Olympics 2010: Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler – Interview, Video, More

We have been huge fans of snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler for a while now—so much so that we made her one of our Adventurers of the Year in 2008 for her decision to take a year to snowboard in the backcountry (watch a video of her in action). During yesterday's Olympic halfpipe competition, Bleiler nailed her signature trick, the Cripler 720, but then crashed. While expected to add another medal to the Silver she won in Torino, Bleiler finished in 11th place. But she took it in stride: "It's crazy, the Olympics. It's two runs of finals. And you work so hard for it," said Bleiler, who won silver in the halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Games. "But sometimes it just isn't your turn." (Read more in this Denver Post article.)

Last summer, Bleiler stopped by our office to talk about her new Oakley ski and snowboarding apparel line, her upcoming wedding in Costa Rica, and her hopes for the Games. Read the interview here.