Shaun White Reveals ‘What It Would Take’ for Him to Come Out of Snowboarding Retirement (Exclusive)
- - Shaun White Reveals ‘What It Would Take’ for Him to Come Out of Snowboarding Retirement (Exclusive)
Skyler CarusoJanuary 27, 2026 at 10:00 PM
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Shaun White attends the Shaun White x Ralph Lauren Winter Olympics Marquee Event at Macy's Herald Square in New York City on Jan. 24, 2026.
Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Shaun White spoke with PEOPLE at Macy's Herald Square in New York City while celebrating Ralph Lauren's Team USA collection for the 2026 Winter Olympics
White, a longtime Ralph Lauren ambassador, shared if he has any interest in getting back into competitive snowboarding, after his retirement four years ago
White is coming to the 2026 Winter Games, but as a commentator for NBC
The snowboarding GOAT has nothing more to prove, but who doesn't love a comeback?
Shaun White opens up to PEOPLE ahead of the 2026 Milan Games about whether he has any interest in returning to competitive snowboarding, four years after officially retiring from the sport following the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
But first, he has to loosen up his body.
"Oh, my goodness. Did you see me do this? That was just my back," jokes a joint-cracking White, who spoke with PEOPLE exclusively at Macy's in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 24 to celebrate Ralph Lauren's new Team USA collection for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
Shaun White attends Ralph Lauren's Olympic marquee event Macy's Herald Square in New York City to celebrate the Team USA collection on Jan. 24, 2026.
TheStewartofNY/Getty
"It would take a lot of stretching... A lot of red light therapy," he continues, with a laugh.
Since retiring four years ago, White, 39, has been forging a new career path both on and off the snow, including his longtime partnership with Ralph Lauren as a celebrity ambassador.
"It's their tenth consecutive Olympics [outfitting Team USA], so Ralph's doing it big. Polo, it's amazing," he raves. "And honestly, as someone that's competed at the Olympics and had to wear other sponsored outfits before, by far, Ralph just crushed it when they came in."
"I was so thrilled to see them take over," he continues of the iconic brand's longtime involvement with Team USA for the Olympics. "Everybody on the team loves the gear!"
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Shaun White celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's halfpipe snowboard finals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
Ralph Lauren unveiled the official uniforms Team USA will wear at the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Dec. 4, and the assortment of pieces are filled with patriotic spirit and special significance rooted in a legacy built over nearly two decades.
In addition to the opening and closing ceremony uniforms, the American brand also created a Team USA Collection that offers a range of apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the style and energy of the Winter Games.
"They always bring this sort of vintage classic, but new modern update of old ski chalet vibe — but they do it right every year for the Olympics," White tells PEOPLE, while showing off his Team USA red, white and blue fleece from the collection.
Ralph Lauren debuts Team USA collection for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
TheStewartofNY/Getty
And between his fashion-forward ventures and his Snow League endeavors, the decorated athlete tells PEOPLE that he's "happy with [his] choice" to retire when he did — and if he were to make a comeback like ski star Lindsey Vonn at age 41, it would have to take something really special.
"It would take some weird breakthrough, of like, me seeing something and getting really inspired, because you got to push everything aside and just make this thing your life's focus... and there's so much going on in my world," he says.
"I'm just so thrilled to focus on other things than what I've focused on since I was like, 7, to I guess pro at 13. Yeah, I don't know, it would take a lot," explains the five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist.
Shaun White of Team United States at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Maddie Meyer/Getty
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be the first Games White attends, but doesn't compete in. While he's expecting emotions to run high while he's in Livigno, the location for all snowboarding events, the halfpipe legend will be quite busy as an NBC commentator.
The most "surprising part" of retirement, White tells PEOPLE, have been the mixed feelings of "pressure" and "excitement" that he got on comp days.
"There's a polarity there where you're feeling a lot, and it's good and bad mixed together," he explains. "I don't get that anywhere else. It's this thrill of like, I was really alive in those moments — and so there's not much in my life currently that would make me feel that way, so I kind of miss that."
"Which is strange because it's what I didn't want to deal with anymore," he admits. "But I'm enjoying [retirement]. I'm taking it day by day, especially leading up to the Olympics. There's a lot of feelings."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
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