Meet Nate Johnstone, gold medallist at the 2011 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in Halfpipe. Nate finished ninth in the halfipe at the 2009 FIS Snowboarding World Championships and competed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Halfpipe. Nate started his career at a young age riding in the Perisher Winter Sports Club under coach Ben Alexander, who is still his current coach today. 

We sat down with Nate to learn a little more about his journey in the sport...

Sochi Olympic Games... 

My Olympic experience was great! After missing out in 2010 getting to Russia in 2014 was just a huge achievement and one that I will never forget!

How did you get into this sport:

Through my parents. My dad has been keen on snowboarding ever since he was young, so as soon my sister and I were old enough they started to bring us down. I would have been around the age of 10 when I first strapped into a board, and from that point I haven’t really looked back.

You started your career with Perisher’s Winter Sports Club – what are some of the best memories you’ve got?

I joined Perisher's Winter Sports Club around the age of 12. My dad would do the Perisher Masters on the weekend and I would go ride with the WSC kids. I have loads of good memories riding around with everyone. That’s where everything really started for me and I learnt everything I know today! There’s too many to write down haha.

What are some of the most unexpected things people don’t know about this sport?

There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I think a lot of people think we just go snowboarding and have fun, and I mean we definitely get to do that, but there’s also a lot of training and hard work on and off the snow to stay at the top of your game!

What is it that you love about snowboarding, and competing in halfpipe?

So many things it’s hard to fit it all in a sentence. All the travel! I have been lucky enough to experience some amazing places whilst travelling the world to compete. I love getting to do a job that you actually love and enjoy doing, and getting to ride with friends everyday. I think that’s just a few of the many things that’s so awesome about snowboarding.

What was your moment when you realised you wanted to snowboard for a living?

I think just the amount of fun I used to have doing WSC and riding with friends all the time. It just clicked one day when I thought "imagine being able to get paid to do this?", and once I saw that it was possible I went after it with everything I had!

Who were your role models when you were going through Winter Sports Club?

I looked up to the coaches at the time and some of the older riders on the scene like the Allan brothers and Andrew Burton. They were just a few of the people that I looked up to and wanted to ride like.

Who are your role models now?

I look up to whole heap of different athletes. I now look across heaps of different sports and like to pull bits and pieces from different athletes. Things that I like about them and how the handle themselves in competition and in the media. I look up to a lot of the top surfers because I think our sports are pretty closely related.

What goes through your head leading up to a competition?

I like to just stay calm and in control. I try not to overthink it too much and just let myself ride without the pressure. I always find then I’m relaxed and having fun, and that’s when I do my best riding and competing.

How do you get into that competing headspace?  

Just being relaxed and knowing that I have done all the hard work leading into the comp. Knowing that all the training and preparation I did will get me through the next however many runs.

What’s a major challenge or hurdle you’ve overcome in your career?

I think missing out on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was a huge setback and was a massive hurdle for me to jump over. And to come back better after that set back was a huge challenge, but those things in your career can turn out to be a blessing.

Recovering from injury is a long process, how do you stay focused on the big goal?

I think it’s just something you learn along the way and learn how to do deal with. The highs and the lows and learning to manage your own expectations. But doing the sport that we do, you have to expect injury’s from time to time and that’s just part of snowboarding so you can either get back on the horse or let it defeat you. When I’m out due to injury, I like to think about high points in my career and not let the negativity get the better of me.

In the summer months, how do you maintain the focus and motivation for a winter sport?

I think having some down time in summer is just as important. Having the time off away from the snow gives you time to reflect on your winter, what you would like to do better or change. And it puts the fires back in the belly that you might have lost a little through a long season away overseas. I like to do a lot of surfing and just enjoy time at home with friends and family before having to jet set off again.

There’s more to halfpipe than just being good at snowboarding, what’s your on and off snow training like?

Off snow we do a lot in the gym to stay strong and fit, so that when it comes to on-snow training your capable to throw those big tricks and take a few crashes with out breaking in half. Depending on where we are with our winter training usually determines what training schedule we are on.

If we were are coming up to a big competition we might be taking it a little easier to make sure we are in fit and fighting form, if there’s a bit of time in between events we will be doing more on-snow training like learning new tricks or grabs, and if we do take a few hard slams there’s plenty of time to heal up before the next event.

You like to surf in the summer months, is this part of your off-season training or just something to zone out?

Sure is. I think surfing in the off-season is great training. It keeps us fit and strong but also keeps us in tune being a board sport, so come time to get back on our snowboard we don’t feel all unco.

Leaving your family and friends to train and compete overseas, tell us what that’s like

That’s probably one of the hardest things to deal with in our sport. The amount of time we have to spend away from our friends and family is tough. But you learn to deal with it best you can, some days are harder than others but you've just got to remember that you're living the dream and make the most of it because it won't last forever.

Juggling your time in winter must be hard, how do you manage it all?

It can be tough sometimes but I just try to plan everything best I can. I make sure everything goes down in my calendar so I don’t forgot anything that’s coming up.  And having good help and support around me makes it a lot easier.

When you’re not training or competing, where do you love to board with mates?

At home in Perisher is still one of my all time favorite places to ride, because that’s where everything started for me. I know the place like the back of my hand and it just feels like home every time I’m there. And it's always good catching up with old friends.

What’s a run you just have to do twice?

Besides riding Front Valley park, which is easily the best park in Australia, I love the runs over in Guthega! Riding down and looking up at the main range in the background on sunny day just doesn’t get any better.

Where do you see halfpipe headed in the future?  

It’s hard to say at the moment where it will go, there’s so many awesome young riders coming through pushing the sport everyday. I guess the progression is limitless; it all depends on how far the next generation of kids want to push it!

When you look back on your career, what do you want people to remember you for?

Just someone who was respected in the sport and gave back to the sport as I took. Someone that kids can look up to as a role model; and set a good example and pathway for the next generation of youth.

What’s your best advice to young athletes who want to be where you are now…  

Just enjoy what you're doing and don’t take it for granted because we are extremely lucky to be doing what we are doing. Make sure you give it a crack!

What was the best advice you were given, and who was it from?

Pretty much what I said above. Don’t take what you do for granted because there’s a hell of a lot of people that would kill to be in your shoes!