Ahead of the Olympics, Marcus Kleveland Reflects on the Dizzying Tricks That Made Him Famous

The irony is not lost on Marcus Kleveland.

The snowboarder who pioneered the spin-to-win movement, who has since taken off like a rocket ship in the world of competitive snowboarding, now has to try his hardest to keep up with these up-and-comers, throwing down as many as six spins in a trick.

“I mean, I can't really hate on it, since I was also a part of, like, bringing spin to win into the contests and stuff,” he told me in an interview. “But I came to realize that it's not really the more spins, the cooler. It's the more spins, the gnarlier and scarier. It just kind of takes away the joy of snowboarding.”

Part of this can be attributed to maturity. Kleveland is 26 years old, painting and remodeling his apartment in Dombås, Norway, during the last few weeks of the preseason, because his fianceé is set to move into a home that previously served as a good old-fashioned boys' apartment. He sold his bright yellow Lamborghini and replaced it with a much more practical Audi RS6. Red Bull released a documentary titled Echoes of Impact in November, as he heads into the Olympic year.

Through all that change, you can sense that he’s definitely a wiser person than he was when he made his X Games debut in 2017. And while he used to be willing to keep up with the spin-rate of the moment, he’s focused more now on putting together the most stylish run he can.

“Instead of, like, hucking all the time because I'm not 16 years old, and I do have a fear factor now, I just want to enjoy snowboarding for what it's worth,” he said. “Not because I have to go send like, 18s, 19s, and even 21s.”

Milano-Cortina will be Kleveland’s third Olympics. He finished in sixth place in men’s slopestyle in 2018 and 18th in big air at just 18 years old. Four years later, he competed in the 2022 Games and finished in eighth place in men’s slopestyle.

Contests have been the focus for Kleveland as of late, and that is something that he struggles with. He lives at the base of a small ski area in Norway, and anyone who’s ever seen Nitro’s documentary Layers knows just how much fun Kleveland can have at that place. But in the name of keeping up with the competition, Kleveland has been pushing himself over and over again. He’s battled injuries – a concussion, a massive slam at X Games Big Air in 2025, and then a freak upper body injury during a fall air bag training session. While it’s a necessary focus for someone who seeks his first Olympic medal, it has also killed a bit of his creativity.

“The past couple years have been really mainly focused on contests, more than before,” he said. “I feel like that's kind of been destroying my creativity a little bit. I focused more on trying to hang with the progression instead of just riding the wave. Last season, I didn't really ride that much back home, which kind of sucked, and then I was always traveling to the contests and always doing the same thing over and over again. But, whenever I'm home, just the joy and the feeling that it gives me…yeah, that’s the best.”

It's been a long 10 years in the public eye for Kleveland, who achieved his first World Cup podium at the age of 16. After the Olympics, he says he might take a step back from contests for a little bit and just be more selective.

“I still enjoy contests because it's super fun, and it's always a really good feeling to put together a run,” he said. “Of course, we all strive to get on top of the podium…there's no better feeling. But at the same time, to go out and ride your snowboard with friends and just have a good time. That's kind of like, comparable to the contests.”

First up, before the Olympics is the X Games. Kleveland has eight X Games gold medals and five silver medals. Last year, a really rough bail during the Big Air contest kept him out of the Knuckle Huck. He still competed a day later in slopestyle, but was nowhere near 100%. His head injury loomed for the rest of the season. The time not spent competing or training was spent resting. He had to heal the invisible injury.

Kleveland has already left a lasting impact on snowboarding. Knuckle Huck was introduced, partly, because of him. At the Rockstar Energy Open in Breckenridge, Colorado, in December 2025, Eli Bouchard was knocked out in the semifinals by eventual champion Dusty Henricksen. After a series of nose butters off the lip of the jump propelled him to the finals day, he was asked who his biggest inspiration was.

“Marcus Kleveland, without a doubt,” he said on the broadcast.

A documentary at the age of 26. A new signature outerwear collection with longtime outerwear sponsor Volcom. Any number of pro model snowboards with Nitro. What's next for Kleveland?

Probably just having fun at his local hill, as soon as he finishes painting.