My greatest season yet
As a professional freestyle snowboarder, I am no stranger to long travel days, training on the mountain, lifting weights in the gym, doing yoga and going on nature runs. Most winter seasons are the same, I follow the World Cup tour around the world, competing in Slopestyle and Big Air, but this year was the Olympic season, making it 1000 times more intense, challenging and exciting.
Training with JLab
My pre-season usually consists of gym work, running, yoga, hiking and gymnastics, and this season I decided to mix things up a bit by going on a fitness van trip to the Lake District. This was the perfect place to kick start my Olympic season, and also a peaceful environment to relax after a big day of hiking. I took my JLab Pop Party speaker with me to keep the vibes high on difficult hikes, by listening to my favourite tunes, and also to play relaxing evening music to chill in the van or do some yoga. It was the best essential for my van trip because:
- Ultra portable
- RGB lighting
- Lab quality sound with 8 hours playtime
- Water resistant
- Flexible mounting options
I left the Lake District feeling refreshed, energised and inspired to give it my all once the winter season began.
I began my winter in November, prepping my tricks on the airbag in Austria, which is perfect for putting in the reps, whilst being a safer environment than on snow. I've been training with JLab all season and I have found that listening to music really helps me to get into a good rhythm and flow state. In Austria, I was wearing the JLab Epic Open Sport wireless earbuds, which have been perfect for snowboarding, because they have:
- Open-ear listening
- Hi-res audio
- 30+ hours of playtime
- Secure, comfortable earhook
- Lab quality sound
These features enabled me to snowboard, whilst being able to listen to music clearly, at the same time as being able to hear my surroundings. The comfortable, secure earhook meant that I could barely feel them, and I wasn't worried about them falling off.
Competition time
In December, my competition season began with 3 back-to-back World Cup Big Air events, 2 in China, followed by one in Colorado, USA. This meant that I had very long travel days, but JLab JBuds Lux ANC over-ear headphones came to the rescue. Travelling is the worst part of snowboarding for me. I find that I get very tired and anxious whilst travelling, but listening to music, and downloading my favourite shows and movies has been a life saver this season. My JLab headphones made travelling so much easier and enjoyable. I was even able to watch the same movies with my fiancé thanks to the Labshare feature that allows us to share audio between 2 JBuds Lux headphones! Additionally, they also have 70+ hours of playtime and Hybrid ANC, making them the perfect travel companion, especially for long, dreadful flights.
The competitions went well and I landed my runs, which was the best feeling. I also made sure to check out the local areas while I was there, so that I was making the most of being in some incredible places. Beijing was phenomenal and I thoroughly loved exploring new places and foods.
I went back to Europe in January to compete in the last World Cup event before the Winter Olympic Games. I was very nervous, but also excited to give it my best shot, and hopefully qualify for my third Olympics. The competition went great and I was ecstatic with my snowboarding. I had really given it my all, and all I had to do now was to wait and see if I had been selected to compete for my country.
When one door closes, another opens
I found out that I unfortunately hadn't been selected for my third Olympic Games, but it actually ended up being a blessing in disguise. Not long after the news, I was asked to commentate on all of the freestyle snowboard events at Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and obviously I said yes. This felt amazing, because it meant that I could still be actively involved in the Olympics, whilst opening up new doors and unlocking new experiences. I absolutely loved doing the commentary and it gave me a real sense of purpose and meaning, one that I wasn't expecting at all at the start of the season. It just goes to show that life is truly unpredictable and I am glad that I said yes to a new opportunity.
The commentary was definitely hard work in the best way possible. I loved prepping for hours before to make sure that I was going to give the viewers the best experience possible, and I did this with the help of my JLab Go Pods ANC. I would head to the offices early to prepare, pop in my earbuds and get to work with my research. I particularly loved using the JLab Go Pods ANC because:
- Hybrid noise cancellation
- 26+ hours of playtime
- Be Aware mode (features in all JLab products), so I can still hear my surroundings if I wish
- Lab quality sound
- Bluetooth multipoint, enabling me to work on my phone and laptop
- Clear calls
A stellar season all in all
At the start of the season, I had no idea that becoming an Olympic commentator was in my future, and I feel so blessed that everything worked out the way that it did. It was really refreshing to be on the other side of the Olympics for a change, and I'm immensely proud of myself for putting in the work to make sure I did a good job. I am finishing up the winter season by snowboarding in Switzerland for fun, and I am so excited to see what next season brings!
