As of now, Claudia Riegler at age 44 is the oldest snowboarder ever to compete at the Winter Olympics.
That record likely will fall in February.
In fact, there are a quite a few snowboarders over the age of 40 who could compete at the Milan Cortina Games, as many athletes have found longevity in the two racing disciplines on the Olympic program: snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom. As a result, the start lists are likely to include a lot of names familiar to Olympic fans who have followed these events closely for a long time.
That, however, hasn’t stopped new riders from breaking through in the years since Beijing 2022. Below is a deep dive into the biggest developments, new names to know and more for snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom as the 2026 Milan Cortina Games approach.
Snowboard Cross
What are the major storylines?
Eliot Grondin, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, has emerged as the racer to beat in men’s snowboard cross over the last two seasons. A dominant 2023-24 campaign — he won seven of 12 races and finished on the podium 10 times — resulted in his first World Cup season title. The 24-year-old Canadian followed that up last season by defending his World Cup title and winning his first gold medal at the world championships.
During those two seasons, seven other men have won at least one World Cup race, a testament to the sport’s unpredictability. That list includes Austrians Alessandro Haemmerle, who won three times during the 2023-24 season, and Jakob Dusek, who won three times during the 2024-25 season. Haemmerle, 32, is the event’s reigning Olympic champion.
In women’s snowboard cross, three notable Olympic medalists recently took time away from competition to start a family.
One such rider was France’s Chloe Trespeuch, the silver medalist from Beijing 2022 and bronze medalist from Sochi 2014. After finally capturing her first World Cup season title in March 2024, she stepped away from competition due to pregnancy. Trespeuch said she stayed very active during her pregnancy, and she returned to the World Cup circuit in March 2025, just three months after giving birth.
American Lindsey Jacobellis, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, and Czechia’s Eva Adamczykova (née Samkova), the 2014 Olympic champion, sat out the entire 2024-25 season because of their own pregnancies. Like Trespeuch, Adamczykova gave birth last December. Jacobellis became a mother in July.
With all three riders absent, a new face — young Frenchwoman Lea Casta — was last year’s World Cup season champion.
Who’s in and who’s out?
At the Beijing Games, American Nick Baumgartner (age 40) became the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal. Baumgartner, who will be 44 during the Milan Cortina Games, is still active in snowboard cross and is in contention to qualify for his fifth Winter Olympics. His best individual result since Beijing was a third-place finish at a World Cup race in March 2025.
Many other familiar names from past Olympics are also expected to be in the field, including Italians Michela Moioli and Omar Visintin, who paired up to earn silver in the mixed team event in Beijing. Both riders will be among the host nation’s medal hopefuls for Milan Cortina 2026, particularly Moioli. The 2018 Olympic champion won her first women’s snowboard cross world title in 2025.
Who are some of the new stars?
- Lea Casta (FRA): In her first-ever World Cup start in December 2022, Casta finished on the podium as a 16-year-old. Since then, the French prodigy has been on a rapid ascent. Her 2024-25 season was a true breakout year — she won four World Cup races, finished on the podium at nine of 10 events, and captured her first season title.
- Josie Baff (AUS): Baff made her Olympic debut in 2022 but was eliminated in the first round. Less than a year later, though, she broke though for her first World Cup win. The 22-year-old went on to earn a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships and has finished in the top four of the World Cup standings in three consecutive seasons.
- Aidan Chollet, Julien Tomas (FRA): France has more Olympic medals than any other country in men’s snowboard cross, and the future remains bright after Chollet, 20, and Tomas, 21, broke through for their first World Cup victories last season. Chollet and Tomas finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in last season’s overall standings, by far their best results since joining the circuit for the 2022-23 campaign.
Parallel Giant Slalom
What are the major storylines?
Just in time for the Milan Cortina Olympics, Italy has become a powerhouse in men's Alpine snowboarding.
