PREVIOUS SPREAD “We were staying in Hossegor, France, right in the dunes by Plage des Estagnots. We were there for an event and Sage had just recorded a ‘Looking Sideways’ podcast episode with Matt Barr, where they talked a lot about Sage’s experiences around the Olympics. Sage really got into describing how it had affected his mental health and confidence. I wanted the accompany-ing photos to be intimate and show a different side of Sage, who is always so generous and comes across as very fun-loving. It had been 110 degrees Fahrenheit all week and our place didn’t have air conditioning, so everyone was pretty exhausted. Sometimes during portrait shoots I’ll ask people to close their eyes to reset and Sage held his closed for a while. He really scrunched up his face, so I took a couple of shots because it seemed like he got a bit thoughtful during that moment.” Photos: Owen Tozer RIGHT The world whipping by Sage in the Revelstoke, BC, backcountry. Photo: Jeremy Thornburg Words Ben Shanks Kindlon F 042 or 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. THE SNOWBOARDER’S JOURNAL
The Snowboarder's Journal The Snowboarder's Journal 20.3: Page 42
