Shannon Dunn-Downing
The untold story of snowboarding’s first U.S. Olympic medalist-and the legacy she carved for women in the sport and beyond. She didn’t just ride into history-she helped rewrite it. Before snowboarding had coaches or Olympic medals, Shannon Dunn-Downing was chasing snow, chasing dreams, and unknowingly reshaping the future of the sport for women. In Snowboard Girl, she shares her personal journey through snowboarding’s most defining decade-the ’90s-with laugh-out-loud road trip stories, breakthrough contests, and the raw truth of what it really took to rise in a sport that didn’t always make room for women. Faced with injuries, industry politics, and the pressure to prove herself, Shannon turned obstacles into opportunity-breaking barriers with courage, faith, and fearless creativity. From designing the first women’s-specific snowboard products to landing tricks no woman had done before, she became the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal, carved her way into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, and even has her signature board on display at the Smithsonian. Honest, humorous, and deeply inspiring, this is the story of a true icon who isn’t done writing her legacy-and a bold reminder to anyone chasing a dream: you were meant to dream big, carve your own path, and live courageously.
