Sky’s the limit for Jesse Parkinson

When Jesse Parkinson talks about hanging out with his best mates, it’s often several storeys above the snow.

Parkinson credited one of his best friends, Valentino Guseli, for guiding him through his first full senior World Cup season, with the two teen sensations part of Australia’s exciting new generation of snowboarding stars.

Guseli, 18, is already enjoying unprecedented success, in 2022-23 becoming the first snowboarder in history to achieve World Cup medals in all three Park & Pipe disciplines in a single season. He finished with the Crystal Globes for Park & Pipe as well as Big Air, while he finished second in the world rankings for snowboard Halfpipe and third in Slopestyle.

Now Parkinson, the 17-year-old phenom from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is getting to soak up some of that experience after competing regularly on the World Cup circuit for the first time.

Parkinson competed in Big Air and Slopestyle last season, with ambitions for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. He need only look to Guseli for the perfect role model to follow.

“Having him there was definitely a super positive thing, especially when you’re going through your first season,” Parkinson says. “It was supercool having my best mate there, because it’s cool to be riding with your mates, but he’s also at the top level. He won Big Air overall, and Park & Pipe overall, that speaks for itself, having a friend with that level of experience when you’re competing in your first season.

“I think just getting the experience up was the best takeaway, I haven’t competed in many high-level comps like that until this season, so being around the field and being around my mates who have been at that level for a while now was definitely the best takeaway."

Parkinson grew up Yaroomba, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and began surfing at the age of three. He took up snowboarding after a family trip to Japan when he was nine, finishing runner-up in the Australian Junior Series just two months later.

Parkinson says his first full season on the World Cup circuit has only motivated him to keep improving.

“The World Champs were definitely the highlight; I didn’t make the finals there but it was probably my best result of the season. Plus, just being at the World Champs for my first time was an experience in itself. I was able to put a run down there and missed out on finals by a spot or two.

“This was my first full season, and it was a really good experience, I didn’t quite get the results I was looking for, but I was able to put a few runs down and get some more experience.”