Nine years ago, Austria’s Anna Gasser took a leap of faith. Not in the literal sense – as she’s known to do these days – but figuratively. She had the sense that a future in snowboarding was calling and that she needed to move to the United States to make it a reality. So, after what we imagine was a series of discussions with her parents, Anna relocated to Mammoth Lakes, California with little snowboarding skills to speak of and a budget of $400 per month to chase her dreams. Her diet then, she says, consisting mostly of pasta and tomato sauce.
Fast forward nearly a decade later and Gasser is one of the most progressive female riders, if not the most progressive female rider, in the world. Last November, she became the first woman to land a triple cork and the news made international headlines. She also won women’s big air at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018 – the first time the ladies have ever gotten the nod to compete in that event – and backed it up with a win in the same event at the X Games in Oslo, Norway earlier this year.
She credits her ascension to looking at other female riders, namely Mammoth-based Kimmy Fasani. In the same vein, Gasser hopes to use her riding to inspire young girls to chase their dreams.
For more from Anna, check out an interview we did with her during the Burton US Open earlier this year.
