Scotty James eyes Olympic gold in Milano Cortina

At the Livigno halfpipe, which he photographed just before Saturday’s press conference, he was trying to check if it was perfectly straight; He confirmed that it was.

The athletes’ village here is one of the “coolest” environments he says he’s experienced at the Olympics.

In the cramped little apartment where he had tried to make dinner with his family the night before.

A few things have changed for James since the last Winter Olympics. He is now married to Canadian singer-songwriter Chloe Stroll, the daughter of a billionaire. Stroll’s brother is an F1 driver. They have an 18-month-old son named Leo and Leo is his inspiration; James’ own guiding light.

“When you think about having children, naturally I think about snowboarding in such a risky sport… I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do,” she said.

“The very sad thing is, you have so much more to live for now. Does that make me even more afraid to go out and try the things I need to do to win? I thought about it when I was with Leo, but honestly it’s been an incredible blessing. He’s shown me every day that I’m there. Wake up, he’s got an extra tooth… It’s been amazing to have him here and I look forward to sharing it with him no matter what the outcome is. He’ll help me ride.”

There’s no doubt what James was trying to achieve: an elusive gold medal.

He won bronze in the men’s halfpipe at Pyeongchang 2018, then silver at Beijing 2022. The natural progression is the clear narrative and the strongest Australian story in Livigno, and it’s not afraid to admit it.

In the first minute of the Netflix documentary about his life and career, he announced this to the world by describing the “elephant in the room” as the fact that he had not won a gold medal yet: Pipe DreamReleased in December, it’s the kind of move an athlete in his own right makes when he’s very clearly considering crowning his legacy.

James said it was “incredibly terrifying” to close the curtain on his childhood and personal life in this way, but he was proud to have a platform to promote his sport and action sports athletes in general.

“We are all misfits in a way,” he said.

“Maybe we didn’t adapt to another part of the world and found ourselves in this industry. I was one of those people. I probably didn’t go to school and didn’t cooperate as I should have. To be honest, it’s not in my natural DNA to come in and dress up and wear a uniform.”

“It’s amazing to be on this stage… I don’t know how many action sports athletes there have been in history, but I can tell you there are amazing stories. For me, I felt lucky and fortunate to be the one who was able to really tell my story. I hope that through this experience, people who watch my movie will make people want to know more about my journey of snowboarding, my love and passion, the guy snowboarding next to me or the girl who trains with me, me or skateboarding, whatever it is.”

James’ view of his personal legacy is broader than just the gold medal. Just last month, he won his eighth X Games title by doing something no snowboarder had ever done before: connecting the backside 1440 switch to the backside 1440, a nightmarishly difficult trick combination.

He gave a long, technical explanation as to why he chose to take the more challenging route in the halfpipe, prioritizing back-and-forward driving while most of his competitors were taking easier front shots, describing it as likening it to pushing a large boulder uphill.

He said the “footprint” he wants to leave behind is to encourage others to pursue more technical challenges and change the way the halfpipe is both ridden and evaluated.

Closer to home, James helped Thredbo Resort create Australia’s first Olympic-sized training halfpipe, a piece of infrastructure that has helped domestic cyclists get better, including some direct rivals such as young gun Valentino Guseli.

But what he really wants to do is compete on home soil in front of Australian fans.

“I think that will probably happen through an event like the X Games, I hope that happens,” he said.

“The list of all the athletes who have spent so much time competing away from Australia goes on and on, it has been a blessing – but it would have been amazing and probably the most rewarding thing for me in my career was watching them and myself compete in front of my own crowds.

“This is a very, very large rock to move uphill, but I think it’s possible.”

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But for now, the focus is much narrower. James’ competition begins on Thursday morning (5.30am AEDT) and the consensus in the snowboarding world is that it would almost be a crime for him not to finish his career with a gold medal.

The good news is that no matter what happens, these Games, his fifth, will not be his final. He still gets nervous before hitting the halfpipe; He still sleeps at night dreaming of repeating the same thing the next day and then wakes up with the same thoughts.

“Not because it controls me, but because I’m really passionate about it. It’s what I love,” he said. “I’m obsessed.”

He promises that he has much more in his cupboard in this sport that surprises young people despite his advanced age.

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“Nobody thought back-to-back 1440s were possible. I’m 31 and I’ve done it,” James said.

“I don’t think an Olympic gold medal is out of reach. I look after myself, I look after myself mentally and physically. I love what I do every day and this isn’t my last try either. As long as I look at myself and see how we’re going, I think it’s possible to win, and I think it’s possible to win again.”

However, he also emphasized that he did not need a gold medal to “validate” himself, and that it would be a “good thing” but not essential.

That’s what he says to a room full of journalists anyway.

“I drove up the mountain with my family yesterday and looked at the pipe… and thought, what an amazing opportunity,” he said.

“Honestly, I think it’s special to be here, to represent the country and to be at the Olympics. I don’t take life for granted at all. The only promise we can make as humans, whether we’re athletes or not, is to do our best. For me, that’s what I plan to do. And I hope my best is enough to make that happen.”

“I think pressure is a beautiful thing, if you let it. So I’m going to enjoy that beauty. At least that’s what I’ll tell myself.”

Winter Olympic Games will be broadcast on television 9Network, 9Now And Stan Sports.