Olympic Gold Skier Nico Porteous Chooses New Passion at 23

At 16, Nico Porteous became New Zealand's youngest Winter Olympic medalist. At 20, he won gold in Beijing. Now at 24, he's proving that walking away at the peak can be the bravest move of all.

The freeskier from Wānaka shocked fans last June when he announced his retirement from competitive halfpipe. He'd achieved everything he set out to do: Olympic gold, X Games medals, and a legacy as one of only two Winter Olympic champions in New Zealand history.

But Porteous wasn't losing his passion for skiing. He was redirecting it toward something he loved even more: creating extreme freeskiing videos high in the mountains with his longtime sponsor Red Bull.

"I've loved representing New Zealand," Porteous said. "I'm excited to do something new and I feel like the time is right for me to look for a new challenge and new opportunities."

His competitive career spanned more than a decade. He mastered back-to-back double cork 1620s (four-and-a-half full rotations) and competed at the world's most elite events alongside his older brother Miguel, also a freeskier.

The decision came after years of pressure and physical toll, including a ruptured ACL just weeks after his Beijing gold. The injury didn't happen during training or competition but while giving a friend a piggyback ride down the slopes.

Why This Inspires

Porteous's story challenges the narrative that retiring young means giving up. Instead, he's choosing creative fulfillment over competitive pressure, demonstrating that success can mean knowing when to pivot toward what truly excites you.

His bronze medal record as New Zealand's youngest Olympic medalist at 16 years and 91 days still stands. Now he's setting a different kind of example: showing young athletes that life after elite sport can be just as thrilling when you follow your passion.

Meanwhile, his friend and fellow Wānaka Olympian Zoi Sadowski-Synnott continues competing, adding a silver medal in Italy this week to her collection.

Porteous remains deeply connected to skiing, just on his own terms now. He's trading halfpipe routines for mountain filmmaking, proving that the best next chapter is the one you write yourself.