Red Gerard became a household name in 2018, when he took one the gold medal for Team USA in Slopestyle. And that’s a good thing, because if there’s one name in snowboarding that I want households talking about, It’s Red Gerard. He’s a calm, quiet individual with a great sense of humor, but when he’s strapped in, he’s a stick of dynamite waiting to explode with a great sense of air awareness, and that has translated perfectly outside of the competitive arena and into the backcountry. From gold medals to world-renowned video parts, Red is one of the few riders alive that stands a chance to win any contest in the world, from X Games to the Natural Selection Tour. I caught up with Red about his recent board sponsor switch-up from Burton to Arbor, his longtime sponsor Oakley, qualifying for the next Olympics and what’s in store in the winters to come from one of snowboarding’s brightest shining stars.

—T. Bird

Reggie my man! Big news in the snowboard world with your recent sponsor switch-up. First off, congratulations on the move to Arbor Snowboards. What’s the first order of business?

 Thanks Bird. Super hyped on the change up, its been fun getting to know Arbor better and getting to shoot that “welcome to team” video with all those guys. It’s such a unique cool team, so getting to know the crew has been epic. First order of business is to get out there and ride these puppies! Second thing is talking with the in-house side and getting some boards and designs for the future, so very hyped for that.

With all of the sponsor switch-up news, there is one sponsor that you’ve been with for a long time in Oakley. They’ve been supporting you for how many years now?

Yes, Oakley! It’s been a while now. I want to say I started riding for them in 2016 or 2017. It’s been the coolest sponsor to have, their products speak for themselves with how good they are. They are also always on the forefront of innovation. Haha, we always crack jokes about how the military uses Oakley. That’s how you know you’re running the top tier out there.

With that said, how rad is it to grow with a brand from a young up-and-comer to a global superstar and how does the relationship evolve with a sponsor like that?

It’s been super fun to grow up riding for Oakley. I think for me, it’s always just the amazing people you meet along the way and with a company as big as Oakley, it’s crazy to see just how many moving parts there are to it. It’s so cool to be somewhere for a long time because you really get to know the brand and see all the amazing stuff they do. If you ever get the chance to go see the Oakley bunker, do not pass it up. They have the most insane memorabilia, from all the cool glasses and goggles they have made to all the legends from all sports that wore them. Place is epic. But yeah, what has mattered the most to me from being at Oakley long term is the relationships I have made over the years. The amount of support from them is unbelievable. 

Now, on to the obvious question. What are you feelin’ about the upcoming Olympics and are you gonna go for gold yet again?

For sure going to try my ass off for it and hopefully it ends in a good way. I think for me, 2018 was awesome, but it was a lot as well. I was so young, I feel like I did not get to take it all in at the time. Sort of feels like a blur looking back at it. Then 2022 was the Covid Olympics, so not a lot of events or stuff to go do. So now going into 2026 I just really want to try and take it all in and see as much as I can. I also will try to snowboard to the best my ability and hopefully that is somewhere on the podium; hopefully the top, haha.

What is the process for qualification and when does that start up?

Qualification is interesting and to tell you the truth I don’t 100% really understand how it works. From what I do know you really want to be one of the top 4 guys to make the Olympic team. Everything you have to do changes from year to year though. But i think it kinda starts like now-ish so it’s definitely important to try to get three good results this year.

And now on the filming side of things, what are your plans video-wise for the next winter or two?

Yeah, filming, I love it. My plans are definitely focused on the Olympics for the most part but the last couple years I have just tried to put out some shorter length videos and put them out on YouTube. With that being said though, I have made plans to film and I think this year and next year I have some pretty fun and cool filming opportunities that I am really looking forward to. I really love and value putting out good video parts, so I try to treat it kinda 50-50 with contests.

How do you balance that with a crazy competition schedule?

It’s tough for sure, but in a perfect year I try to get the competitions done first. Like ideally, go do competitions all of January and a little into February, which doesn’t always work out. Some seasons I have had to jump from backcountry to contests, and that gets a bit more challenging going from powder to hardpack. But it ends up being a lot of time on board which is always when I feel that I ride the best. Too much of the same riding can get a bit mundane. But yeah, balancing the two always makes for a long winter…which always makes for the best summers as well! 

Thank you for your time, my man. I’m hyped for you and all the big things to come! 

Love you Bird, thanks for the questions and looking forward to chilling this winter soon!