Shaun White’s next mountain: businessman, snowboard maker

In a lot of ways, this autumn is like so many others for Shaun White. The now-retired, three-time Olympic halfpipe champion was on a glacier in Switzerland earlier this month, taking turns down the halfpipe, trying to figure out what works, what has potential and what needs a complete overhaul.

He is getting ready for winter, though this time, there are no big contests coming up. He is sizing up his snowboards, though this time, he’s seeing what other people might like, not necessarily what he needs to win.

The 36-year-old’s first full season in retirement also marks the beginning of his first year as a full-fledged business owner. The brand he introduced with a soft open in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics earlier this year will be fully operational starting Monday. The name is Whitespace. It’s debuting with a limited line of snowboards and outerwear, and White, in an attempt to be as calculating in the marketplace as he was on the mountain, isn’t in any hurry to place his business in competition with some of the behemoths in those industries.

“I have this visual in my head, looking at a chairlift and seeing my name” on the bottom of a snowboard, White said in a phone interview with The Associated Press from Saas-Fee, Switzerland. “And it’s knowing that my product is being enjoyed by somebody.”

An iconoclast who went against snowboarding’s traditions by making it cool to ride for money and medals, White says he wants his brand to stand out on the mountain the same way he did. One way to do that, he says, is developing a personal touch to what he sells.

“The other day, multiple pallets of boards showed up at my mom’s house,” White said. “We’re doing it. But we’re not taking a huge swing. To start, we’re doing, like,