Snowboarding has always been about the feeling, the freedom, and the fun.
But now, at just 18, that mindset is carrying him to the top of the sport. In February, he landed a bronze medal at the X Games in Salt Lake City, a huge milestone in a breakout season. Before that, under the floodlights in Chur, Switzerland, he launched himself into the finals of the Big Air World Cup, where thousands of fans packed the landing zone, watching as he dropped in and stomped the best result of his career—a second-place finish and a never-before-seen trick in competition, the Rubix Flip. With that, he had officially arrived.
His 2024/25 season is off to a flying start, and with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on the horizon, he’s riding a wave of momentum. But for Rocco, it’s never been about one defining moment. He’s been strapped into a snowboard since he was two and always knew this was where he wanted to be.
Rocco’s is maintains life as a pro snowboarder isn’t all about the big competitions, though. On a typical training day in New Zealand, he’s up by 6:30 am, spends twenty minutes in a kit crisis, eats, and heads up the mountain. Once there, it’s warm-up, a session with the crew, then time to dial in a specific trick before lunch.
Snowboarding might look like an adrenaline-fueled free-for-all, but at this level, it’s all about precision. The balance between progression and injury prevention is everything. Rocco never throws a new trick unless he’s completely ready—he puts in hours of tramp work to build air awareness, and the mental game is just as crucial as the physical.
I’m not a hucker. I’m pretty calculated so it doesn’t feel like a risk if you’ve decided to do it. Of course you have to have a little huck in you but it’s about being ready. Again, the mental thing is the biggie.
Some days, you just know it’s not the right day to push something new. His toughest trick so far has been the switch backside 19—landing it was a battle in his own head more than anything else. But the one that still haunts him is the back 14 pull back. He’s been trying it all season and still hasn’t nailed it.
The mental side of snowboarding is something a lot of people underestimate. Rocco figures it’s about 70 percent mental, 30 percent physical. By the time you’re dropping in at a comp, you already know you can land your run—it’s just about holding it together under pressure.
“Don’t go into it or treat it like a job. At the end of the day it’s riding a plank down a hill so you can’t take it too seriously. If you do it for the right reasons, hopefully things will fall into place”.
The rest of the feature can be read in the digital version of Ski & Snow 2025
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