and was offered sponsorship when was 7. He has won 2 gold medals in the Olympics. He is also the winner of ten ESPY awards with an overall medal tally at 24 and holds X-Games gold medal record at 15.
For a number of years, White was almost untouchable when it comes to snowboarding. However, this success inevitably brought him slight criticism from certain quarters.
He is among the highest paid freestyle snowboarders with quite a few sponsors including the likes of GoPro, Nike, BF Goodrich Tyres and Target. In addition, he also has a number of corporate endorsement agreements under his belt.
Terje Haakonsen
Originally from Norway, Terje is another popular name in the world of freestyle snowboarding.
Terje Haakonsen, in fact, holds a legendary status among all the snowboarders. This guy entirely dominated competitive snowboarding during the ’90s and went on to win countless competitions which include the European Champs (five times), the Mt. Baker Slalom (seven times) and ISF World Championship (3 times).
A consistent flow along with the ability to rule any kind of terrain was a primary characteristic of his snowboarding which had a great impacted on the entire sport of snowboarding. Terje also became a familiar face in the British-Columbian and Alaskan mountains riding lines that not many could dream of.
Danny Kass
Danny started snowboarding when he was just 12 years old. After several years of practice around Mid-Atlantic states, Danny decided to enter the Okemo Mountain School in order to focus his attention on the better park towards the East. As of now, Danny has won 2 silver medals in the Olympics, 4 US Open championships and 7 X Games medals.
Danny also holds major sponsorships from brands like Monster, Union Bindings, Oakley, Grenade, GNU and Nike.
Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen started snowboarding when she was just 11.
Gretchen has won 4 X Games gold medals in Aspen. Most expected Bleiler to grab another gold medal during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; but, she fell short during both of her runs. Yet, she is considered among the best female snowboarders the sport has ever witnessed.
In addition to a dream career in snowboarding, Bleiler has also designed an independent snowboard and outerwear clothing line under the K2 Snowboarding and Oakley brands. She also has sponsorships from famous brands like Coca-Cola, Aspen Snowmass, and GoPro under her belt.
Travis Rice
Travis was inspired to take on skiing by his father. Soon, he started showing interest in snowboarding and by the time he was 18, he decided to enter‘Superpark’ contest by the Snowboarder magazine without any sponsor.
The event turned out to be hugely successful for Travis and kickstarted his career as a snowboarder. Travis has won 4 X Games medals till date. He has also been featured in over 20 snowboarding films including First Descent, Neverland, Transcendence, etc.