Its Tuesday, June 5th, 2018. For the last four years I've fought making a website. But this year it finally seems like an acceptable time to do so. I have very limited experience doing this type of thing, but what life has taught me so far, is that getting started is half the battle. So, here goes nothing.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Robby Burns. I spent the last five years training for the 2018 Winter Olympics, working to compete in my discipline of alpine snowboard racing. When I'm not snowboarding, I fight wild land fires to make money, stay in shape, and stay busy.

I was born and raised in Mount Shasta, California. Since I started snowboarding competitively, I have called places all over the world "home". But mainly, I split my time between Mount Shasta, CA and Steamboat Springs, CO when I am in the U.S.A. In Europe, the closest thing to home is Pratto Allo Stelvio, Italy. 

I have been blessed over the past five years to have a huge support network, whom without I wouldn't have been able to accomplish everything I did. We will get to that, eventually, together. For now, I will cover the basics, in preparation for the journey we are about to take together. 

I thought it important to create a space where people could follow what I am doing, where I am at, and whats real for me. As you already know, I endeavored my time and energy the last five years into this dream of becoming an olympian in 2018. I call it a dream, because thats what it was before all this started. Simply a dream.

In 2014, I set out for Steamboat Springs, CO. with a mission to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics. When I started I was ranked 33rd in the nation, 293rd in the world. I was 22 years old, had never competed in a FIS (Federation of International Skiing & Snowboarding) event. The competition was fierce. Clearly, I had a lot of work to do if I would see my dreams to fruition.

Fast forward to 2018. With four years of competition behind me, I was ranked 30th in the world, and was entering the Olympic season on the tail end of a 1st place finish in the North American Cup Championship, a personal best performance of 16th in World Cup competition, and in the best shape of my life. Four years had gone by in the blink of an eye, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. The Olympics were here, and I was knocking on the door to compete in them. While there is so much more to this story, we will go into this deeper at a later date. 

The Olympic year was, anticlimactic for me. I worked hard with my coaches Justin Reiter, Sigi Grabner, and Thedo Remmelink alongside my teammates Mike Trapp and Ester Ledecka. This was my first run to the Olympics, and everyone around me really tried there best to prepare me for the stress, anxiety, and challenges an Olympic year inherently presents athletes. I didn't make it to the Olympics, I truly struggled in my journey to get there, facing some of the most trying moments, sleepless nights, and frustrating behavior I've ever experienced. There were moments when it seemed the best course of action, in order to take care of myself, would have been to stop entirely, to quit. For me, that was never an option, but the thought did cross my mind. I struggled all season, to get the results I so desperately wanted, the results I had worked so hard to achieve. The Olympics came with so much anticipation, and they passed without hesitation. I was left in a hole of my own making, the depression, anxiety, and self hatred all flooded in together. The silver lining to this experience, would not be seen for a while, and is still being uncovered to this day.

Now we are here. I am spending my summer in Mount Shasta, California with family and friends. I am fighting fires again, something that has always challenged me, something I have always found a unique enjoyment in. I am challenging myself with the help of coaches, mentors, family  and friends, to ask the hard questions. Who am I? Where am I going? Why am doing this? What is working? What is not working?

In the meantime, while asking these questions of myself, I am going to keep fighting fire, not only because I enjoy it, not only to challenge myself physically and mentally, but also to pay off the debts I have accrued over the last four years. 

If you ask me today what my plans are, I would tell you that I truly love snowboarding, and have every intention of continuing with competition on the World Cup circuit, working towards The 2022 Winter Olympics. But doing this does not involve starting the process blindly. Ive been blessed to have the experience of the last five years, that moving forward will help shape a different program, weeding out what didn't work, building up what worked well, and remaining passionately engaged with this endeavor I love, that has brought me so much happiness, growth and wisdom. There is still so much to learn, so much to uncover, so much to experience. Of course, I will also need help along the way, and that help comes in so many different forms. 

Please bare with me, this website is being built in real time, along with fighting fires, continuing workouts, and spending precious time with my niece and three nephews who are a big part of my world. New material, resources, and content will be continually added.

 This blog will serve as a jumping off point to not only deliver real time updates with family, friends, fans and supporters, but also actively engage with current and potential sponsors. Thank you for joining me, thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say, I am honored by your support.

Much love,

-RB