Monster Energy’s UNLEASHED Podcast Welcomes Team USA Snowboarder Dusty Henricksen
Monster Energy is proud to welcome Team USA snowboarder and two-time X Games gold medalist Dusty Henricksen from Mammoth Lake, California, on Episode 38 of the sports and pop culture podcast UNLEASHED with The Dingo and Danny.
This latest one-hour episode was recorded inside Monster Energy headquarters in Corona, California. The full-length episode released today across Monster Energy’s social media channels, featuring the inside story from the 19-year-old snowboard prodigy who made history at X Games Aspen 2021 by taking double X Games gold in Knuckle Huck and Slopestyle as a rookie.
Asked about his effortless style on the episode, Henricksen said on the episode. “Most tricks are really scary, but you just have to do them more! You have to scare yourself and push yourself. For myself, I want to be the best I can be, you know. I can be better than I am right, so I keep pushing myself.”
Fans can now tune in to Episode 38 of UNLEASHED featuring Monster Energy’s Dusty Henricksen. Released today, the new podcast is streaming on all major platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.
Dusty Henricksen started snowboarding at the young age of 2 and was groomed in the U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team as next-generation talent. He took the gold medal in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, and beat the elite in the sport by winning Slopestyle at the U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain. His double X Games gold at age 17 made Henricksen the first American to win Slopestyle since Shaun White in 2009. In 2022, Henricksen represented the United States at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Constantly pushing the boundaries of freestyle snowboarding, he shook the competitive scene by stomping the first-ever quad cork at a U.S. Open in 2021.
Learn about Henricksen’s journey from rookie to constant podium threat in conversation with the two podcast hosts, Australian action sports personality Luke “The Dingo” Trembath, and professional snowboarder Danny Kass on Episode 38 of UNLEASHED. Tune in right here.
Born in San Bernadino, Henricksen was raised by supportive parents and put on a snowboard at the age of two. His talent blossomed when the family moved to legendary Big Bear, where his father provided ample opportunity to skate and snowboard. “We had a nice little house and moved in when my brother was born. Close to the skatepark. My dad built us a mini ramp in the backyard. It was pretty chill,” said Henricksen on the episode.
At age 13, Henricksen moved to Mammoth Lakes, which put rocket boots on his progression. He rubbed shoulders with trailblazers of the sport in his formative years. After landing a spot on the esteemed U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team, he received enhanced support and coaching. “It’s a very complicated process that I don’t understand, but the coaches do,” said Henricksen about the selection process for Olympic team members.
Ultimately, Henricksen joined the elite U.S. Snowboard team in 2019 and won his first World Cup gold at Mammoth in 2020 as a wildcard. That same year, he clinched the gold medal at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. “
Henricksen’s breakthrough arrived at age 17. Making his debut at X Games 2021, he wrote history by claiming gold medals in Slopestyle and Knuckle Huck – the first time a rookie has ever achieved such a feat. What’s more, he became the first U.S. male snowboarder to win Winter X Games slopestyle gold since Shaun White rose to the top back in 2009. “Got very lucky. I’m very psyched. It feels like an accomplishment!”
Known for hitting the slopes wearing just a t-shirt on a cold day – “It’s hot in Aspen around X Games!” – Henricksen has also emerged as a boundary-pushing trick innovator. At a U.S. Open event in 2021, he stoked the crowd by landing the world’s first quadruple cork aerial in competition. “I like watching myself when it looks like the least amount of trying. Doing something technical with showing the least amount of effort. You want it to look like flow.”
In 2022, Henricksen traveled to Beijing, China, to compete in the Winter Olympics. “It’s kind of a crazy road because it’s almost mapped out from when you are seven years old,” said Henricksen about his path from young hopeful to actual competitor. A dream come true moment, but lengthy quarantine for Covid-19 for more than 10 days took its toll on practice and final results. “I was mostly stoked to make it to the Olympics, because my family had put so much money and energy into me being in these contests.”
When he’s not perfecting his snowboard skills, Henricksen also skateboards better than your average snowboard pro, as documented in viral Instagram clips. But as he admits on the episode: “I hurt myself more doing other stuff than snowboarding. For sure!” Asked about upcoming plans, the young ripper hinted at several projects currently in the works: “I want to get as much done, while my body is still hanging on!”
Want to hear it from Monster Energy’s Dusty Henricksen himself? Visit the landing page to access Episode 38 of the UNLEASHED with The Dingo and Danny Podcast featuring rising snowboard star Dusty Henricksen.
Episodes of UNLEASHED are filmed on a special set inside Studio M at Monster Energy headquarters in Corona, California. The podcast is hosted by the dynamic duo of Australian action sports personality Luke “The Dingo” Trembath and professional snowboarder Danny Kass. Known for their deep roots in action sports culture, the two starred in the beloved cult TV show ‘The Adventures of Danny and The Dingo’ on Fuel TV for five action-packed seasons in the early 2010s. Both hosts have walked the walk as pro snowboarders and possess the interview skills to find common ground with guests from any type of background – sports and pop culture. Always look out for new episodes dropping bi-weekly on Mondays.
