The 2014 season featured a meteoric rise for Taylor Gold, as he went from U.S. rookie team member to U.S. Olympic team member in the span of just a few weeks. After breaking out during the Olympic qualifiers, the Steamboat Springs native arrived in Sochi as a medal contender but fell just a few spots shy of making the final. Over the next year, he bounced back with victories at the U.S. Open and Dew Tour, and he won his first FIS World Cup series title.

Making Gold’s first Olympic appearance that much sweeter was the fact that he got to share it with his sister, Arielle, one of the top riders in women’s superpipe. The two siblings, who grew up snowboarding together while living in Colorado, both qualified for the U.S. team in 2014.

Gold’s momentum was halted by a broken kneecap in 2016. He returned to competition in January 2017, with his best result of the season being a third-place finish at X Games.