We caught up with Gretchen Bleiler in Idaho to see how the Olympics have affected her life. Not only does Ms. Bleiler rip the hell out of a pipe but she is always super nice and quick to smile. She had the looks to get in FHM but having a good personality and being able to snowboard so well make her a ten but relax, she has a boyfriend so forget about it. I wonder if the Aspen loc had to add a trophy room to her house, to house awards like 2006 Olympic Silver, several X Games medals, Triple Crowns, Transworld Rider of the year…and so on.
Height - 5’5”
Born – April 10, 1981
Home – Aspen
Sponsors – K2, Oakley, Aspen/Snowmass, Napster, Giro, 24 Hour Fitness, Grandoe, The Collection, Swix, Polar, Blackberry
SR: What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
GB: I wake up, kind of sit in the bed and look out the window
SR: What is the first trick you do every day?
GB: That’s a good question. This year it’s been different. The first trick I did today was a backside 540.
SR: You get out of bed; go up to the hill…
GB…and do a backside 540 (laughs) well, today it was, that is what I did today
SR: What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
GB: Oat Bran
SR: I hate those questions so I ask at least one (laughter)
GB: Nice hair! (She proceeds to laugh her ass off at my hair)
SR: Did the Olympics change your life at all?
GB: They do and they don’t. They haven’t changed who I am but there was definitely change with the opportunities I have gotten. My mentality in contests this season is really different….it’s been hard to put a run together this year because I have been so focused for so many years working towards that (2006 Olympics) goal. I think after a while you need to not try and win every single contest and have that be ok. That’s been a big thing for me this year actually; being ok with not winning (laughter)…
SR: …Yea…
GB:…and it’s hard, I mean it seems like “poor you” It takes a lot to get to that level to be happy where you are and just keep progressing in your riding
SR: I was kind of wondering about what you said. Many that where in the Olympics, some of them have kind of slacked off this year
GB: Totally
SR: What keeps you so motivated post Olympics?
GB: I’m just a very competitive person and I love to ride the halfpipe. There are still so many tricks I want to do in the pipe. There’s also a ton of things outside of pipe competition to do. I just went and did the Baker Banked slalom this year for the first time which was amazing. I had such a great time.
SR: What place?
GB: I got third!
SR: Nice
GB: Then I went to Whistler and went cat boarding did a little school bus jib and a tree jib, rode some powder and hit some rocks and drops. For me there’s just so much you can do in snowboarding. I feel like I have only touched the tip with pipe riding
SR: With a Silver in the Olympics do you feel like you can branch out?
GB: Yea, no, no definitely! After this I am going to Northern Idaho to go catboarding. If that doesn’t work out I am going to Park City to hit jumps for a solid week. It’s a big focus of mine, to still compete but look at other aspects too.
SR: Become more well rounded?
GB: Yea because it’s so much fun to do the other things; hit jumps and ride powder. When you do everything it just makes you’re over all riding that much better and you have a different perspective on things
SR: Awesome
GB: Yea
SR: Are you going to Vans?
GB: No I’m not
SR: US Open?
GB: I’ll be at the open
SR: What else you got lined up?
GB: Going to the world cup in Lake Placid with the US Snowboard team then to the US Open. From there I think I am going to go ride powder at Baker and shoot some photos. You know, go drop some cliffs into powder. Work on that side.
SR: Any ridiculous sponsorship offers?
GB: Well, I signed with Blackberry
SR: That’s not ridiculous
GB: They only have 6 spokespeople and I was one from a long list. They have an actress, an auction house owner, the guy who started the first electrical race car company, I was in crazy company. I did a Dunkin donuts commercial. Which was playing over and over again. The Blackberry one was pretty huge for me. I was on the Reuters screen in Times Square because of the Blackberry ad.
SR: Everyday? They played it for…
GB…a month, I think it was like minute reel or maybe only 30 seconds
SR: Did you get a photo of it?
GB: Oh…no, I never even thought, too bad
SR: Hey the lifts close soon, thanks!
GB: Oh yea!
