Industry News
Arielle Gold has announced her retirement from professional snowboarding after nine years on the national halfpipe team. From Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the 25-year-old has represented the U.S. since she was just 13.
“My snowboarding career played a monumental part in growing into the person that I am today, and I am so unbelievably grateful for all of the pow turns, places, and people I encountered along the way. Thank you snowboarding,” Gold said for U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Gold began by skiing at three before taking up snowboarding when she was seven. A few years later in 2010, she won her first major halfpipe contest: the Burton US Open Junior Jam. This was the start of a successful halfpipe career.
At 16, she won the gold medal at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2013, becoming the second-youngest ever World Championship winner. This helped her to reach a second-place rank in the World Snowboard Tour and ultimately earned her a place on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team.
Although she attended the 2014 Olympics, she was unable to compete as she suffered a major shoulder injury during her practice run. This setback in Sochi didn’t stop her, and she went on to compete at major international halfpipe events including X Games and Burton US Open, her style making her a consistent podium threat.
Her career reached an all-time high during the 2018 Olympics, which she went into as an underdog. Despite dislocating her shoulder only a few days before the competition, Gold laid down the run of a lifetime and earned a bronze medal.
Gold announced her retirement from the U.S. team last week and said she plans to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
“I have known that I’ve wanted to become a veterinarian long before I started snowboarding. I’m excited to move on to another career that I have always been passionate about.”
