AUSTRALIA’S Scotty James will go down as one of the sport's greatest ever snowboarders, having already won two Winter Olympic Games halfpipe medals and, earlier this year, claimed a fourth World Championship gold medal and his fourth straight X Games gold medals.

James’ four World Championship gold medals make him the most successful snowboard halfpipe rider in history. Additionally, he has the highest number of World Championship wins among Australian winter sports athletes.

In the final run at the World Championships in St Moritz, James improved his execution and landings to score a huge 95 points. His run included a switch McTwist Japan grab, cab double cork 1080 with grab, frontside double cork 1260 with grab, backside double cork 1080 with grab, and switch backside double cork 1260 with grab. A foreign language to many, but an impressive array of tricks in the snowboard world.

He said the week was such a challenge, with the weather and riding at this high level.

“Halfpipe is a scary sport, and it gets even scary when conditions are tough, I'm really pumped and felt like I had to be resilient today, so I’m stoked,” said the 30-year-old from Warrandyte in Victoria after his win.

“The 2023 World Championships was not a good day for me, I was pretty disappointed with my outcome and I wanted to make a statement for myself personally, that I wanted to come back and finish at the top, to have won four world titles, again, I'm pinching myself.”

James has had a stellar season, also becoming the only man to win four straight X Games halfpipe gold medals, after winning his seventh career X Games gold medal in January in Aspen, USA. He surpassed the legendary snowboarder, Shaun White.

“Just winning a gold medal is amazing here at X-Games, and to do four in a row, I am absolutely speechless,” said the 30-year-old after the event.

“The triple cork is the one, it’s the trick I feel you have to have in the mix to have any intention of making any damage on the podium, so to put it in my run and do it switch and try and put in my own flare at the start to feels good for the soul.”

He has now won an incredible ten career medals in the prestigious invitation-only X Games event featuring the world’s best halfpipe riders, equalling White’s halfpipe total.

In February 2026, James will contest the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, and nothing short of a gold medal will be on his mind.

He is a four-time Olympian, the flag bearer for the 2018 games in Seoul, where he won a bronze medal, and won a silver medal in Beijing in 2022.

He commenced his Olympic journey as a 15-year-old in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.

James has been in contention for the gold, and the level of riding is so high that you need to execute everything perfectly to claim the top step of the podium.

All eyes will be on Livigno, the small Italian village where the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events will be staged. There will be a contingent of Aussies in the crowd, as well as fellow athletes, all striving for their glory.

James will be 31 at the next Winter Olympics, and should he claim gold, it will cap off what has been an absolute stellar career.

Mooki’s Mini Pipe Cup

Last year, James made a huge contribution to the sport in Australia when he donated a 13ft cutter to shape the Thredbo mini halfpipe, plus he started his new event, the Mooki’s Mini Pipe Cup.

He was king of the kids, walking the pipe and interacting with 150 participants in what was a great day for junior sport.

Hitting the mini pipe himself, Scotty performed several tricks while also offering tips and advice throughout the day. The initiative of the Mooki event aimed to help the next generation of riders.

“These little mini pipes are such a good opportunity to get really good fundamentals, so as much as it's mini, it’s actually a good opportunity to learn lots of things. Honestly, all round a fun day,” said James after the 2024 Thredbo event.

“Back when I started, it was a bit of an inspiration for this, I was able to ride a little halfpipe in Australia, and we haven’t had one in a while. So donating the cutter here was so important for the next generation.”

“Going into a 22-foot halfpipe, which is the Olympic discipline, is rather daunting, so if you can start in a pipe like this, learn some fundamentals and then hopefully the trajectory is to go into the big pipes. I was lucky when I was young to be able to be exposed to little pipes, so I think it's really important now to have this one here at Thredbo, it will help shape the future.

In 2024 James announced two riders, Hayden Jacobs and Airish George, were the recipients of the inaugural Mooki’s Mission Grant, each receiving $1250 prize money, a Thredbo season pass each plus a bag of products.

“I came up with this initiative that is called Mooki’s Mission Grant, which is about supporting those who are starting their snowboarding journey, and it’s been amazing watching everyone ride today and I’ve loved seeing all of you,” said James.

Thredbo Resort brand and marketing director Richie Carroll said, “It's a good partnership to have with an athlete when they want to give back to the community”.

“Having Scotty donate his money and time to the resort and to provide us with the mini pipe cutter. It's allowed us to do so much up here for the kids,” said Carroll at last year's event.

“Scotty's generously giving his time to all these kids, probably one of the best snowboarders in the world. It's great for the future of the sport. It's great for the resort, and it's great for the community in general.”

Register for Mooki's Cup

7-17 years of age. Cost $20 per person

Schedule

Friday 22 August

4pm – 6pm: Q&A with Scotty + T-Shirt Collection | Kosciuszko Room

Saturday 23 August

9:45am – 10am: Welcome & T-Shirt Collection | Top of Pipe

10am – 11:30pm: Jam Session 1 | Mooki’s Mini Pipe

11:30pm – 12pm: BBQ Lunch | Top of Pipe

12:00pm – 2pm: Jam Session 2 | Mooki’s Mini Pipe

2pm: Presentations | Top of Pipe

Register for the August event via the Thredbo website here.