• Two-time Olympic Big Air champion Anna Gasser is competing at her fourth and final Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.
  • Gasser says she is “a better snowboarder now than I was four years ago” after recovering from a shoulder injury.
  • She has pushed progression in women’s Big Air — landing a Cab double cork 1260 at Beijing and a Cab triple cork 1260 in 2025.
  • Gasser plans to step away from competition after these Games but will keep riding and exploring creative snowboarding.

Gasser’s final Games — not a farewell lap

Anna Gasser arrives at Milano Cortina 2026 as the only woman to win Olympic Big Air gold twice, and she’s adamant this final appearance is not simply a goodbye tour. The 34-year-old Austrian told Olympics.com she feels stronger and more capable now than she did four years ago.

Despite a shoulder injury that slowed the start of her 2025/26 season, Gasser has shown continued progression. Her Olympic résumé includes gold at PyeongChang 2018 — where she landed a backside double cork 1080 and a Cab double cork 1080 — and a title defence at Beijing 2022 with a Cab double cork 1260, a trick she was first to land in women’s competition on the Olympic stage.

Progression at the sport’s peak

Gasser’s career has been defined by pushing technical limits. In 2025 she added another twist to her repertoire, landing a Cab triple cork 1260 that earned her a fifth X Games gold. That progression is central to her message heading into these Games: she still has unfinished business and wants to show the improvement she’s made.

“I still see that I haven’t reached my full potential yet,” Gasser said. “And even though maybe now I’m not a favourite to win, I know I’m a better snowboarder than four years ago. And that’s what I want to show.”

Pressure, motivation and the next generation

Gasser says the pressure this time is more internal than external. Unlike in PyeongChang, when Olympic gold was her biggest dream, she now draws motivation from self-improvement and from the young riders pushing the sport.

Riders as young as 16 and 17 are raising the level at Livigno Snow Park, and Gasser welcomes the challenge. She describes riding with the next generation as “a full-circle moment” — a two-way source of inspiration that keeps her competitive edge sharp.

Beyond competition: creativity and backcountry riding

Retirement for Gasser means leaving competition more than leaving snowboarding. She plans to explore creative projects, film in the backcountry, and ride big mountains and powder without the constraints of a contest schedule.

“The last 15 years of my life were really 100 percent focused on progressing and competing,” she said. “I have more to give to the sport. I want to be a little more creative. I want to experience other parts of snowboarding.”

Milano Cortina 2026 — Women’s Big Air schedule (CET)

8 February — Qualifying: Run 1 (19:30), Run 2 (20:15), Run 3 (21:00)
9 February — Final: Run 1 (19:30), Run 2 (19:53), Run 3 (20:17)

Anna Gasser will step onto the Big Air ramp in Livigno with history on the line. As she chases a third Olympic gold in her final Games, she’s made it clear: she’s not done proving what she can do.

Image Referance: https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/two-time-olympic-snowboard-big-air-champion-anna-gasser-still-has-something-to-prove-at-her-final-winter-olympics