Get to know Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot

Big-trick snowboarder Maxence ‘Max’ Parrot has been one of the pioneers of slopestyle and big air competitions over the past decade, collecting accolades on the biggest stages from the X Games to the Olympic Winter Games.

The Canadian supremo will make his third appearance at the quadrennial showpiece in Beijing 2022 in a bid to finally get his hands on the coveted Olympic gold medal. After conquering cancer, upgrading his silver from PyeongChang 2018 at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games may seem like a walk in the park.

Olympics.com takes a look at Parrot’s inspirational journey. Here are five things you should know about the daredevil snowboarder.

The Parrot Show

Parrot has been a mainstay and creative force on the global snowboard scene earning his first World Cup podium in the slopestyle on home snow in Canada back in 2012.

He has since made regular sojourns to the podium at the highest level, including eight World Cup victories across slopestyle and big air competitions.

The 27-year-old Parrot has won a total of 13 X Games medals, including eight golds – two slopestyle and six in the big air. In 2014, he became only the second man behind compatriot Mark McMorris to win the big air and slopestyle at the same X Games.

At his maiden Olympic Winter Games at Sochi 2014, Parrot finished in a creditable fifth place in the slopestyle. He came into his own four years later, clinching the slopestyle silver medal in PyeongChang 2018 while he finished ninth in the big air.

From a hospital bed onto the podium

Parrot drew admiration for his heroic fight and comeback after being diagnosed with cancer called Hodgkin's lymphoma at the end of 2018. Also called Hodgkin's disease, the cancer originates from specific white blood cells called lymphocytes.

He completed 12 chemotherapy treatments – at two-week intervals – by mid-2019 when Parrot announced he had beaten the illness.

Two months after completing his final treatment, Parrot made a stunning return to competition, winning the big air gold medal at the X Games Norway. He continued his incredible run winning big air gold at X Games Aspen 2020.

Earlier in 2021, Parrot again highlighted his class and potential for more Olympic success when he won the big air silver medal at the world championships in Aspen.

"If I had the chance to go back two years and be able not to have cancer and just live a normal life, I wouldn't want that," Parrot said in an interview with Olympics.com.

"It's quite weird to say, but I've learned so much, and today I'm grateful for what happened because I'm a totally different person. I really love the person I am becoming and that I will become in the future as well."

Like father, like son

Parrot grew up on a healthy diet of snow and slopes, taking up skiing when he was two years old before venturing into snowboarding when he was nine. He grew up near the Bromont Ski Resort in Quebec. 

To add fuel to his snowboard fire, Parrot’s father, Alain, was a competitive alpine skier and a Canadian champion water skier.

Parrot’s parents did not initially approve of his snowboard ambitions citing the dangers of the sport. If he wanted a snowboard, he had to pay for it himself. The youngster did exactly that, raising enough funds to buy his first board mowing lawns for a year.

Pushing it to the Max

Parrot has built a reputation for pushing the limits of what is believed to be possible in one of the most technically demanding sports.

He is renowned for the diverse set of tricks and skills in his repertoire, which he hones through hours of training on trampolines, plastic jump ramps and giant airbags when he is not on the slopes.

Testing and conjuring new tricks have paid rich dividends and have seen him reach new heights in the sport. He was the first snowboarder to complete the back triple cork, the double backside rodeo 1440 and the quadruple underflip in competition.

Need for speed

Like so many snowboarders, Parrot has a need for speed, whether it is fast cars, motorbikes or downhill mountain biking. 

Parrot often posts photos of his other hobbies, ranging from board sports such as skateboarding or surfing to two-wheel activities. Parrot plays the guitar for a change of pace, which came in handy during the lull of physical activity brought on by the global pandemic. 

"April and May, I took those two months off," Parrot told the Olympic Channel.

"It was really nice for me to just clear my head, think about something else, work on my land and do some other stuff, play a little bit of guitar and just have time with myself, mostly because we couldn't see everyone because of the quarantine. But it was good to spend some time with myself a little."