Riley Jacobs Built an Olympic Career by Trusting Herself

Riley Jacobs did not make the Olympics by trying to become someone else. She made it by learning how to trust the athlete that she is.

From the very beginning, Riley’s relationship with skiing was instinctive. Growing up in Steamboat Springs, she fell in love with airtime.

“I always thought skiing was an absolute blast, but my favorite part was being in the air or upside down in some form. I actually thought racing was pretty boring…you just go between gates. We could definitely be doing more.”

Moguls came first, but even that felt like a compromise.

“I did moguls for a few years…but I remember feeling like the bumps were getting in the way of the jumps.”

So, she followed her gut to slopestyle and halfpipe, eventually choosing to specialize in halfpipe where her strengths shined brightest.

Process over Outcome Goals

The Olympics were always in the back Riley’s mind.

Even as a little kid, she’d write down “competing at the Games on all of her goal sheets” but her mindset has always been “this is what I love to do and I want to be the best athlete possible.”

Her joy came from skiing well, not being better than someone else.

“You never have fun when you’re like, ‘well, this person did better than me.’ You only have fun when you ski the best you can ski.”

Injury and the Permission to Be Human

Riley’s ACL tear in November 2024 changed her perspective overnight. She reflects that “it’s crazy how fast you can go from great to nothing.”

In rehab, she learned something powerful: skiing is certainly central to her life, but it is not her entire identity. That season away from halfpipe gave her clarity rather than fear.

“It was actually really fun to spend time with people I don’t usually get to see and do things I don’t normally get to do.”

When Olympic qualification felt uncertain, that mindset sharpened her confidence. “I had to remember, even if I didn’t make the team this year, skiing isn’t everything.”

“Just Do the Thing”

This is where Riley’s mentality becomes truly distinctive. Her self-talk is simple: “I can probably ski better than I can read. This is exactly what I know how to do and I happen to love it too.”

That calm isn’t complacency. It’s confidence earned through years of repetition, recovery, and self-trust. Riley doesn’t plan to reinvent herself in Milan. She plans to arrive as the skier she already is.

She knows the lights will be brighter, the stakes higher, the moment louder. But her mental anchor will remain simple.

“I’ll probably feel different at the top of the pipe,” she admitted — “but I’ll try to hold onto that same idea: just do the thing.”

In a sport that rewards amplitude, style, and risk, Riley’s greatest strength may be the ability to be herself when it matters most.

When she drops into the Olympic halfpipe in Livigno, she’ll simply be Riley. Doing what she knows how to do.

Back The Team is writing live from Livigno at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, breaking down the mental game behind the Games. Be sure to follow along at @backtheteam for our latest updates!