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Steamboat snowboarder to make reality TV splash

Ladley will appear when show premiers 29th season later this month

Joel Reichenberger
Matt Ladley, an X Games champ in 2016, will be featured on the new season of "The Amazing Race," starting March 30.
Joel Reichenberger

— Snowboarding had already taken Matt Ladley around the world. Now it could help him do so in a little different way as Ladley was cast on the upcoming season The Amazing Race.

Ladley, a Steamboat Springs halfpipe snowboarder, will appear on the CBS reality TV show, which begins its 29th season March 30th. The action was filmed last summer as Ladley was coming off the best season of his career, in which he won the superpipe competition at X Games Aspen.

He backed that up with a second-place finish at the event this year.



Typically The Amazing Race features two-person teams and they compete in legs of a race that eventually takes them across the globe. They often must complete challenges mid-race, and the last team to complete a leg is usually eliminated.

Season 29 of the show throws one significant wrench on that formula. Ladley won’t be racing with a friend from home or a trusted partner from snowboarding. He went to the show alone and will meet his partner on the first episode.



Ladley was featured in a quick video preview for the show on CBS.com and he addressed his ability to handle the unexpected hurdles the show will provide from the very first episode.

“My strength is my ability to continue doing something despite it being difficult,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of surgeries. I have to figure out a way to be like, ‘Ok, I shattered my arm, but I need to forget about that and now continue.’”

Ladley, currently living in Denver, is one of three Colorado-based contestants. Floyd Pierce is a drum major with the University of Colorado marching band while Becca Droz is a rock climbing instructor in Boulder.

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253, email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @JReich9


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