Meet Charlie Lane: The snowboarder trading the calm of Brighton's beaches for snow park thrills
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, rising snowboard star Charlie Lane shares his origin story, his special friendship with Nicolas Huber and his hunger to deliver more British success in snow sports.
Snowboard
“Jolly. All the time,” Charlie Lane says with a laugh. “A little bit crazy and determined.”
The 16-year-old British snowboarder is sitting for an interview with Olympics.com and he’s been asked to describe himself in three words.
The combination he has chosen succinctly captures the person behind the rising Big Air and slopestyle star the Brighton native has become.
The first - jolly - is clear as the teen reflects on his snowboarding beginnings. The memory of when he picked up a board on a family vacation to France brings about a smile as he shares the story.
“I went on holiday with my parents, and my brother started snowboarding. And I saw him on a snowboard and I was jealous. I wanted a go. I was on skis with my mum.”
Resolute to have his own turn at the sport, Lane took his brother’s snowboard when he wasn’t on it and the connection was instant.
Cruising around the slopes, then just seven years old, he then braved the snow park.
“I did a little jump and I just loved the air time. The feeling of being in the air, not with the snow. And it’s just that feeling that has stuck with me ever since,” Lane said.
Drawn into the world of powder and heights, Lane embarked on his first full winter season away from home, honing his love for snowboarding, at just eight years old.
On his return, he began entering contests in the UK and his stock immediately soared. Lane quickly became one of the top British prospects to watch out for in his discipline with his progress from each returning winter season plain to see.
Charlie Lane in action during the slopestyle event at the EYOF 2023.
Charlie Lane: "I like being scared"
That drive to keep getting better and finding the results to match, reflects the determined side the Brit pointed to when describing himself.
To get to where he is now - a double Winter European Youth Olympic Festival medallist in both slopestyle and Big Air - from a country lacking in the geography for snow sports has meant following a unique, and sometimes lonely, path.
Speaking about the seasons spent away from his home on the south coast of the UK, Lane admits it was hard in the beginning.
“It was tough to start with but I’ve kind of learned to be more independent in myself, and I think it’s given me some good skills," he said. "The thing is, you’ve got to be independent in this sport to do well. You can’t do half and half. You have to go 100 per cent and give it your all or you don’t give it anything.”
That all-in approach is also obvious when Lane talks about the mechanics of his craft. Sending himself skyward, away from the snow, flipping and spinning, is a risk-reward action he relishes.
“The fear is a part of it,” Lane explained. “I like being scared and being challenged to try new stuff. When I’m trying new stuff I get quite high adrenaline.
“And once you land it, the feeling when you land a new trick, it’s just fantastic. It’s a feeling… it’s hard to describe the feeling. And every time I learn something new, I want to try it again, get it better, and improve it.
“That’s something that really is important, wanting more in the sport, trying to push yourself to the limit.”
Finding the fun
The third trait Lane points towards, the ‘little bit of crazy’ is evident across the Brit’s social media.
In addition to clips of him tearing through snow parks on his board, there are also smatterings of videos of Lane having fun alongside Swiss snowboard star and social media phenom Nicolas Huber.
Two-time Olympian Huber garnered a big following after filming some of his antics at Beijing 2022 but has long been known for filming humourous skits on his snowboard.
Huber, whom Lane met when he was 13, has become a huge source of inspiration and friendship to the young snowboarder, both on and off the slopes.
“I was struggling with snowboarding a bit. I wasn't enjoying it so much, and it didn't feel like I was in a good place. And then I met Nick when I was in an airbag training camp one time, and the first session we had with him, I immediately bonded with him," Lane said. "We had so much in common. And ever since then, we phone every day.”
In addition to being there for him as a friend, Huber has forged Lane into something of a protege and often coaches the Brit.
“He's been one of the best coaches I've had for sure. And he just brings such a good joy to the team," Lane said. "He's really fun to be with. He does a lot of fun activities. And with meeting him, I met so many other amazing athletes like him.”
Speaking about the videos, Lane says they can be a refreshing escape from the world of competition, and with Huber, everything is always a laugh.
“We made these videos because we enjoy making them," the teen said. "We bond well when we do them. We bring up the ideas, we discuss and we film them. And he always comes up with the good ideas and I'm like, ‘Yeah, sure, let's go for it’. I'm always down to do it. It's always so much fun being with him and he brings fun to the sport as well. There's the competitive side and being concentrated, but there's also enjoyment in the sport, and that's very important.”
“Sometimes I don’t feel as normal as others, but it’s always good to have that because you need that. You need to have a little bit of craziness to do what we do,” Charlie Lane to Olympics.com
The future and Olympic dreams
After making history as Team GB’s first double medallist at a Winter EYOF in 24 years, Lane is excited about what’s next.
Spurring him on is the increasing success of other Brits ahead of him, and in particular, the feats of Billy Morgan whose bronze in Big Air at PyeongChang 2018 was the first medal ever won by a British man on the snow.
“I got up early to watch it on TV,” Lane recalled. “The standard was really high and it was a very close contest. And especially watching Billy Morgan from Great Britain, that really inspired me.
“We’re in a country with no snow, no mountains, and we still manage to do well in the Olympics and in winter sports. It just shows that with hard work you can get there. And especially with Kirsty [Muir], we see them training even at home, they're training in the gym. It never, never stops. It's always hard work, determination and trying to get the results.”
On the horizon are the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games - an event that has been in Lane’s sights for a while.
Getting selected for the national delegation would be the realisation of a dream the snowboarder has long had, to compete in front of thousands of people and show off what he loves to do.
“I’m hoping to go and hopefully do well,” Lane said of Gangwon 2024 and what it would mean for him to be there. “All the training that goes into it, a lot of hard work, and it's all a process. And once you get the final result, you feel very good about yourself and what you've done.”