The Pearl Publishing announces the release of “Snowboard Girl,” the anticipated memoir by Olympic medalist and industry pioneer Shannon
Dunn-Downing, the first American ever to earn an Olympic medal in snowboarding.
From quiet Midwestern beginnings to standing on the podium at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, “Snowboard Girl” offers a rare, insider account of snowboarding’s breakout decade—one defined by hand-built halfpipes, magazine culture, renegade invention, and the earliest women who carved space in a sport that wasn’t built with them in mind.
Dunn-Downing pulls back the curtain on the battles, breakthroughs, risks, and internal pressures behind her Olympic journey—including the McTwist that had never been landed by a woman in competition prior to her attempt, a moment that helped shape Olympic history and secure her place on Team USA.
Beyond competition, the memoir captures the emotional pulse behind the sport: friendships, rivalries, faith, identity, and purpose. It also chronicles the origin of Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), founded following the passing of Monica Steward, and the athlete activism that followed.
“Snowboard Girl” documents the sport’s expansion from fringe counterculture to Olympic world stage, and Dunn-Downing’s later return to competition in her fifties, continuing to challenge assumptions about age, progression, and who gets to shape the future of snowboarding.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Dunn-Downing is the first American to earn an Olympic medal in snowboarding, winning bronze in the women’s halfpipe at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games. She is a Hall of Fame inductee, product development pioneer, and co-founder of Boarding for Breast Cancer. “Snowboard Girl” is her debut memoir.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: Snowboard Girl Author: Shannon Dunn-Downing
Publisher: The Pearl
Release Date: December 2, 2025
Formats: Paperback + Ebook Retail Price: $22.95
ISBN-13 (Paperback): 978-2-306-12331-7
ISBN-13 (E-Book): 978-1-960230-23-2
Availability: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, Walmart, and requestable through local bookstores
Buy Now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1960230212
MEDIA, SPEAKING, AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS
Shannon Dunn-Downing is available for interviews, features, podcast appearances, panels, faith-based events, and author talks.
CONTACT
Shannon Dunn-Downing
[email protected]
www.ShannonDunnDowning.com
Instagram @Shannon_Dunn__Downing
