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Steamboat Magazine

Nik Baden

10/27/2013 12:00PM ● By Grant Johnson

Photo by Carter Smalley

Steamboat Springs, CO - Nik Baden, 15, is one of the youngest talents in snowboard slopestyle. In 2012, he landed a fifth place finish at the U.S. Revolution Tour Slopestyle in Vermont.

Q. Who is your biggest role model?
A. I have a lot of role models, but one of my biggest is Luke Kessler and another is Stale Sandbech.

Q. When did you realize you wanted to make a career out of boarding?
A. It has always been a dream of mine…but I think last summer is when I decided I wanted to really focus and make it my life.

Q. What does a typical day of training look like for you?
A. A normal day of training in the winter usually starts by waking up and going up to the mountain at 9 a.m. and riding till around 2 p.m. Then I go to the gym for an hour or so. After that, I try to catch up on school!

Q. What initially drew you to snowboarding?
A. I’ve loved playing with plastic snowboards in my back yard since I was really young.

Q. What is your favorite subject in school?
A. Spanish. 

Q. Favorite Steamboat hangouts?
A. I like to go to the skate park and the river.

Q. What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you?
A. A lot of funny and weird things happen to me every day!

 Q. If you were an animal, what would you be?
A. If I was an animal, I would like to be a liger! (Editor’s note: We had to look this one up. A liger is the largest of the big cats and does not exist in the wild – the result of breeding a male lion to a tigress.)

Q. Which song do you know all the lyrics to?
A. I know the lyrics to a lot of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and some rap songs.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A. I would like to be traveling the world and still snowboarding as a professional.

Q. If you couldn’t ski or board, what other sport would you like to play professionally?
A. Surf or play tennis.

Q. Which chairlift in Steamboat do you think has the best views?
A. The gondola, or Storm Peak.

Q. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
A. I would like to be able to fly. 

Q. What are your goals?
A. I want to always be a part of snowboarding. Whether it is working as a coach, or for a company in some way, I still want to be involved in snowboarding.