For a world-renowned snowboarder who’s had his picture plastered across Wheaties cereal boxes, Sage Kotsenburg is surprisingly approachable. Versatile, too. A lively rider you’re as likely to see lapping your local park as you are in a competition on your TV. But behind Sage’s laid-back exterior has often lurked the restless mind of a calculated competitor. If his battle is with you, there’s a strong chance you’ll be looking up at him on the podium when the day is done. Yet after first-place finishes aplenty, Sage has found that the real war has always been within himself. He’s forced to continually relearn that inner peace always prevails. Generally, the gold medals have been easier for him to grasp.   

Sage has had skin in the game his whole life. Born in Coeur d’Alene, ID, he moved to Park City, UT, at the age of 5 and started competing locally by the time he turned 7. Only a few years later, during a trip to Mt. Hood, OR, with his family, Sage found himself in front of Quiksilver’s then-marketing manager, Brian Craighill. “My mom had footage of me, [older brother] Blaise and [younger sister] Kirra on a DVD,” he says with a laugh. “We showed it to Brian in the back of our car on one of those mini players. That’s when I met [Bryan] Fox too.”…

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