Chloe Kim on skipping 2022/23 season: ‘Time to step back and make the non-snowboarder Chloe happy’
The two-time Olympic gold medallist has opted out of the 2022/23 halfpipe season after hard-earned lessons throughout her career emphasised that taking care of her mental wellbeing should enhance her longevity in the sport.
Snowboard
“Could be down for some ice cream rn,” tweeted 17-year-old Chloe Kim, midway through the women’s snowboard halfpipe qualifications at PyeongChang 2018.
“Aren’t you competing right now?" responded a fan.
“Yes,” replied the Team USA athlete.
In the final, Kim was equally relaxed, posting an additional food-related tweet mid-competition. Shortly afterwards, the teenager became the youngest ever winner of Olympic gold in the discipline.
Twitter exploded.
“This girl was tweeting 10 minutes before winning a gold medal and getting a 98 score. How do 17 year olds do this...,” typed one user.
“HOW ARE YOU TYPING ARENT YOUR FINGERS COLD,” said another, emphasising her disbelief using CAPITAL LETTERS.
“Girl, we have ALL been there. You got this.”
The last one is unlikely.
We may all have been hangry at some stage - the point when hunger meets anger - presumably what the tweeter was referring to, but we most definitely have not all won gold at an Olympic Games. Kim would go on to match the feat at Beijing 2022, appear on the cover of Time magazine, attend the Met gala, and had a shout out from Frances McDormand on winning Best Actress at the Oscars.
"I think it's what Chloe Kim must have felt like after doing back-to-back 1080s in the Olympic halfpipe," stated a giddy McDormand at the 2018 Academy Awards.
Out of the spotlight
Somewhat overwhelming experiences have populated Kim’s life from a young age. The American has been competing at pro level since she was 12, but a decade on, the California girl has learned that to be healthy and happy, she needs balance in her life, and not just be ‘Chloe Kim the snowboarder’.
The first time this became a factor, was on missing school prom to take part in the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway in 2016. Coming away with gold in halfpipe and slopestyle was a trip, but the niggle of missing a formative event with her peers stuck.
Following her debut Olympics, a media circus ensued around the teenage phenom, leaving little time to reflect and reset.
A broken ankle suffered during competition in 2019 resulted in enforced rest, prompting Kim to take a year off the circuit to study.
Having been home-schooled practically her whole life, this was the first time she’d stepped in a classroom since seventh grade, “which is terrifying” she said on her YouTube channel announcing that sabbatical.
However the time at Princeton, where Kim studied a range of subjects including French, physics, and anthropology, was the boon she needed, telling Glamour: “I cherish those memories. I’m always looking back at photos I took at school, my notes. That was the first taste of normalcy I’d gotten in such a long time.”
Reset and balance
Kim was back on the slopes full-time for two years, resulting in that second Olympic gold in Beijing, but lessons learned have stuck.
Prioritising her mental health, Kim has opted to take a hiatus from the 2022-23 season, which includes the FIS Snowboard World Cup (22 October 2022 to 26 March 2023) and the Snowboard World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia from 19 February to 5 March 2023.
Instead, Kim has bought a horse called Mochi, hikes, goes to the beach, and has time to explore her interest in fashion, designing her second surfwear collection.
“It’s just nice to be me again,” she said. “My life has been insane for the past couple of years. I finally have this time to just take a step back and make the non-snowboarder Chloe happy.”