How Freshly Baked Snowboard Slopestyle World Champ Marcus Kleveland Combats Negative Effects Of Pressure

At the FIS Snowboard World Championships in Bakuriani, Norwegian Marcus Kleveland crashed out on the first run of two in the final but put down an incredible second run to score 87.23 and become the first back-to-back men's World Champion.
 
The six-time Winter X Games gold medallist said: "I could not be more happy. This is insane. This course is pretty challenging as there is a lot going on. You just have to be really focused."

In Red Bull’s Mind Set Win podcast, he reveals how he combats the negative effects of pressure to win. Kleveland shares how listening to music has helped him thrive when the pressure is really on.
 
The 23-year-old adds, "When I'm under pressure, I feel like I always do better."
 
Specializing in Slopestyle and Big Air, Kleveland is one of the most decorated riders of his generation with seven major gold medals and also one of the most progressive, landing some of the hardest tricks ever attempted and consistently pushing innovation in his sport.
He adds, "Right now the level of snowboarding is insane. I'm always scared every single day. You just have to make yourself believe you can do anything."
 
Kleveland explains how music in his ears helps him mentally prepare for the task at hand, so much so that when he drops in in competition, the sound goes "completely silent" because he is so focused. He explains, "Music calms my nerves and gets me in the right mindset."