River Radamus is one of the most promising young skiers in America. The Colorado native dominated the junior circuit, winning three golds at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games and two golds at the 2019 Junior World Championships. Competing as a pro, the 24-year-old earned two sixth-place finishes at World Cup events and a spot on the 2022 U.S. Olympic alpine ski team. In Beijing last month, he competed in three different disciplines and finished fourth in the giant slalom, just .26 seconds shy of a medal.
Radamus鈥檚 ski-racing chops are impressive, sure鈥攂ut not as impressive as his hair. Just before the Beijing Olympics, Radamus shaved his head and dyed it in a white-and-black zebra pattern. And it wasn鈥檛 the first time Radamus has altered his locks. At various races throughout his career, he鈥檚 sported a full mullet complete with a bowl cut in the front, a purple-and-green swirl doo, and a leopard-print dye job. 鈥淔or a while I had this obsession with a perfectly bleached bowl cut, but I never got it quite right,鈥 Radamus says. He鈥檚 also been known to sport a pretty sweet mustache.
We were so impressed with Radamus鈥檚 hair game in Beijing that we decided to call up the rising ski star and style icon for his tips on how to become more hair fabulous and ramp up the steez. Here鈥檚 what he had to say.
Express Who You Are with Your Hair
The hair is an extension of my skiing. I ski with more finesse and style than most of my competitors鈥擜mericans in general do. We experiment first and then find structure. I love the feeling of that powerful turn. Someone told me they could see the joy when I鈥檓 skiing. I try to convey that in everything I do, even my hair. That鈥檚 the best compliment I鈥檝e ever gotten.
Read the Reviews Before You Buy Hair Products
The first time I bleached my hair, I wanted it ash white. I got the most potent hair bleach I could find and didn鈥檛 think much of it and bleached my hair the day before the first World Cup of the season. I didn鈥檛 look at the reviews for the product until I was using it, and I ended up with bleached hair and red spots on my scalp. I鈥檝e learned that you don鈥檛 actually want the most powerful bleach on the market. You can always bleach your hair twice if you need to, but you can鈥檛 unbleach your hair.
Be Bold. Cut Your Own Hair.
I carry clippers with me and buzz my own hair. Guys are reluctant to try something new, but I think you should buzz your hair every once in a while. The buzz cut is a pretty low-risk gambit and a good place to start experimenting because it grows out in two weeks.
Right at the precipice of buzzing or bleaching your hair, you鈥檒l hear that little voice in your head telling you not to do it, to play it safe. Don鈥檛 listen to that little voice. It鈥檚 just hair. It always grows back. Who knows if I will go bald when I鈥檓 30, so I better enjoy it while I can. Yes, I鈥檝e had bad experiments, but that鈥檚 OK. It鈥檚 just hair.
Ignore the Haters
Ski racers don鈥檛 put a lot of thought into their image. I probably do more than most. I still get strange looks from the more established skiers on tour. Some of my 鈥渃oworkers鈥 have told me to change my hair, but I laugh it off.
For me, it鈥檚 a way to ground myself a little bit. I can get pretty caught up in the seriousness of the sport and the business aspect, dwelling on the results instead of enjoying the experience. The hair is how I remind myself that I get to play a game for a living. It helps me be mindful to be more playful.
Be Careful Who You Ask for Hairstyle Advice
I let my Instagram followers vote on what I should do to my hair before the Olympics. It could鈥檝e gone bad, because a lot of people said I should do Ronaldo鈥檚 haircut from the 2002 World Cup. [Editor鈥檚 note: Google it. It鈥檚鈥nteresting.] Luckily the zebra print won out. I don鈥檛 recommend putting your fate in someone else鈥檚 hands.
Wear Your Mustache with Pride, Even If It鈥檚 Not Good
Listen, I don鈥檛 put a lot of foresight into any of this, and I鈥檝e definitely never put much thought into my mustache. I just stopped shaving it, and one day it was sort of there. I come from a lineage of not-hairy men, but I wanted to prove to myself that I can grow a 鈥檚tache.
I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a good mustache right now. I worry that people think that I think it is, so let me be clear: I know it鈥檚 not good. It鈥檚 a work in progress. One of the great GS skiers of all time was . He had a nice style about him and a really great mustache, like Tom Selleck. It was extremely manly. That鈥檚 what I鈥檇 like to grow, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 in the cards for me.
Just Do It. Nobody鈥檚 Looking at You Anyway.
People don鈥檛 care about what you do as much as you think they do. We get worked up about what people will think about us, but the truth is people don鈥檛 think about us at all. Nobody notices when you have a bad hair day. You care about it a lot more than other people.