Nick Baumgartner hails from Iron River, Michigan.
This small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula shaped the Olympic snowboarder's gritty, resilient persona, often called a proud "Yooper" lifestyle.

His Roots

Born on December 17, 1981, in Iron River , Nick grew up in a tight-knit community where he excelled in high school sports like football, wrestling, and track before discovering snowboarding at age 15. He attended West Iron County High School and briefly started at Northern Michigan University, dropping out after one semester to chase pro snowboarding dreams. Today, at 44, he still lives there with his partner and son Landon, funding early training by pouring concrete in harsh UP summers—living out of a van to stay close to slopes.

Olympic Glory

Nick's journey peaked at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where the 40-year- old won gold in the inaugural mixed team snowboard cross with Lindsey Jacobellis—history's oldest male snowboard medalist. He's eyeing more in 2026 Milano Cortina, going "pressure-free" with family cheering, as shared in recent interviews. His 2024 memoir Gold from Iron details this "humble beginning" in Iron River.

Fun Facts

  • Hometown Pride : Quick to note the U.S. ski team's UP origins to teammates.
  • Multi-Sport Star : Three-sport athlete turned rally racer post-2011.
  • Actor Cameos : Appeared in Olympic Dreams (2019) and SBX the Movie.

"Every summer... I went to work pouring concrete... to support my professional snowboarding dreams." – Nick Baumgartner

TL;DR : Nick Baumgartner is from Iron River, Michigan—a Yooper through and through, blending small-town grit with Olympic gold.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.