Rocco Jamieson is one of the sharpest young names in New Zealand snowboarding. The Wānaka rider has gone from local talent to world stage threat in quick time, with an appearance at the Olympics and podiums at World Cup and X Games level. Still only 19, he is part of the Kiwi crew carrying serious weight in big air and slopestyle, and he looks like he is only getting started.
We caught up with Rocco recently:
You’ve started putting 1980s into major event runs. What changed in your approach that made those tricks consistent enough for Olympic finals?
Nothing really changed. It’s the same old thing no matter what the trick, repetition and training and doing them enough so that I feel comfortable putting them down in a comp.
The Big Air field is stacked right now. Who do you study most when you’re breaking down trick selection and run strategy, and what are you looking for in their riding?
I don’t really look at other riders for trick selection. I do admire other riders and their way of doing the tricks, but when it comes to me doing them, I need to do it the way it’s going to work for me and my style of riding.
New Zealand riders have a reputation for being technically fearless. What part of your training environment back home actually shapes that?
I wouldn’t consider myself fearless, but I think what helps me is being around my crew, and my coach AJ helps me stay calm and mellow when I need to try something new. Good jumps are a must though as well.
Why are the Kiwis punching so far above their weight in terms of numbers at events?
We have a strong team for sure. I think a lot of it comes from having insanely good mountains at home, and it’s crazy to have the park at Cardrona to train on and ride on our doorstep.
Your Olympic Big Air result put you inside the world’s top 10. What did you learn from that pressure environment that you can’t replicate in training?
It was a new type of pressure, being on that stage and learning how to cope with it.
You’ve had strong ANC and European Cup wins, but the World Cup circuit is a different beast. What’s been the biggest adjustment?
I honestly think the level is not that different, especially with a lot of Europa Cups being on the same courses, but you’d be surprised with how well a lot of these Euro Cup riders stack up with the WC riders, and definitely a couple of the younger NZ boys and girls can hold their own.
When you’re building a new trick, what’s your progression ladder? Are you using airbags, water ramps, or going straight to snow once the axis feels right?
For sure using airbags when we can. The tricks are getting so extreme that you really need bags to stay safe. There are times, like when I did the back 21, that I had never had the chance to try that on a bag, but other things I’d done before had led to me feeling like I could put it down.
The Kiwi men had three riders in the Olympic Big Air final, a first. What does that internal competition do for your own progression and confidence?
It was really good to have Dane and Lyon in the finals as well. It’s so cool that we made that happen and got to do it together. We’re not competing against each other in my eyes, it’s more of a battle with yourself to do the best you can, and at the Olympics doing it for your country is on your mind as well.
Snowboarding is in a moment where difficulty is skyrocketing. What do you think is coming next in terms of trick progression?
It’s really hard to say because it’s been progressing so fast, but I think seeing much more creative tricks is going to become more and more popular, or at least I hope so, and I want to do a lot more myself.
Finally, what was the story about breaking into the US team’s tent for lunch?
Haha, I don’t know how that got around so much. They weren’t letting anyone in who hadn’t paid for VIP passes or who were not in the US team. Anyway, me and my team mate jumped the fence thinking no one had seen us. We got kicked out, and then another four or so times after that. Bit of an anticlimax in the end.
