Shaun White Shreds in Central Park and Surprises NYC Snow Lovers with Snowboarding Jump Over Shane Gillis
- - Shaun White Shreds in Central Park and Surprises NYC Snow Lovers with Snowboarding Jump Over Shane Gillis
Skyler CarusoJanuary 26, 2026 at 11:44 PM
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Shaun White in Central Park on Jan. 25, 2026.
TheStewartofNY/GC Images
Shaun White surprised onlookers with an impromptu snowboarding show in Central Park on Sunday, Jan. 25
The Olympic gold medalist performed flips and tricks
The retired athlete's surprise appearance comes less than two weeks before the start of the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, where he'll work as an analyst for NBC
Shaun White is so back.
The retired Olympic gold medalist flexed his prowess on the powder in front of those who ventured to Central Park amid a massive winter snowstorm in New York City on Sunday, Jan. 25.
White, 39, who retired from the sport following the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, suited up in an all-white snowsuit and goggles for an impromptu performance.
Shaun White snowboards in Central Park, NYC on Jan. 25, 2026.
TheStewartofNY/GC Images
In videos on social media, the decorated athlete is seen wowing the crowd with his snowboarding tricks, one of which included an impressive jump over his friend, comedian Shane Gillis.
White, meanwhile, was incognito with goggles and a face mask at the start so onlookers couldn't recognize him. In one of the clips, a bystander in awe of the flips could be heard saying, "That's gotta be Shaun White!"
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Afterwards, the flipping phenom removed his goggles and unveiled his identity. He posed for photos with fans who marveled at the fun, unexpected performance in the snow.
White posted about the day on his own social media, including several photos and videos of the moment on Instagram.
Shaun White jumps over Shane Gillis on a snowboard in Central Park on Jan. 25, 2026.
TheStewartofNY/GC Images
"Live from Central Park," he captioned an action shot of himself in air while holding the rail of his board.
White's pop up in the city comes about a week before the 2026 Winter Games, which will mark the first Olympics White won't compete in since he announced his retirement from the sport.
However, the legendary athlete has been tapped by NBC to be a broadcaster, joining the network's team to provide commentary during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations alongside hosts including Savannah Guthrie.
Shaun White celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men's Half Pipe Snowboard finals at Phoenix Park in South Korea during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
"I mean, I'm kind of nervous. This is my first Olympics where I'm just going to go spectate. The Winter Olympics, at least, where I'm not competing," White told PEOPLE exclusively in June while looking ahead to his first Winter Games in retirement.
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"I don't know. I'm going to be on this side of the fence now cheering for these other athletes," he added. "I know there'll be fun, exciting things for me, but I'm sure there'll be some sort of nostalgic feelings going through and missing an element of what I used to do when I was in these situations."
White won Olympic gold in the men's halfpipe snowboarding competition in 2006 (Turin), 2010 (Vancouver) and the 2018 (Pyeongchang) Winter Games. The five-time Olympian holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder.
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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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
