Composite Photo via Steve Blaco / PATRÓN / , Shaun White Instagram, and Clive Mason/Getty Images
Shaun White is one busy guy in retirement. He just got engaged to actress Nina Dobrev. He just launched a snowboard company, appropriately named Whitespace. He also just announced a partnership with NBC Sports and Peacock to air his namesake Snow League, giving winter athletes a place to compete between Olympics years.
The 3x Olympic gold medalist and 13x X Games champion also hit Las Vegas in a big way, picking up the tab for PATRÓN Margaritas at The Wynn During Las Vegas Grand Prix Weekend.
Shaun White recently joined me on the Mostly Occasionally Show podcast to recap his Formula 1 weekend in Vegas. We chatted about our respective hot laps in a Ford Mustang Dark Horse with Frankie Muniz, as well as White’s bar tour around the Wynn on the Friday before the race.
“It’s my second time to the F! event,” White tells me on the Mostly Occasionally Show. “I feel like they really got it dialed even further than they did the year before. You know, the last year was their first time ever, so now they got another crack at it, and everything was just perfect. It was so much fun, dude.”
You can listen to the episode, which includes interviews with Visa Cash App Red Bull F1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, over on the Apple Podcast or Spotify, or in the player below.
Shaun White calls Lewis Hamilton The F1 GOAT
As the undisputed G.O.A.T. of snowboarding, Shaun White knows a thing or two about greatness. So when asked to name his Formula 1 G.O.A.T., he didn’t hesitate: Lewis Hamilton.
White’s admiration for Hamilton goes beyond the track, rooted in a friendship built over years. “I’ve been lucky enough to become friends with Lewis,” White said on the show. “He’s the greatest. Obviously, there are some incredible drivers who’ve come before him, but I feel like he’s ushered in this new era of F1—combining fashion, swagger, and, of course, the skills to back it all up.”
His respect for Hamilton’s competitive spirit only grew after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Starting from 10th on the grid, Hamilton’s relentless climb through the ranks left a lasting impression. “It’s been a season of ups and downs for him, but seeing him fight to the top from that position was incredible,” White noted.
Snowboarding with Lewis Hamilton in Antarctica
Their friendship isn’t confined to flashy weekends at the racetrack, with a million cameras on them. I told Shaun White on the podcast about the time Kai Lenny told me about surfing with Lewis Hamilton. I had a hunch he had a good snowboarding story or three about the Formula 1 star.
I was right. In early 2023, Shaun White and Lewis Hamilton took their camaraderie to snowboard in one of the most remote and surreal places on Earth: Antarctica. But before this epic trip, the two bonded over their shared love for snowboarding. White revealed that Hamilton is no stranger to the slopes.
“He loves to snowboard. He actually owns a property in Colorado and goes out there all the time with friends and family,” White explained. That passion set the stage for their adventure to Antarctica, where the duo took on a glacier ride surrounded by penguins and surreal icy landscapes.
At one point during the trip, White decided to have some fun by skimming across a small, frigid pond at the glacier’s base. Naturally, Hamilton wanted in on the action. “He saw me do it and immediately asked, ‘Alright, how do I do this?'” White recalled, laughing.
Hamilton’s first attempt ended with a splash—literally. “He leaned too far back and fell straight into the freezing water. It wasn’t just cold—it was iceberg-in-the-water, bone-chillingly cold. Most people would be like, ‘Yeah, I’m done.’ But not Lewis.”
Soaked and shivering, Hamilton climbed back up the glacier, determined to try again. “He had this look in his eye like, ‘I’m not letting this thing beat me,’” White said. “On his second attempt, he absolutely nailed it. That’s Lewis. Whether it’s F1 or snowboarding, he’s not just competitive—he’s relentless.”
The moment perfectly encapsulated Hamilton’s character for White. “It’s that killer instinct that separates great athletes from everyone else. He wasn’t going to let a pond of ice water win. That’s who he is.”
White also noted how impressive Hamilton’s actual snowboarding skills are, a rarity for many who claim to ride. “You hear a lot of people say they snowboard, but then you get them on the mountain, and they can’t do anything. Not Lewis. He’s got the talent, and he can really ride.”
Tap to listen to the full episode on the Mostly Occasionally Show
Here’s the video of Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton pond-skimming in Antarcia, including that wipe out White talked about. This is what Shaun White wrote at the time:
People seem to love the my last water vid so I had to share this. @lewishamilton is such a legend. He had the guts to follow me over the Antarctic water, and after not making it he immediately hiked back up, soaking wet and freezing to do it again! That’s the champions mind set and I loved seeing it.
So freakin’ epic. Bros being bros, soaring at the highest level possible at what they do, just living the dream.