Last season, seven of the top 12 athletes in the parallel giant slalom World Cup standings were Italian, including title winner Maurizio Bormolini. The team also includes Roland Fischnaller, who will be 45 at the time of the Milan Cortina Games and is bidding to compete at his seventh Winter Olympics. Fischnaller won gold in parallel giant slalom at the 2025 World Championships and also won the PGS World Cup season title in 2023.
Italy can select only four snowboarders from its talented bunch, but medal expectations will be high for whoever the host nation sends to Livigno Snow Park.
Fischnaller isn’t the only racer over the age of 40 who could compete at these Games — reigning Olympic champion Benjamin Karl, three-time Olympic medalist Zan Kosir and five-time Olympian Andreas Prommegger are also still active.
Karl won the parallel giant slalom and overall World Cup titles in 2024, his first titles in 13 years, while Prommegger has been the PGS runner-up for three straight seasons.
On the women’s side, Czech dual-sport star Ester Ledecka remains the rider to beat. Although she’s competed sparingly in snowboard races — her focus has been on Alpine skiing — Ledecka performs well any time she does show up. Her most recent appearance came at the 2025 World Championships, where she won PGS gold and parallel slalom silver. In doing so, she became the first person to win world championships medals in Alpine skiing and snowboarding in the same season.
At the Milan Cortina Games, Ledecka could become the first snowboarder to three-peat in a Winter Olympic event. However, the timing of snowboarding’s parallel giant slalom race conflicts with Alpine skiing’s downhill race. Ledecka’s efforts to lobby Olympic organizers for a schedule change so far have been unsuccessful, which would leave her with a difficult decision.
Ledecka has indicated that she’s leaning toward picking the snowboard event that day, as the schedule still would allow her to race Alpine skiing’s super-G, the event she won gold in at the 2018 Games, a few days later. The situation remains in flux, however.
In Ledecka’s absence, Germany’s Ramona Hofmeister and Japan’s Tsubaki Miki have won World Cup season titles in parallel giant slalom.
Who’s in and who’s out?
While many men still are competing well into their 40s, a few Olympic gold medalists decided to hang up their boots before reaching that point.
Russian snowboarder Vic Wild, who won two gold medals at Sochi 2014 and a bronze at Beijing 2022, retired after the last Winter Olympics. Switzerland’s Nevin Galmarini, the 2018 Olympic champion, retired after the 2022 season as well.
The women’s side also had a few notable retirements as Switzerland’s Patrizia Kummer, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist, and Austria’s Daniela Ulbing, the 2022 silver medalist, both stepped away from competition. Ulbing, who is only 27, sat out the 2024-25 season before announcing her retirement in May.
Japan’s Tomoka Takeuchi, who will be 42 during these Games, remains active and, like Fischnaller, could compete at her seventh Winter Olympics. Takeuchi secured a silver medal in parallel giant slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games.
And, oh yeah, remember when Claudia Riegler was mentioned at the very start of this article? Well, Riegler is now 52 years old — she didn't compete in Beijing — and is still on the World Cup circuit. In fact, last season she was ranked eighth in the overall World Cup standings for Alpine snowboarding. The one who breaks Riegler’s age record very well may be herself.
Who are some of the new stars?
- Maurizio Bormolini (ITA): A 31-year-old snowboarder who has been competing on the World Cup circuit since 2011 might not seem to fit the profile of a “new star,” but in this discipline where 40-year-olds have been among the top riders, Bormolini finally has found consistency. He’s finished in the top three of Alpine snowboarding’s overall World Cup standings for three consecutive years and won the parallel giant slalom and overall titles last season. The Milan Cortina Games would be his Olympic debut, and he would be a strong medal contender for the host nation.
- Tsubaki Miki (JPN): Since making her Olympic debut in Beijing and placing ninth, this 22-year-old from Japan has been on the rise. Miki since has won gold at the world championships in both parallel giant slalom (2023) and parallel slalom (2025). After a few years of steady improvement, she finally captured her first Crystal Globe last season, and she did it in impressive fashion, sweeping the parallel giant slalom, parallel slalom, and overall World Cup season titles.
What's happened since Beijing in other disciplines?
Learn about the biggest developments in other events ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.