Shaun White Says Justin Bieber Is ‘Awesome’ at Snowboarding and Reveals Route He ‘Loves’ to Rip (Exclusive)

Shaun White approves of Justin Bieber’s snowboarding skills.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding spoke with PEOPLE about his life as a retired athlete, especially enjoying hitting the slopes with friends like the Canadian superstar singer.

“Oh, he’s great,” White, 37, tells PEOPLE exclusively of Bieber’s abilities at a panel at the CVS Pharmacy launch of Well Market snacks, the athlete’s latest partnership unveiled in New York on Thursday.

The pro athlete and singer memorably hit the slopes together this winter when Bieber posted a group photo to his Instagram Story in December 2023. The shot featured several famous faces, including Kendall Jenner, White and his girlfriend Nina Dobrev.

Although Bieber didn’t say exactly where the photo was taken, he and his wife Hailey — who recently announced she’s pregnant with their first child — were photographed earlier that week in Aspen, Colorado. The Olympian was entertained by Bieber on the mountain and she recalls an unforgettable story about their time together.

Justin Bieber posted pictures from his skiing vacation with Kendall Jenner, Nina Dobrev and Shauna White

Justin Bieber/Instagram

“It was so funny. When you’re riding with people, everyone has something they like — and he just likes trees,” White notes of Bieber. “I go into the trees, I just get lost in the woods. I’m literally like, ‘Where is he? Is he okay?’ ”

White jokes, “We should have put an AirTag on him because he just went into the woods!”

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As for whether White is a fan of trees himself? “Oh, I love it,” he says without hesitation. “So now I’m going to record a really crazy tree run, film it and just text him every once in a while. I’ll be like, ‘He’s calling you, mate!’ ”

While it’s been “fun” for White to spend more time snowboarding with “new friends,” he also tells PEOPLE that he’s been “much kinder” to himself since retiring professionally from the extreme sport after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Shaun White shows off a new snowboarding move named after girlfriend Nina Dobrev

Justin Bieber posts photos from skiing with Kendall Jenner, Nina Dobrev and Shaun White.

Justin Bieber/Instagram

“It was tough. There’s always that expectation to perform,” White says. “The only way I can describe it is when you’re a kid and you’re playing outside and you know you have to do your homework … there’s still something in the back of your mind.”

He admits, “I used to be hard on myself about things — and now I’m like, ‘Oh, we’re good!’ ”

White recalled one of the first trips he and Dobrev took after he retired from the competition, noting the particular moment when his retirement really felt real. “My girlfriend and I were walking by a bar and the music was blaring,” he begins to explain.

“I remember saying, ‘Oh, we can just leave. We can stay there all night. We can close it if we want,'” White continues. “It was just that cool liberating feeling of saying, ‘Okay, yeah, whatever we want to do is kind of open.’ ”

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Shaun White is a partner with CVS Pharmacy Well Market.

Steven Piper

Now, White is looking forward to going to the Olympics – but for a different reason! He said he and Dobrev plan to attend the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, telling PEOPLE they’re “definitely going.”

“I’m excited,” he continues. “My girlfriend speaks French and her mom lives in France, so I have a built-in translator. So I’m excited to go hang out and just watch and be a part of it.”

Before his trip, Shaun will be sure to stop at CVS for a flight and snacks. “I love CVS,” he says of his latest partnership with the store’s new Well Market brand, which brings 40 new snacks, drinks and groceries to the shelves.

“It’s always in one place… It’s become my go-to place on trips,” says White, who notes that “trail mix snacks are my favorite.” He adds, “It’s really innovative, fun and cool new stuff, so I was really excited to partner with them.”

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Source: HIS Education