Past the Podium, Into the Wild

If you know Sage Kotsenburg, you probably remember his winning the first Olympic gold medal in men’s slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. A few years later, he left competition behind. It wasn’t just burnout, though he felt that too. He realized he had nothing left to prove and felt drawn to something rawer, more unpredictable, and real.

Now, Kotsenburg is exactly where he wants to be — deep in the backcountry, chasing powder, filming, getting hurt, recovering, and heading back out. He found a place where his creativity and toughness collide, in a space he had to make for himself. Now, it’s not just about riding. It’s about building a life centered on movement, freedom, and vision.

“I was really not getting good results,” Kotsenburg says of the 2014 Olympics. “I wasn’t really happy being at the events. I had told myself before the Olympics that that was the last event I was going to do.”

Winning gold pulled him deeper into the comp scene, but his focus had already shifted. A couple of years later, he was fully committed to backcountry and big-mountain riding. “I told all my sponsors that I was going to pursue backcountry snowboarding, and that it was totally ok if they didn’t want to continue the relationship with me down this path,” he says. But his sponsors, including Monster Energy, supported his decision, and their relationship deepened.

A Symbol of Home

The move to backcountry riding became part of his on-screen story, too. In 2025, Kotsenburg was featured in Monster Energy’s “SELF MADE” tattoo series alongside acclaimed tattoo artist Luke Wessman. In the show, the Monster Energy tattoo ambassador visits the athlete’s world, and the athlete then joins him for a tattoo.

Episode 5 of “SELF MADE” follows Kotsenburg from his early days in Park City, Utah, through winning Olympic gold, and now to creating a new path for himself. The video examines his drive, from pushing through pain to land tricks to dealing with the emotional fallout after Sochi, when the cameras left but the pressure remained.

In “SELF MADE,” Kotsenburg’s dedication to his sport is tangible. He’s open about everything, including how he felt like a phony and almost quit after winning gold. His story is real, built on the work ethic that took him to the top and the humility that brought him back.

Kotsenburg came to Wessman’s tattooing chair with an idea: Park City’s well-known McPolin Barn. Wessman added a bear trap and the 435 area code, then tattooed it on Kotsenburg’s bicep. “(It) turned out so cool,” Kotsenburg says. “It’s really one of my favorite ones.”

Kotsenburg’s first tattoo was a rose behind his ear, which he got in a hotel lobby during a Monster trip while the Dropkick Murphys song “Rose Tattoo” played. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that triggered his enthusiasm for more ink.

He still lives in Park City and spends most winters filming projects like “Eternal Descent,” a high-energy snowboarding film with an animated game-inspired intro that shifts to the physical world, journeying to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Japan, and Alaska. His goal is to leave a legacy, be creative, and take risks for something bigger.

A Champion’s Mindset

Kotsenburg has always had his own style. If you remember the “Holy Crail” grab he invented at Sochi, you know exactly what that means. A random person on Instagram gave the trick its name, and it stuck. That trick was featured on a Wheaties box, a coveted honor in American sports, and was proof of his champion status.

Now, Kotsenburg is helping the next generation do the same. He works with younger riders, especially those who want to transition from contests to backcountry riding. “Some of the younger kids on the team reach out to me, saying, ‘I just want to get better at riding backcountry.’ So now it feels like I’m passing the torch a bit.”

It’s still unclear whether Kotsenburg will return to the Olympics. There’s talk of adding backcountry riding to the Games, and if it does, Kotsenburg will have 18 months to decide whether he wants to compete again. “I’m at peace now, but damn, it’d be so fun to go back 16 years later.”

Kotsenburg is deeply involved with his gear. He collaborated with his longtime sponsor, K2, to design the Dopamine Collection. He spent time in the prototype factory, building boards, testing new materials, and learning how technology alters the ride.

Kotsenburg also credits his crew for keeping him grounded. In the backcountry, trust is everything. Whether they’re spotting avalanche zones or calling out a bad line, there’s no room for ego. That sense of mutual respect and accountability extends to his partnership with Monster. It’s not just a brand deal to him. It’s family.

Kotsenburg keeps busy off the snow, too. He mountain bikes, golfs, and hikes, and lately he’s been surfing. The ocean, like the backcountry, doesn’t care who you are. You have to show up and respect it, or you get nothing. Kotsenburg loves that challenge. “Surfing has been a tough egg to crack, not living by the ocean,” he says. “I’m kind of addicted to it now. You want what you can’t have all the time, right?”

Today, the goal is to secure a lasting future in the sport he loves while also being a source of guidance for fellow riders. “You’ve got to have your own flavor and your own style. Don’t conform to someone else’s style just because they’re getting rewarded for their tricks,” Kotsenburg tells young snowboarders. “Snowboarding is just expressing yourself. I think having your own style is the biggest flavor you can add.”

You can watch Kotsenburg’s full episode of “SELF MADE” on Monster Energy’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/monsterenergy. It’s more than just a story about winning gold. It’s about what comes after that: the community, the struggles, the growth, and the tattoos that bind it all together.