Nicholi Rogatkin: The Story You Haven't Heard

The episode is with MTB slopestyle legend Nicholai Rogatkin. It covers how he started riding bikes before age five, began competing around age seven in skatepark contests, and how his father coached him by placing him in the highest categories to push his level. Rogatkin describes his gradual switch from BMX to mountain biking due to more contest opportunities and support from Martin Söderström and Specialized, while still achieving major BMX results like winning BMX Worlds in Cologne at 17 and winning an ASA Triple in Miami. We discuss BMX vs MTB culture and perceived one-sided BMX animosity, along with positive crossover moments at Swatch Nines. The conversation shifts to making a living in action sports, the lack of public salary/contract transparency in mountain biking, and how that can leave riders with less negotiating power. Rogatkin explains why he hasn’t returned to Rampage in recent years, describing his notable cliff crash, the fact he was largely uninjured, how Rampage’s structure changed after that year (including detaching from FMB), and how Utah requires extensive familiarity due to exposure and technical terrain. They discuss the emotional difficulty of watching friends crash at Rampage (including the year’s major incidents involving Adolf and Emil), how certain life-risk moves can’t be motivated by money, and how athletes manage intrusive fear thoughts. The episode also addresses whether Rampage can be made safer, with Rogatkin suggesting a new site would reduce the escalation that comes from repeated venues. They talk about slopestyle crash training and durability, riders’ differing injury luck, and whether there’s an ideal body type for elite riding. Rogatkin shares moments of throwing tricks without full confidence, including landing a “cashy whip” under pressure at Innsbruck, and identifies his most memorable competition moment.We discuss how judged events can be confusing compared to racing, Rogatkin’s crowd-pleasing style versus technical judging priorities, and the supportive camaraderie among slopestyle competitors. He names riders who impressed him most, highlighting Emil Johansson’s dominance and technical level, Cam Zink’s determination, and Thomas Genon’s longevity and Rampage progression. Rogatkin talks about his regrets around occasional reckless partying before contests (including the night before Joyride 2022), and his interest in future hosting/commentary and a “Drive to Survive”-style series for mountain biking. 00:00 Intro02:30 Growing Up on BMX06:19 Switching to MTB09:11 Turning Pro for Real: Crankworx Breakthrough12:54 BMX vs MTB Culture 16:20 Slopestyle vs BMX, Money, and Pay Transparency23:49 Risk vs Reward in MTB28:06 Rampage Crash, and Why He Stepped Away 33:49 Watching Rampage as a Friend35:21 Adolf Silva crash38:14 Emil’s crash40:33 Mental Strength 46:37 Can Rampage Be Made Safer? 50:32 Why Slopestyle Riders Crash So Much 57:15 Is There an ‘Elite’ MTB Body Type? 01:00:44 Sending It Without 100% Confidence01:07:20 Career Highlight01:11:38 Riding for the Crowd vs. for the Judges01:13:47 Sportsmanship 01:18:13 Best riders ever 01:24:22 Worst injury01:28:37 Regrets01:33:58 What’s Next01:39:29 Defining Success 01:42:21 Future CollabWatch on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDkKm6czEmsFollow Nicholi:https://www.instagram.com/nicholirogatkin/Follow me:https://linktr.ee/stefangarlicki74