Danny Davis is continually making a name for himself as one of the new kings of the pipe in men’s snowboarding. Last month, Davis took first place in the Men’s Superpipe at the X-Games in Aspen Colorado, due to his innovative style, strong switch-stance technique and tricks. His last and winning run began with a huge McTwist and featured his signature Switch Method and a flawless Front Side 1080 Double Cork, scoring him an impressive and dominating score of 93.66. This is the second year in a row Danny has taken home gold in the event.
While Danny has always been a crowd favorite and showed great potential even in his early career, his path to dominance in the world of halfpipe hasn’t always been easy or direct. Danny, a native of Milford Michigan, first received recognition on the slopes in 2006, when he was voted Rookie of the Year by the Transworld Snowboarding Riders Poll.
In 2008, Danny became a rising star – that year he was he was one of Snowboarder Magazine’s top ten riders. But in 2010, after winning the US snowboard Grand Prix, Danny was involved in an ATV accident in Utah and broke a vertebrae, effectively ending the 2010 season for him. As a result, he was unable to take a spot on the US Olympic Team for the Vancouver Games.
Danny, however, quickly bounced back and in January 2014, he took gold at the X Games. Less than a month later, he rectified his absence in Vancouver by also making the team for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic games. Although he finished in tenth place, Danny has come back stronger than ever. Despite injuries and disappointment, he took home the win at Superpipe at the X Games this year.
Danny has a unique philosophy about the sport. He explains “I haven’t been riding too much half pipe, so I was worried I wasn’t as prepared as I should be. Last year, I was riding so much half pipe. It was kind of a nice feeling to be able to go to a contest without having to train.”
“I want to be an all-around rider; I watch a lot of guys and as they got older, they just stuck to one discipline. I’m kind of motivated right now to do the exact opposite. I’m just going to try to keep getting better at snowboarding.”
With that kind of massive talent, expect to continue hearing a lot about Danny Davis in the world of snowboarding.
