After more than a decade spent trying, Elena finally earned X Games gold in 2017. Photos: Chad Chomlack Words Colin Wiseman E lena Hight has a seat at snowboarding’s head table. Travis Rice, Jeremy Jones, Jamie Anderson, Danny Davis—they’re all down with Elena. double backside alley-oop rodeo in a pipe contest, earning her second place at X Games Aspen. She won the event in 2017, finally reaching the top of the sport. Shortly thereafter, she bailed on contests to pursue fall-line dreams. This March, near the end of her first full season spent in steep terrain, Elena became the first woman to tag Tahoe’s infamous Grizzly Spine, initially ridden by Jeremy Jones and seen on the cover of Standard Films’ Paradox (2005). It’s a serious line, with a few hundred feet of airy exposure, and a landmark descent in Elena’s growth as a true backcountry charger. Elena’s been a fast study when it comes to lines of consequence. Per-haps it’s because she’s always ridden the whole mountain, even when she was chasing podiums. Perhaps it’s because she built a strong work ethic from her humble beginnings. And perhaps it’s a matter of fo-cus—of calm concentration and mental fortitude leading toward lofty goals. Now 30 years old, Elena’s embedded in a two-year film project with Teton Gravity Research, leveraging big brand support to set an example for the next generation of snowboarders. Indeed, Elena’s been rolling with the elite since she was a teenager. Her path to prominence began with a surprise appearance at the 2006 Olym-pics at the age of 16, which led to Vancouver 2010, then regular spots on the podium at global halfpipe events. She picked up support from nonen-demic brands—Toyota, GoPro, Clif Bar and the like—alongside backing from industry heavies such as Volcom and Smith Optics. Even now, with her contest days officially over, Elena’s social media reads #sponsored and features strategic branded content on the regular. Despite Elena’s contest-kid career trajectory, she didn’t come from money. Her dad Mike, a ski bum, worked the night shift in South Lake Tahoe, CA so he could enjoy days on-slope with Elena and her younger brother, Mika. Elena made a name for herself at a young age through contest results, earning coaching, a travel budget and the like through sponsorship. She sees snowboarding as a metaphor for life, and snowboarding is the life she chose as a preteen. Regardless of venue, Elena’s riding has always been about progres-sion. In 2013, she became the first person (male or female) to land a 070 THE SNOWBOARDER’S JOURNAL
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