Maddy Schaffrick is back! And we love a good come back story.

For those who have followed snowboarding for over a decade, you may know Maddy Schaffrick’s name stood out among the best. Competing alongside familiar faces such as, Kelly Clark, Kaitlyn Farrington, Torah Bright and Elena Hight, she made her mark in halfpipe events. She showcased her talent at top competitions, including the X Games, Burton Opens, Dew Tour, and World Cups, earning her reputation as one of the top female competitors in halfpipe back then. 

 Maddy rode for major sponsors like Oakley and Red Bull and stood on top of many of podiums throughout her teenage years, she travelled the word with the US halfpipe team and made a name for herself. But after facing multiple heavy injuries, and lacking the mental tools, she decided to step away from the competition at just 21. Hanging up her competitive boots in March 2015 and leaving the circuit, her love for snowboarding remained strong. She channelled that passion into coaching, working with amateur riders on the Rev Tour and smaller events before eventually coaching the U.S. team, where she shared her wisdom and dedication with the next generation of riders.

But this is where the story gets good, after almost 10 years out of that competitive bib, Maddy has reignited her competitive spirit and decided to chase her Olympic dreams to compete in the 2026 Olympic games in Italy. Her comeback is about more than returning to the sport, it’s a testament to her resilience, her love for snowboarding, and the power of following her passion, it’s about showing that it’s never too late to chase what you truly love. Maddy is doing this purely for herself. With years of experience and countless lessons learned over the past decade, Maddy is ready to take on this new chapter and we can't wait to see where this path leads her. - Stefi Luxton

 

Welcome back Maddy we have missed watching you compete-how does it feel to be back?

 Thank you so much! Feels like all the feelings. Hard to put just a couple words to it, but great, crazy and challenging feel like good descriptors.

 

22ft halfpipes are hard to come by these days, Where are you based out of now?

Right now I’m based out of my hometown in Steamboat Springs, CO. 22’s are definitely hard to come by and Steamboat just actually started building a 22 here last year for the first time. It probably won’t be open until after the new year, but it’ll be nice to come back here and get in the pipe in between comps.

 

It went unexpectedly well! I ended up podiuming with a 3rd place finish and could not be more stoked and grateful. It was a wild week with jet lag and returning to elite competition and all the things, but it felt like the validation I needed for myself that I’m in the right place, I’m not crazy for believing in myself, snowboarding is so much fun, and there’s still more I can do.

 

Has it been hard to change the mindset from coach to athlete going into this year?

 In some ways challenging, yes, in terms of my routine on the road. I’m certainly taking better care of myself as an athlete and paying more attention to my body and my off-hill activities. In other ways it hasn’t been challenging to switch the mindset because I think the grind and purposeful action is something I’ve been craving for a bit, and the athlete mindset has allowed me to step into that.

 

What year did you decide to retire from competing and why?

 I decided to retire in 2015 mainly due to burnout. Unfortunately my time as a professional snowboarder back then did not include using the resources provided to me from the US team and sponsors in a healthy way, nor proactively striving for healthy success. I think because I lacked the mental tools, coping mechanisms, wisdom or perspective to do so. So I think I just ran myself into the ground back then and stopped having fun doing something that is in my bones to love.

 Back in the 2010 era, it felt like competing in snowboarding was more of a tight-knit community—like all the riders, no matter where they were from, were friends and would snowboard together, and there wasn’t much separation between countries. But these days, it seems like teams stick to their own countries more and don’t mix as much. Is that true, or am I just speculating? And what’s the vibes like at the top of the course?

 

I wouldn't say it’s as separate as it may appear. Everyone is quite friendly and I think most would consider other athletes from different nations as friends, however I do agree that there was a bit more enmeshment 15ish years ago. As far as vibes at the top of the pipe, I see it as being a bit more serious nowadays than how I remember it back then. However, it’s hard to put a general statement on it like that. Every athlete is different and there were some extremely serious competitors in the past that would be very intense before comps, just like now there are some goofballs up there that don’t stop being goofballs just because it’s competition. I’ll also say that the level of competition has risen so much since the 2010 era that it’s just bananas. Like if I was trying to do a triple or multiple 14’s in my next run, I think I’d have to focus to the point of not being able to talk to anyone either.

 

 

I certainly did not take the US team job thinking I would ever come back to competing. I genuinely took it because I thought it would be fun to get back on the road and I felt like I could make a positive impact with the current US team athletes sharing my knowledge and experience from my past with them. What started to spark the idea to come back to competition was being back in that world, reflecting on my own time as an athlete, and starting to see how I could do it differently and apply the life lessons I spent the last several years learning to pursue this dream in the way I always wanted but never did in the past.

 

 

Yes and no. I have experienced generous support and a shared love of snowboarding with most of the competitors and I’m so grateful for them. And as far as the bit of backlash I’ve received, it’s helped me turn my focus onto what I can control and step deeper into the belief I have in myself, the support that is present, and the purpose that is driving me. So at the end of the day, I suppose I’m grateful for that too.

 

Has your comp run changed from 10 years ago?

Although the combination I did in China was similar to what I was doing my last couple years of competition, I think I’ve since improved my style and amplitude. Snowboarding in general has been fun for me in that way as I’ve gotten older. It hurts more, yes, but I feel like I have more control in making my riding look the way I want it to look. Also I added the backside alleyoop 5 to the bottom of my run, which I learned in Austria this past November, and I’m hoping to change it up more through this season and certainly going into next year.

 

 

Copper Grand Prix next, then Laax Open, hoping for an X Games invite, Aspen Grand Prix, Calgary World Cup, Snow League in Aspen, hoping for a World Champs invite in Corvatsch, and gonna try to go to Japan at some point and ride some pow for some comp-free fresh air

 

 

Thank you Stefi and peeps!! Appreciate you guys so much! And fuck yes snowboarding!