Gerard—who made a cameo on Top Chef in June—may not overconcern himself with the perks of stardom. But that Olympic win eight years ago does leave him wanting more. “It gave me a perspective on snowboarding that I didn't necessarily have before,” he says. “Once you get that first win, it kind of jump-starts that competitiveness in you.” While Gerard missed the podium in Beijing—he thought hard about pulling out of those Games, due to all the restrictive COVID protocols—he won back-to-back X Games slopestyle golds in 2024 and 2025 and took bronze this year. With a peak performance at the Milano Cortina Olympics, Gerard is poised to take up Shaun White’s mantle as the face of American men’s snowboarding. (On the women’s side, Chloe Kim has all the clout.)