Olympic Skier Nick Goepper Took a Practice Run In Jeans, Here's Why

The denim is back. 

The four-time Olympian Nick Goepper, who will compete as a skier in the halfpipe competition, is wearing jeans. 

More accurately, he wore jeans as he twisted and turned down the halfpipe during a training run, his baggy blues flapping in the wind. 

The fashion choice is a resurrection of Goepper’s attire during the X Games when he competed—and took fourth—wearing jeans. The pants also accompanied him when he claimed third at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, among other events.

Later, he supposedly “retired” the jeans, returning to more conventional ski outerwear. Now, though, he’s donning them again. Tap or click below to watch Goepper's denim-clad run down the pipe. Keep reading for more.

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To fans of Goepper—who’s adopted a candid and sometimes tongue-in-cheek persona during the second chapter of his career—the jeans might seem like just that, a joke. Maybe they are, in a way. After all, denim amidst the technical ski clothes worn by other competitors is a funny sight. 

But Goepper has said they’re not a stunt. Instead, they’re an homage to his upbringing. The skier is from Indiana, first learning to ski on the slopes of Perfect North, a small ski area.

“It was a statement to allude to my Midwest roots of like, hey, anybody can do this sport,” Goepper told NBC. “Hey, I'm skiing in jeans, and I'm skiing in the biggest events in the entire world, and you can do it, too.”

Earlier, before Goepper dropped into the X Games pipe, he said in a post that his denim clad performance was for “anyone hitting the mountain for the 1st time,” “all the small ski resorts across America,” “a family on a budget and going skiing anyways,” “a kid with a dream," and “an adult brave enough to start a new one.”

Goepper first established himself as a slopestyle skier, becoming a commanding presence in that discipline with three Olympic medals—two silvers and one bronze—before announcing his retirement.

Shortly after, though, Goepper shared that he would return to competition, this time as a halfpipe skier. After proving that he was competitive in the pipe, he qualified for Team USA ahead of the Olympics. 

Now that he’s rocked the denim on the world stage, he’ll have another shot at Olympic gold. 

The men’s halfpipe finals competition is slated for Friday, February 20. Qualification, which was delayed due to the weather, is scheduled for the same day.