Spinning toward a new chapter: Chris Corning graduates from fire fighting academy, prepares for big life change 

Perched high above skiers and snowboarders spectating down below, Chris Corning stared down Copper Mountain Resort’s 70-foot big air jump and prepared to lay down a run that would qualify him into the final of the men’s snowboard Visa Big Air competition.

Corning roared down the hard-packed ramp leading to the jump, going full boar toward the lip, before flying high into the air. The crowd cheered as Corning spun around in the air like he has done so many times before, reaching for his board to complete a grab while the ground quickly approached from below. 

Like his first run, Corning was attempting to land a backside 1800 with a melon grab, but to the surprise of the watching crowd, commentators and judges, Corning was not able to stomp either of his qualifying runs, eliminating him from the final. 

Visibly angered by not landing a run in his first competition this winter, Corning swiftly exited the competition area and disappeared from onlooking fans or cameras.

From an outsider’s perspective at the base of Copper on Dec. 13, it may appear that Corning was a step — or rotation — behind his fellow heavy-hitting competitors like Silverthorne’s Red Gerard and Norway’s Marcus Kleveland, but the reality is that a lot more than snowboarding has been on Corning’s mind in the weeks leading up to the 2023-24 competition season.

Instead of making the usual preseason training camps to Europe with the U.S. ski and snowboard team, Corning, 24, was silently making progress toward attending fire fighting academy — a new interest he hopes to pursue once his professional snowboarding days have died away.  

“I was kind of looking at what I am going to do after snowboarding and what will fulfill my passion for activity,” Corning said of pursuing firefighting. “Something that allows me not to look at a computer all the time and jobs that pursue my lifestyle.”

In the practice of snowboarding hard for a couple of weeks before having a couple weeks off, Corning was specifically drawn to the schedule of many firefighters, who often work for two days and then have four days off. Beyond the work schedule, Corning felt moved to pursue the profession because of a desire to give back to the community that has supported him for so many years on and off the slopes. 

Corning, who was born in Summit County and called the area home for numerous years — not to mention a short stint in Aspen — but now lives in Eagle County, officially began attending firefighting academy in August, making weekly trips down the Interstate 70 corridor and up Interstate 25 to Greeley in order to attend schooling two days a week at Aims Community College. 

On top of the demands of attending firefighting classes over two hours away from home, Corning was also tasked with making progress toward his own personal snowboarding goals as the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy slowly become visible on the horizon.

“Normally I would’ve gone to Europe and rode all the glaciers out there, but with school I just couldn’t,” Corning said. “I was here the whole time and didn’t get to ride at all until the mountains opened.”

Corning did make a trip to Australia at the end of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer in an effort to get a jump on his training, but once arriving back home, Corning’s training prior to the Visa Big Air mainly consisted of gym sessions and easy riding with his wife, Shannatay. 

“When it comes to big jumps or rails, we didn’t really have any until a couple days ago,” Corning said. “I had one day of practice for the Copper big air because I was testing that same week, so I was going back and forth between Aims and the competition. I had not hit a jump since August.”

After weeks of sacrificing time away from his wife and the sport he loves, Corning graduated from fire fighting academy with all his certifications the same week as the Copper Visa Big Air competition. 

With fire fighting academy now out of the way, it may appear that Corning can fully focus on his snowboarding, but another huge life change is looming over the Corning household in the coming months. 

After marrying Shannatay last April, the Cornings are anticipating their first child, a baby boy named Dextin, on March 18 of this year. Corning is currently expected to be over in Europe competing in a snowboard competition when his first son will be born, but he is beyond excited to return home and begin being a first-time father to his firstborn.

“We kind of have as a backup plan that if I am not going to be here, for Shannatay’s grandmother to come into town and help her out,” Corning said. “When I get back, it will be lots of fun to meet him and get to know him. We are starting a family, and I am really excited about that.”

Although many other professional sports have athletes who are mothers or fathers, professional snowboarding has rarely seen an athlete who competes while also being a parent. Corning hopes to break this stereotype and serve as an example of someone who can balance both. 

“I will kind of be one of the first at this exact moment,” Corning said. “There have been some other guys that have had some kids like Chas Guldemond, but not really anyone married or anything like that.”

Nearly two months away from the due date, Corning is counting down the days until he gets to meet his firstborn son. Like any soon-to-be father, Corning has a list of things he is most excited to share and instill in Dextin once he is born and starts to grow before his eyes.

“I am most excited about sharing lessons and teaching Dex to be a really good human,” Corning said. “Teach him to grow up, make smart decisions and be a good person down to the core. I have always believed that if you are a good person that you will be able to do what you want to do. No matter what he believes or wants to do, he has those base values that I grew up on. That is what I look forward to in the next years of my life.”

Although Corning has faced — and will continue to face — many difficult, but fulfilling, life changes over the last few months, the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist in slopestyle is still planning to vie for his third-consecutive Winter Olympic team that will compete in 2026. 

“It is definitely stressful, but, luckily for us, we have been through the process twice now,” Corning said. “It is also really good to be able to not fully focus on snowboarding 100% of the time. I have to help bring up a family, be a good husband and be a good father to little man. It is just not all about snowboarding, and that is helpful for me.”

cjones@summitdaily.com