Snowboarding's 'scary' addiction to thrills and spills

    By Motez Bishara, CNN

    Updated 1820 GMT (0220 HKT) December 30, 2016

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    Snowboarder Taylor Gold has been competing since he was nine. Gold was one of four Americans challenging in the halfpipe at the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
    Photos: Scary tricks
    Snowboarder Taylor Gold has been competing since he was nine. Gold was one of four Americans challenging in the halfpipe at the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
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    "Most of the time when you're going as big as you can and doing the hardest tricks you can, you're pretty scared," admits Taylor Gold -- seen mid-flip in the Snowboard men's halfpipe semifinal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
    Photos: Scary tricks
    "Most of the time when you're going as big as you can and doing the hardest tricks you can, you're pretty scared," admits Taylor Gold -- seen mid-flip in the Snowboard men's halfpipe semifinal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
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    Taylor's sister Arielle Gold pictured after her crash -- which led to a separated shoulder -- in a warmup at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Ranked fourth in the world in the women's halfpipe, she missed out on participating in her first Olympics.
    Photos: Scary tricks
    Taylor's sister Arielle Gold pictured after her crash -- which led to a separated shoulder -- in a warmup at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Ranked fourth in the world in the women's halfpipe, she missed out on participating in her first Olympics.
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    Double Olympic halfpipe champion Shaun White of the US is the sport's most famous participant. Formerly known as the "Flying Tomato," White has taken on a business-like approach to the sport as owner of the Air + Style games.
    Photos: Scary tricks
    Double Olympic halfpipe champion Shaun White of the US is the sport's most famous participant. Formerly known as the "Flying Tomato," White has taken on a business-like approach to the sport as owner of the Air + Style games.
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    Kelly Clark -- the most decorated snowboarder in the history of the women's halfpipe competition -- says snowboarding is "a calculated risk." "What would be scary or very risky for other people, isn't necessarily in our shoes," she says.
    Photos: Scary tricks
    Kelly Clark -- the most decorated snowboarder in the history of the women's halfpipe competition -- says snowboarding is "a calculated risk." "What would be scary or very risky for other people, isn't necessarily in our shoes," she says.
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    Thirty-three-year-old Clark is the first female to nail a 1080 frontside twist in competition."There are not a lot of sports that mirror what our heart rates do," she says.