Zoi Sadowski-Synnott arrives sun-kissed and freckled, fresh from a surfing trip in Nicaragua. She needed it, she tells me between shots — fifteen back-to-back winters will do that to a person. She’s quiet at first, but once the conversation starts it flows easily, and she never once steers it toward sport unless you do. Instead we talk about New Zealand labels, about Ruby being her favourite. “Getting dressed is another way to express yourself. Just like snowboarding… it’s personal,” she says.
It shows — before the shoot I’d been privy to her Pinterest board, a considered and effortlessly cool edit featuring lots of tartan, barrel leg jeans, and muted tones. Today she’s wearing her sister’s burgundy loafers with white socks — she’s one of five siblings — and she laughs as she tells me she shares the same petite shoe size as two of them.
This is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott off the mountain. The most decorated snowboarder in Olympic history, with five Olympic medals — one gold, three silvers, and one bronze. She flew up from her home in Wānaka for this shoot, and when she arrived, there were at least two ski helmets from the shoot crew’s kids waiting for her to sign. The numbers are almost incomprehensible for a 25 year old.
Making her Olympic debut at just 16 in PyeongChang 2018, Sadowski-Synnott claimed bronze in the snowboard big air, winning New Zealand’s first Winter Olympic medal in 26 years. At Beijing 2022 she became the first New Zealander to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics — triumphing in slopestyle and adding silver in big air. And earlier this year in Milano Cortina she claimed silver in both big air and slopestyle, bringing her total to five medals across three Games. Adding to that she’s also three times World Champion in slopestyle and 13 times X-Games medallist.
Yet sitting across from us, she is entirely unaffected by all of it. “Sometimes I’ll look back and think, ‘Wow, that actually happened,’” she says. “But most of the time I’m focused on what’s next. Sport has a way of keeping you grounded because there’s always another challenge, another competition, or another goal to work towards.”
It was in Wānaka — the small South Island town she has called home since she was six — that a different kind of chapter began. A meeting with the team behind BeauEver, a skincare brand born in New Zealand and refined in Switzerland, led to a partnership that Sadowski-Synnott describes as unlike anything she’s done before.
“I was curious about the brand, and after spending time with the team and learning more about the products, it became pretty clear that we shared a lot of the same values,” she says. “They’re passionate about creating high-quality products and doing things with intention, which is something I really connect with. It felt less like a sponsorship and more like an opportunity to build something together.”
BeauEver General Manager Liam Corkery puts it simply: “From a BeauEver perspective, we approached Zoi for several reasons. She is the best in the world at what she does, and we loved that. She also represents a lifestyle that we think is uniquely New Zealand, and it’s a lifestyle that we think women around the world can admire and aspire to, and so we are really looking forward to partnering with Zoi as we develop the BeauEver brand with her.”
The partnership goes well beyond a traditional brand ambassador arrangement. Sadowski-Synnott is co-developing her own range — the Zoi collection — specifically designed for skin that lives in alpine environments. The process, she says, has been entirely new territory. “I’m involved throughout the process, from discussing what products we actually need, to testing formulas, giving feedback on textures and scents, and talking through packaging and branding. I wanted the range to genuinely reflect what I use and what people actually need, rather than just putting my name on existing products.”
The skin challenges she’s designing around are ones she knows intimately. “Snowboarding is pretty tough on your skin. You’re dealing with freezing temperatures, high UV exposure because of the altitude and the reflection off the snow, wind, dry mountain air, and then constantly moving between really cold conditions outside and heated buildings inside. I wanted products that could keep my skin hydrated and protected through all of that without feeling heavy.”
For those who wonder what skincare has to do with snowboarding, Sadowski-Synnott says: “I actually think they go hand in hand once you’ve experienced mountain environments. People often think about protecting their skin at the beach, but the mountains can be just as harsh, if not harsher. For me, skincare isn’t really about beauty; it’s about looking after yourself so your body can perform at its best. Just like recovery, nutrition, or stretching, it’s another part of taking care of yourself.” And the first product in the Zoi range? Sunscreen, naturally.
“It sounds simple, but it’s by far the most important thing. The sun at altitude is incredibly strong, and protecting your skin every day makes such a difference over time — and so that’s one of the first products we’re going to develop together.”
Part of the BeauEver ethos is about living bravely and with freedom of spirit — and that is something that really resonates deeply with Sadowski-Synnott.
“Snowboarding has always been about freedom. It’s about expressing yourself, trying new things, and not being afraid to fail. Some of my biggest lessons have come from taking risks that didn’t work out. I’ve learned that growth usually happens when you’re uncomfortable,” she says.
She applies the same philosophy to life off the mountain, to the BeauEver collaboration, to the question of what comes after competition. “I’m still incredibly motivated to compete and keep progressing with my snowboarding,” she says. “But I’m excited about building things beyond competition — to create things that have a lasting impact and I want to keep challenging myself in different ways.”
As for what she hopes young New Zealand girls see when they look at her: “I hope they see that it’s okay to do things differently. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s idea of success. I hope they see someone who’s passionate, works hard, isn’t afraid to make mistakes, and genuinely enjoys what she does. If that gives someone else confidence to back themselves, then that’s pretty special.”
At the end of the shoot the helmets get signed. The burgundy loafers will undoubtedly be returned to her sister. And New Zealand’s greatest Winter Olympian heads back to Wānaka — unassumingly extraordinary and, by all appearances, only just getting started.
