Top-ranked American snowboarder Shaun White was no stranger to the podium when in 2006 he secured gold at the Turin Olympic Games. Then 20 years old, White beat compatriot and two-time silver medalist Daniel Kass as well as Finland's Markku Koski.

In the years preceding White's Olympic victory, he had gained notoriety as a skilled and daring competitor who championed events worldwide. Today, White continues to dominate in competition, securing top-place finishes in 2007 at the Winter X Games Superpipe, the Burton Global Open Championship and the TTR Tour Championship.

By December 2008, White had taken 12 medals at Winter X Game competitions and had also won the slopestyle competition at the inaugural Winter Dew Tour, an event which debuted in Breckenridge, Colorado and featured snowboarding and freestyle skiing.

Inspired by the snowboarding skill of his older brother Jesse, White took up the sport at age four, honing his skills on slopes throughout California. White has long been a favourite of sponsors who fingered him as an up-and-comer when he was just 13 and had turned professional. White's name is now attached to an MTV show as well as a video game, while his career and perspective on snowboarding are detailed in a series of DVDs. White is also a keen skateboarder and counts surfing as a hobby.