When Shaun White pulled out of the slopestyle event in Sochi this past February it became a media fixation. The Flying Tomato wasn’t going to be in the competition stating an “unsafe course,” which in turn fueled the controversy over the course design even further. It pissed a lot of people off when he did that, but his reasoning was sound; he wanted to save himself for the possible three-peat in halfpipe. In an interview with Huffington Live, White talks through the factors leading to his decision as well as his overall experience at the Sochi Olympic Games.

See also: Shaun White announces retirement from snowboarding