Chase Blackwell Brings Hometown Pride to the World Stage at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics
Snowboarder and Longmont native Chase Blackwell, 26, will compete in his first Olympic Games as a member of Team USA in Milan-Cortina from Feb. 6 to 22.
Colorado leads all states with 32 athletes on Team USA’s 232-member Winter Olympic roster—nearly 14%, according to Team USA. But unlike many Colorado Olympic skiers and snowboarders who have reaped benefits of living and training slopeside in Rocky Mountain ski towns, Blackwell’s path to the Games started in Longmont. His journey has included 11 top-10 finishes on the World Cup circuit, including a podium appearance at Mammoth in 2023. He narrowly missed qualifying for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Blackwell learned just two and a half weeks ago that he had earned a spot on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team in the Olympic men’s snowboard halfpipe. The qualification round is scheduled for Feb. 11, with the medal round set for Feb. 13.
The athlete currently lives in Leadville but still visits his childhood home often, lately so his parents can drive him to Denver International Airport for competitions. He spoke with INSIDE LONGMONT after wrapping up training in Laax, Switzerland.
INSIDE LONGMONT: You grew up in Longmont and attended Skyline High School. How did you become an Olympic snowboarder while living two hours from major ski resorts?
Chase Blackwell: My parents were snowboarders, so my two sisters and I learned from a young age, mostly at Eldora Mountain (roughly an hour away). I was 3 the first time I tried it. One of my earliest memories was at age 5, when my dad put me in ski school because I was too young for the snowboard one. I hated it. I fully threw a fit and refused to go back after lunch because I wanted to snowboard.
As I got older, my dad would sometimes take me out of school to ride a powder day at Eldora. Or we’d go as a family to other spots like Crested Butte, where I was riding double black-diamond runs with the adults. We also went every year to the X Games in Aspen. I was 7 when I joined the youth competitive program at Copper Mountain, Team Summit.
IL: When did you know you had the skills to become a professional?
CB: I did well at those competitions, but none of us understood my potential until I was about 10, when the Team Summit director recruited me as one of eight kids ages 10 to 15 for an elite training program. I think my parents finally realized, “Oh, I guess Chase is really good.”
At least one parent would take me to Copper Mountain every weekend. We stayed in my family’s modest camper at one of the bougiest RV parks in Breckenridge. The turning point came when I made the U.S. snowboard team in 2015. My parents bought a condo in Dillon around that time. I’d basically go to Skyline High School for a semester and was homeschooled during the season. (He graduated through online courses in 2017, turning pro that same year.)
IL: How did you balance two disparate lives as a kid?
CB: It was kind of nice living two lives, having friends here and then snowboarder friends who’ve become like family. Particularly when I started high school, I liked just being a kid away from my demanding competition schedule. I still have close friends from Longmont I’ve known since about age 5.
My friend Nick and I raced BMX bikes together when we were really young, and he would often go snowboarding with my family. But we spent most of our time at the Sandstone Ranch Skatepark; that was “our” place. We’d get there as soon as it opened and stayed until the lights went off. Those days were character-building and shaped how I approach snowboarding today. I’ve probably messed up a lot more on a skateboard, but I don’t take as big of “slams” when snowboarding. So it was great practice.
I also love playing golf. My parents are members at Fox Hill Club, so we would always golf there. And I spent most Wednesday mornings during summer at Twin Peaks for their junior golf lessons. That’s how I met my fiancée, Sarah Scharff, circa 7th or 8th grade. (She graduated from Niwot High School in 2017 and lives with him in Leadville.)
IL: How did Longmont form who you are today?
CB: Longmont was very quintessential for shaping who I am today. Seeing how hard my parents had to work—putting all the miles on their cars, driving me up there, taking time off work, spending time away from my sisters—it was fully a group effort just to get to the mountains. That really shaped who I am.
Maybe Longmont’s not in the limelight, but it really is one of the most special places. You have the access—you’re so close to Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder. Longmont has an amazing skate park, the reservoir, and great golf courses. There’s so much you can do right there in town.
IL: How are you feeling as you head to Milan?
CB: I’ve been a little anxious just to get there, but I’m most excited to see and try on our Team USA uniforms and check out the Olympic Village vibe. And just have all the countries there and all being together with all the different sports. It’ll be fun to just be right there. I had a really good training camp in Laax the last few days and I’m riding the best I have all season long. I’m feeling really good.
Photographs courtesy of U.S. Ski & Snowboard/@ussnowboardteam