Dew Tour: Olympic champ Shaun White is a 2-sport star

SALT LAKE CITY — The most magical part of Shaun White's best day is that he got to live it twice.

"It's hard to describe," he said of winning a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics and then defending that medal in 2010. "I had an experience of a lifetime, and then to have it play out again, just like you planned, it was surreal."

But when the two-time Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding reflects on his many accomplishments, whether its on a snowboard or a skateboard, it isn't just one moment that fills him with a sense of accomplishment.

"The Olympics is pretty hard to top," he said during a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Energy Solutions. "Being in a sport that's evolved so fast, and managing to stay on top. That's probably my greatest accomplishment."

What White has done is more remarkable because he's managed to compete at the highest levels of two sports — snowboarding and skateboarding. He is in Salt Lake City this weekend to compete in the Dew Tour's Vert Skateboard competition, which begins Friday at 1 p.m. The finals are Sunday at 2 p.m. (A full schedule of events can be found at www.dewtour.com)

He won the event in Portland, which surprised a lot of people, including him.

"I only had three days to practice," he said. He spent the day before the competition river rafting. "It was tricks I'd done before but not in that sequence."

His success in Portland, and the possibility of contending for a Dew Cup title if he did well in Salt Lake and the finale in Las Vegas next month, persuaded him to change his plans this weekend.

"It solidified my being here," he said. "I didn't plan on coming to this event because of a prior commitment."

Despite contemplating skipping this stop on the tour, White, who owns a home in Park City, said he always enjoys competing in Utah — whether it's on a skateboard or a snowboard.

"I love it coming to Utah," he said. "It's one of the few places where you can land at the airport and be in the mountains in 30 minutes. ... There are also a lot of great skate parks around."

In fact, White spent Thursday morning skating with friends at a Salt Lake park. He said it is interesting that he's not seen as a skateboarder because he took last year off to focus on the winter Olympics.

"It's something I've been doing since I was six," he said. Despite being born with a congenital heart defect that required open-heart surgery, his parents allowed him to do what he loved, even when it scared them.