At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, American snowboarder Red Gerard was just 17—a suburban Cleveland kid whose large extended family later moved west to Colorado for greater access to outdoor activities. His dramatic win in the snowboard slopestyle event secured the U.S. its first gold medal of those Games, making him the youngest Olympic snowboarding gold medalist in history. His family celebrated by chugging beers; the media lapped up his story of oversleeping his alarm on the morning of his victory, after staying up late binge-watching a sitcom. He hit the bicoastal victory circuit, making appearances on and
“The next six months were a blast—doing talk shows, meeting interesting people, getting a small glimpse into what celebrity life is like,” says Gerard, now 25. “But for me, it was more like being an F-minus celebrity.” He’s not complaining. “F-minus is good enough,” he says. “I’m fine with that. No one wants to be A-list; that seems like way too much work.”
Gerard—who made a cameo on in June—isn’t overly focused on the trappings of fame. But that Olympic win eight years ago has left him hungry for more. “It gave me a new perspective on snowboarding I didn’t have before,” he says. “Once you get that first win, it ignites that competitive drive in you.” Though he missed the podium in Beijing—he seriously considered withdrawing due to strict COVID protocols—Gerard won consecutive X Games slopestyle golds in 2024 and 2025, and took bronze this year. With a top performance at the Milano Cortina Olympics, he’s positioned to step into the role as the face of American men’s snowboarding. (On the women’s side, holds the spotlight.)
He finds inspiration in his family, particularly his older sister Tieghan Gerard, who launched the food blog ” and has authored best-selling cookbooks, establishing herself as a prominent social media influencer. Tieghan’s following (5.4 million) towers over that of (2.1 million), Kim (1 million), and her gold-medal-winning younger brother. What’s the biggest lesson Red has taken from Tieghan? “Just put your head down and work,” Gerard says. “The trips you’d rather skip, the tasks you’d rather avoid—those are all part of the job.”
“He’s so dialed in,” says Tieghan. “More so than ever before.” Tieghan notes that Red can make good avocado and eggs—a.k.a. the breakfast of champions for guys who can’t cook.
Despite the extra focus, Gerard—who will compete in both Big Air, whose qualifying runs begin on Feb. 5, with the final on Feb. 7, and slopestyle, whose qualifying runs begin on Feb. 16, with the final on Feb. 18–doesn’t plan on changing his routine. “I try not to get too serious the night before a contest,” he says. “It really helps me to sit back and play a card game with my friends or go have a beer with my brother. Something to get my head off of what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Though slopestyle snowboarding is a judged affair, not a race, Gerard wants his speed to stand out. “It’s not necessary in our sport to get down the hill the fastest,” he says. “I do think if that was a side-bet contest, I would be up there for one of the quicker snowboarders to get down the slopestyle course. I love when people snowboard fast and it looks almost a touch out of control. That’s what I like to watch.”
And speed builds amplitude—height off a jump—a key for snowboarding gold. “I definitely feel like I’m snowboarding better than I ever have,” says Gerard. “I do like my chances, better than ever.”
And being B-list suits Gerard perfectly.
