Canadian snowboarding icon Mark McMorris explains his mindset towards Olympic history chase
For anyone who’s followed the career of Canadian snowboarding legend Mark McMorris, there are usually two types of headlines associated with him.
A three-time Olympic medallist and the winningest snowboarder in X Games history, few extreme athletes have had the career of the 31-year-old Regina native. Since turning pro as a teenager back in 2010, McMorris has often defined the slopestyle discipline and taken the sport to new heights both at home and abroad.
“Just having the longevity to be able to witness [the growth of the sport] firsthand and be a part of it has been really neat,” McMorris said in an interview with Offside. “I’m still riding at a really high level and still getting on the podium here and there, and I’m just intrigued to go to a fourth Olympics, have another crack at it.”
But McMorris has also been known for having gnarly injuries, getting hospitalized in 2024 after kneeing himself in the face, breaking his ankle in 2023, and suffering a brutal mix of injuries back in 2017 when he suffered a fractured jaw and left arm, ruptured spleen, a stable pelvic fracture, rib fractures, and a collapsed left lung during a Whistler backcountry run.
With McMorris’ competitive season now over, he’s happy to have avoided any major scares this year, finishing the X Games with a silver medal in slopestyle.
“I haven’t made it to April in a few years. So feeling lucky and feeling strong,” McMorris said. “I’m pretty over being injured, so I’m trying to be very cognizant of that. And I would say it’s going good. I’m growing wiser.”
Cheering on other Canadian athletes
Currently training out of Whistler, one thing keeping McMorris busy these days is his heavy NHL fandom, with a trip planned to Edmonton this weekend to check out the Oilers. A close friend of many of the team’s players, McMorris was a staple in watching the team in Alberta and on the road throughout last year’s postseason run.
McMorris, who was actually a guest at Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle’s wedding last summer, called the Oilers a “really fun group” but admitted that he’s really willing to cheer for any team that’s employing his friends.
“It’s been really rad to connect with different athletes,” McMorris said. “I’m just thankful for all the opportunities that snowboarding has brought me and the rooms it puts me in.”
Another Canadian athlete McMorris connected with in 2024 was Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, with the two linking up in Germany last year when he travelled to see him play.
“We had a nice dinner together… It’s so amazing to see a Canadian kid playing in Europe,” McMorris said. “What his daily routine looks like… I’m fascinated by it. It’s cool, we can pull things from each other.”
Though McMorris had the chance in 2014 and 2018 — and again at the Paris Games last summer as a fan — to be out and about meeting other Olympians, the 2022 Games provided a new challenge, with COVID-19 protocols still in place in Beijing.
“2022 was definitely stressful, testing every morning, and really trying to stay bubbled up,” McMorris said. “I really look forward to being at an Olympics in Italy, and having friends and family there, and just being able to be out and about a bit more and go watch events and things like that.”
What’s motivating his Olympic dreams?
With the Olympics set for next February in Italy, McMorris is hoping to become the first athlete to become the first four-time medallist in any snowboard discipline. Eleven athletes have three medals — McMorris himself has three bronze — but none have been on the podium on four separate occasions.
“I think what’s keeping me pushing is the curiosity to see how far I can take it,” McMorris said. “If I go to this next Olympics, there will be no one who was with me at the 2014 Games at the 2026 Games, I take a lot of pride in my longevity. I think that’s kind of the main motivating factor… I want to see how far I can go. It would be unreal to get some more hardware. It keeps me sharp, it keeps me taking really good care of myself.”
Self-care has been increasingly important in recent years for McMorris, which helps explain a recent partnership with Dove Men+Care, sporting the brand’s logo directly on his skin in a recent video.
“As much as I get tired from travelling, I think I’m slightly addicted to it… You gotta stay on it and take care of yourself. I’m in pretty harsh climates, and we focus so much on recovery, on the body, but taking care of your skin is really important,” McMorris said. “For any kid or young adult, especially on the male side, it’s not talked about a ton to highlight taking care of your skin, but it is important.”
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With just 285 days until the Winter Olympics next year, keeping himself in tip-top shape to qualify and looking to make some history next year will be at the top of McMorris’ to-do list.