Getty
Ollie Martin of Team United States speaks during a Team USA big air snowboard press conference on February 03, 2026 at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy.
Ollie Martin is the 17-year-old snowboarding prodigy from Colorado who is competing in the big air final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on February 7, 2026. Martin is the only American to advance to the men’s big air final at the Milano Cortina Games.
Martin, a senior at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, is the youngest rider in history to land a 2160 — and the only snowboarder to stomp both a frontside and backside 2160, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. He became the youngest male rider to win a World Cup slopestyle event at the 2025 Calgary Snow Rodeo, the Summit Daily reported, and earned bronze medals in both slopestyle and big air at the 2025 World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland.
Even 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard looks up to Martin. “Ollie’s his own beast and I look up to him,” Gerard told NBC Olympics. “I look at what Ollie does, and I’m like, ‘Yo, how do I do that? That’s insane.’”
But Martin didn’t get here alone. He comes from a family with deep roots in winter sports, including an Olympic skiing dynasty that stretches back more than 60 years.
Here’s what you need to know about Oliver “Ollie” Martin’s family and his journey to the Olympics:
1. Ollie Martin’s Parents Are Chris & Anne Martin — His Father Is From New Zealand & His Mother Grew Up in Eagle County, Colorado
Martin is the son of Chris and Anne Martin, according to the Vail Daily. Chris is originally from New Zealand, and Anne grew up in Eagle County, Colorado — the same area where the family has raised their two sons.
The Martin family’s international roots show up in unexpected ways. Ollie’s older brother Kade describes himself as “an Aussie, a Kiwi and a Yank” on his Dirty Dog Eyewear sponsor page, a nod to the family’s ties across the Southern Hemisphere and the United States. Kade is also a fan of the New Zealand All Blacks, the country’s national rugby union team, according to his U.S. Ski & Snowboard bio.
The Martins raised both boys in Wolcott, a small community in Eagle County near Vail. Both Ollie and Kade attended Avon Elementary School and joined Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, where they developed into elite competitors on the slopes of Vail Mountain and Copper Mountain.
Their parents have spoken publicly about Ollie’s drive. “As parents, we are very proud,” the Martins told the Vail Daily in 2023 when Ollie was honored by Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, “but Ollie is focused on the future and the ultimate goal (to win the Olympics). He pushes himself for progression and is happiest when he gets a new trick.”
2. Martin Comes From an Olympic Skiing Dynasty — His Great-Uncle & Great-Aunt Are Both U.S. Ski Hall of Famers
Martin’s family has a deep Olympic legacy. His great-uncle, Chuck Ferries, was a two-time Olympic alpine skier and one of the most decorated American ski racers of the 1960s, according to NBC News’ Olympics live coverage.
Ferries competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, and the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, according to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. In 1962, he became the first American to win the Hahnenkamm slalom at Kitzbühel, Austria — one of the most prestigious races in alpine skiing. He won three U.S. National Slalom Championships and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on March 11, 1963, under the headline “Best U.S. Skier,” according to the International Skiing History Association.
Ferries was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2008. After his racing career, he coached the U.S. Women’s Ski Team through the 1968 Olympics and went on to become president of K2 Skis and chairman of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association from 2002 to 2006, according to SnowBrains. He died on April 17, 2025, in Ketchum, Idaho, at the age of 85.
Martin’s great-aunt, Barbara Ferries Henderson, was also an Olympian. She competed in alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck as the youngest member of the U.S. Ski Team, according to Olympics.com. She won a bronze medal in downhill at the 1962 World Championships and was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1978.
The Ferries siblings — Chuck, Mary Anne, Barbara and Jim — all grew up in Houghton, Michigan, on the Upper Peninsula, where they learned to ski on Mt. Ripley, a 440-foot hill, according to the Ski Hall of Fame.
3. Ollie Martin’s Older Brother Kade Martin Is Also on the U.S. Snowboard Team
Ollie isn’t the only Martin brother representing the United States in competitive snowboarding. His older brother, Kade Martin, is a halfpipe rookie on the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Kade, who was born on January 21, 2006, rides out of Bellyache Ridge, Colorado — another small community in Eagle County near the family’s home in Wolcott. He started riding at age six and has compiled an impressive resume, including two NorAm wins, a National Championship and his first World Cup final, according to his U.S. Ski & Snowboard bio. He attends Colorado Mountain College and rides for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, the same club that developed Ollie.
The brothers push each other daily. According to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the two are “often found riding both pipe and park together during training sessions.” A Monster Army video captured the brothers training together at Copper Mountain, showcasing their shared commitment to progression.
4. Both Brothers Were Snowboard Champions Before They Could Drive — Ollie Won a National Title at Age 7
The Martin brothers’ talent showed up early. According to the Vail Daily, Ollie became the USASA (United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association) halfpipe national champion in the “ruggies” division — for riders age 7 and younger — at nationals in Copper Mountain. He also placed third in snowboard cross at the same event.
Kade, meanwhile, won the snowboard cross national championship in the “groms” division for 8- and 9-year-olds and placed seventh in halfpipe, the Vail Daily reported.
Ollie joined Ski & Snowboard Club Vail in the fall of 2015, when he was about 7 years old, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. By the time he was 15, he was competing internationally. At the 2024 Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea, Martin won a silver medal in big air and finished fifth in slopestyle, according to Wikipedia.
At the 2023 USASA NorAm event in Stoneham, Quebec, the brothers nearly swept the halfpipe podium — Kade won the event while Ollie took bronze, according to their U.S. Ski & Snowboard profiles.
After the 2024 Youth Olympics, he fractured his leg while attempting a switch back triple 18, according to the Vail Daily, citing SSCV coach Chris Laske. But he recovered in time for his breakout 2024-25 World Cup season.
5. Ollie Martin’s Mom Made Him Bring a Miniature Snowboard Figurine to the Olympics That He’s Used Since Childhood to Visualize Tricks
At a press conference in Livigno, Italy, on February 4, Martin revealed that he brought a miniature snowboard figurine to the Games.
“My mom made me bring it,” Martin told reporters, according to the Summit Daily. “Honestly that toy was really helpful for me. I could use it to visualize. I was able to come up with some tricks with that toy. Sounds silly, but it was actually really helpful.”
Martin has carried the figurine with him since he was a kid, fidgeting with it during long flights to Austrian glaciers for training camps and on shorter commutes to Copper Mountain, the Summit Daily reported. He would twist and flip the miniature board, using it as a physical tool to map out new tricks before taking them to the snow.
When not strapped to his board, Martin enjoys skateboarding, mountain biking, drawing and spending time with his family’s cats, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. He is also scheduled to compete in the men’s slopestyle qualification on February 16, according to Snowboarder Magazine.
