Many Olympians train in world-class facilities, but gold medalist Nick Baumgartner simply walks into his own backyard.
At 44 years old, Team USA’s oldest athlete from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is chasing another Olympic Games—not with fancy equipment or world-class coaches, but with grit, experience, and a snowboard track he carved with his own two hands.
On a quiet, snowy street just outside Iron River, where harsh winters are a way of life, sits a house with a yard that doubles as a snowboard track.
“Alright, it’s time to do Olympic training, Bates Township edition,” said Baumgartner.
No chairlift. No groomers. The sponsor’s logo is on a propane tank.
Just a snow shovel, a chainsaw, and a 44-year-old snowboarder who built his own course by hand.
“I put in 20 to 30 hours building this track at my home. And when it’s all done, it’s a heck of a place to train right outside my door,” Baumgartner said.
Every day on Nick Baumgartner Way, he straps in and drops down his homemade track—every bump and turn carved himself. His mantra is simple: outwork everyone.
When asked if he thought anybody outworked him, Baumgartner said, “Absolutely not. I’m sure there are a few of them that do the same amount of work as me, and they’re doing everything they can, but no one’s outworking me.”
Baumgartner is the oldest athlete on the U.S. snowboard cross team—by far.
He’s old enough to be the father of some of the guys he races with.
“The older I get, the more people say, ‘Aw, he’s not a threat this time. He’s not a threat this time.’ Fall asleep on me. See what happens?” Baumgartner said.
Most mountain athletes slow down in their 30s, but Nick won gold at 40.
“This thing does not live on the mantle. This lives in my pocket, in my backpack, or the console of my truck,” Baumgartner said, referring to his gold medal.
Getting to the top of the podium for Team Snowboard Cross in Beijing helped fund his career, but it wasn’t always like that.
“It’s funny. I was working for a concrete company out of Green Bay, Wisconsin,” Baumgartner said, recalling how he supported himself and his son before snowboarding was even an Olympic sport.
Baumgartner’s training doesn’t stop in his backyard.
To build the strength he’ll need for the upcoming Olympics in Italy, he makes the long drive to Marquette, where the work looks different, but the mindset stays the same.
Out-train the competition. Inside advantage training includes intense squat racks and sprinting sessions.
Baumgartner knows he has the advantage—as the “old man”—working out with guys half his age.
“As long as nothing pops, we love it,” Baumgartner said.
He’s the one who’s been there, fallen short, but always gotten back up.
“The last thing I want to do is come around these young kids and look old. So I work a little bit harder, and then when I can come here, and I can test some of these kids, it pushes them as well,” Baumgartner said.
Always turning limitation into an edge, Baumgartner cross-trains with mountain biking, surfing, and other activities.
After decades in a sport built on speed, Baugartner has proven something true: sometimes the longest and most difficult path in life often leads to the highest peak.
And sometimes, it starts in your own backyard.
Baumgartner does train on professional courses, but he built his home course to make sure no one outworks him.
He does at least ten laps on his course every day as part of his training regimen.
We should hear soon whether Baumgartner and his teammate, Jake Vedder from Pinckney, will represent the U.S. at the Olympics.