given him an advantage with his high, complicated stunts. At the age of five or six, Vito discovered snowboarding while learning to ski with his dad at Mad River Mountain, a three hundred vertical slope close to his home in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He began taking snowboarding seriously during middle school. When he was in eighth grade, his parents enrolled him in Stratton Mountain School in
Vermont. Vito's mom allowed him to attend Stratton under one condition; he had to learn Latin. Stratton was founded in 1972 and allowed students to train in snow sports while also completing their education. There, Vito was able to refine his technique and travel to competitions, while still being able to study.At the 2005 Australian Open, when he was only seventeen, Vito became known as an up-and-comer of the snowboarding world after completing a backside 1080. He was the first snowboarder to successfully complete the move, which landed him on the top podium. Vito turned professional the next year.After graduating high school, Vito bought a house in Sandy, Utah, because of the great snowboarding conditions. He still resides there when he isn't traveling.
Vito's popularity grew as he began making television appearances, such as ABC's hit show, Dancing With the Stars. He and his partner, Chelsie Hightower, remained in the competition for six weeks before they were eliminated. Even though Vito lives in Utah, he doesn't forget his home state of Ohio. Each year he hosts the Louie Vito Rail Jam at Mad River Mountain. To enter the competition, people bring non-perishable food products, which are donated to charity.
Louie Vito's Career Highlights
Louie Vito is one of the most versatile snowboarders, excelling in all of the sport's divisions; pipe, back-country kicker, slopestyle, and rails. He was the first snowboarder to ever land the Frontside Double-Cork 1080, a move now known as a Double Louie or Screwy Louie, in a competition, while competing in the 2009 New Zealand Open. Vito has won many honors in the snowboarding world, including being crowned
the overall Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series title champion in 2008, winning the 2008 Jeep King of the Mountain Superpipe Championship, as well as competing on the U.S. Halfpipe Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he finished fifth.
