Who Is Mia Brookes — Britain's Teenage Snowboarding Prodigy Who Began at 18 Months

From a world title at 16 to sealing her place in an Olympic big air final, the 19-year-old now stands on the verge of history — shaped by sacrifice, fear, and belief.

Mia Brookes' journey from toddler on a snowboard to Olympic finalist has unfolded at remarkable speed. But it has also been shaped by sacrifice, fear, and an ongoing battle to belong in a sport she began dominating before she was old enough to drive.

Raised on Snow and Shaped by the Road

Brookes' story begins almost as soon as she learned to walk. She first stepped onto a snowboard at 18 months old, encouraged by her parents, Vicky and Nigel, committed boarders who spent five ski seasons living in Chamonix.

Much of her childhood was spent travelling across Europe in the family motorhome, chasing winter and building a life around the mountains. Born in Sandbach, Cheshire, Brookes was introduced to snowboarding at Kidsgrove Ski Centre in Stoke.

After finishing her opening run in silver medal position, Brookes took a calculated risk.

She later refined her technique at the Chill Factore in Manchester, and the nomadic lifestyle, combined with relentless repetition on indoor slopes, accelerated her development.

By the age of 10, she had already caught the attention of GB coaches and was selected for the development squad, marking the start of a pathway that would quickly separate her from her peers.

She surged through the junior ranks, becoming junior world champion in Big Air and finishing second in Slopestyle in early 2022, a warning sign of what was to come.

A World Title at 16 and the Cost of Growing Up Fast

Brookes announced herself on the global stage in February 2023, when she became the youngest world champion in snowboarding history at just 16 years old.

Competing at the Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships in Georgia, she delivered Britain its first-ever women's slopestyle world title. After finishing her opening run in silver medal position, Brookes took a calculated risk.

She attempted a Cab 1440 double grab, a move never before landed in a women's competition, and executed it cleanly. The judges awarded her 91.38, enough to leapfrog New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and secure gold. The Brit said afterwards:

"I honestly feel like I'm going to cry. I've never been so happy in my life."

But the breakthrough came with a personal cost. Brookes left school after completing her GCSEs, committing fully to a sport that demanded constant travel and long periods away from home.

While her peers were navigating adolescence, she was navigating World Cups. "Some of me is like, 'I'm missing out on what 15 and 16 year olds do, going to sleepovers and hanging out with mates,'" she admitted.

Yet, she was clear-eyed about the choice she had made. "Then I look at it and would I rather go to sleepovers or send it off big jumps? You can't even compare it! This is my journey, and wherever I snowboard is my home," she continued.

A Frightening Reminder of the Risks

However, the 19-year-old's ascent was not uninterrupted. In 2021, Brookes suffered a serious concussion during a training accident.

She was unconscious for 40 minutes and had to be airlifted off the mountain, an incident that forced a sudden confrontation with the dangers of elite snowboarding. The experience left lingering fear, as she later revealed:

"Sometimes I'm scared. You have to channel it almost, think about it a bit, just breathe and go. You've got to switch your mindset on."

But, rather than derailing her career, the setback became part of the psychological education that accompanies competing at the highest level. It reinforced the need for control, composure, and trust — not just in technique, but in instinct.

From Impostor Syndrome to Belonging

Still, as Brookes' profile grew, so did the pressure. When she claimed her world title in Georgia, it marked the first major competition she had attended without her parents, a milestone that underscored her youth.

"There was definitely an element of that before," she said. "I broke through so young, and I was pretty lonely at times in my first couple of seasons."

Fortunately, that sense of isolation gradually eased as her life on the circuit stabilised. She now travels with her boyfriend, New Zealand snowboarder Rocco Jamieson, who is also targeting the next Winter Olympics, and has built a close-knit community within the sport.

Already a world champion and double X Games gold medallist, both in slopestyle, Brookes arrived at the Games with only one accolade missing.

"I feel like I've got a massive family now," she shared. "My boyfriend's on the scene, which is great." Equally important has been a shift in mindset. Brookes acknowledged she had learned to quiet the internal doubts that once dominated her thinking.

"I've tried to turn off all the negative voices in my head and been like: 'Yeah, I can do this if I really want to,'" she revealed. The snowboarder also made a conscious effort to loosen her grip on outcomes, stating:

"I usually get really stressed out about winning or podiuming. Now I'm just like, 'Go and have fun and enjoy it. Try to chill out.'"

But that did not mean lowering expectations. "Obviously, when I say I'm 'chilled out,' of course I want to win," she clarified. "But I'm trying to get in the mindset of, 'If you don't win, don't dwell on it and be upset about it.'"

Olympic Final Secured and History Within Reach

Now, Brookes carried that balance into the Winter Olympics in February 2026, where she booked her place in the big air final despite an unsteady start. After overcooking the landing on her opening run, she recovered to post a combined score of 167 points, qualifying in third place.

"I got it down, but it was a pretty scary one," she said. "Second run, I was like 'I've got to land this one or else, four years until the next one'."

Already a world champion and double X Games gold medallist, both in slopestyle, Brookes arrived at the Games with only one accolade missing. Reaching her first Olympic final brought relief as much as excitement. She shared:

"I think I'm more relieved that I landed the tricks. It's pretty sick. I definitely have got more to give, but I don't know if this is the jump for it."

Should she medal in the final, Brookes would become Britain's youngest Winter Olympic medallist in 78 years, adding another landmark to a career that has unfolded at a pace rarely seen in British winter sport.

For a snowboarder who first climbed onto a board before she could speak in full sentences, the journey has already been extraordinary. The next chapter now waits at the foot of an Olympic jump.