DIEHARD CHAMPION

This rumson native and Alpine snowboard racer survived a near-death experience to do what he loves

by Gilda Rogers

Professional Alpine snowboard racer A.J. Muss gained a significant advantage in his sport a couple of years ago. And all he had to do was die…almost. As a result of a freak post-surgical brush with eternity, Muss said that he has a new outlook on life. Among other things, he’s more chill (pun intended).

“It changed me; tomorrow could be my last day,” said the 22-year-old Rumson native in a recent Skype interview from Germany, where he was on his way to Austria to compete in the Europa Cup. “I want to be kind to people and be a better athlete.” (He’s currently one of the youngest Champion Pro Snow-boarders competing on the Alpine freestyle circuit.)

Muss hasn’t even reached his prime as a snowboarder, which typically comes between the ages of 26 and 30. Some say he’s ahead of the game, and it’s hard to argue that his death-defying episode doesn’t deserve some of the credit for this early success.

In 2014, Muss suffered a serious shoulder injury when his hand got caught in one of the gates on a snowboarding course. On April 21, he had what should have been routine surgery. However, two days later, post-operative pulmonary edema struck, causing Muss’s lungs to fill with fluid. It was an alarming turn of events—particularly when his heart stopped. Remarkably, less than two minutes later, Muss was revived and returned to the realm of the living. Afterward it was discovered that he had suffered short-term memory loss. He had to relearn some things, like reading, a result of the temporary lack of oxygen to his brain.

After the accident, he said, “I went from being a good snowboarder to a great snowboarder— by dying.” On April 30, following his release from the hospital, Muss quickly got back to doing what he does best training.

He was relentless in his quest to race again, and he set his sights on the next pro Alpine freestyle snowboard season (December to March). Muss quickly debunked the “that’s impossible” attitude many people had taken about his comeback.

Still only 20 years old, Muss was not only back on the circuit quickly, but was tearing up the slopes. He would medal in 12 out of 14 races, earning 10 Gold medals, one Silver, and one Bronze, and was named the U.S. 2015 National Champion in the PGS (parallel giant slalom) and the PSL (parallel strand lumber) competitions. With every win, Muss said he was changing “that’s impossible” to a resounding “I’m possible.”

Continuing that comeback, Muss went on to secure a spot for the World Cup on TEAM USA for the 2015–2016 season, qualifying in all 10 events. He credits his success to a heightened awareness of the course.

Muss recognized after the accident, however, that it was more than athletic ability that enabled him to rocket down the slopes at the breakneck speed of 50 kilometers an hour (more than 30 mph). “My ability to read the course and make split-second decisions seems to set me apart,” he said. At times, he explained, it’s almost as if he is moving in slow motion. (“It’s like I see things before they happen.”) This has proven to be a winning edge that even he finds fascinating.

Muss got his start on the slopes at age 3. Though his first experience was as a skier, he switched to snowboarding when he was still very young, with encouragement from his dad. (“It was cooler, newer, and my dad enjoyed it,” he explained.)

By the time he was 12, Muss was competing in and winning events sponsored by the USASA (the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association), the amateur sanctioning body that oversees 100 districts throughout the country. It became obvious to his parents that there was no denying the young man had great potential.

So the family, in an effort to support this blossoming career, decided to relocate to Colorado for the winter, so their son could take his game to the next level. The move paid off. Muss was named the U.S. Junior National Champion four times and qualified for the World Championships four consecutive years. He was now a star on the global snowboarding stage.

As it turned out, he wasn’t the only member of the family with great athletic talent. While he was conquering the snow-covered slopes, 16-year-old sister, Alexa, was discovering where she fit in when it came to extreme sports. She found that sweet spot on a different kind of board—a surfboard. But like her brother, she has excelled and is quickly making a name on the professional circuit. In 2016, she was named the under-18

North East Champion by the Eastern Surf Association. “I’m glad she started surfing, and found her own way and a sport she’s really passionate about,” said big brother.

Alexa, who is currently training on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, with Myles Padaca, a former Vans Triple Crown winner, has conquered 25-foot waves and has now set her sights on tackling the 30-foot swells at Teahupoo, Tahiti, this coming summer. Interestingly, Alexa considers snowboarding her first love. A fierce competitor, she began snowboarding when she was 3. Nonetheless, she remains a committed surfer.

“I don’t think I ever really chose one over the other,” she said. “The day I started surfing, it was a new beginning. It was just time that I walked my own path instead of walking in my brother’s.”

Clearly, the pinnacle of success for most athletes is competing in the Olympics, and snowboarder
Muss is no exception. As a matter of fact, he missed, by a mere fraction of a second, the chance to race at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. And though he is looking toward the
2018 Olympics, in the world of snowboarding the most coveted event remains the “Globe.”

He’s grateful to his sponsors— Black Pearl, the Warburg Pincus Foundation, ACT Bindings, Boardstars Austria, and JSK Snowboarding—all of whom have helped make it possible for him to do what he loves.

Unlike his fellow snowboarders on the Border Cross and Slope Style circuits, Muss’s Alpine racing specialty doesn’t get him any funding from the United States Snowboard Association.
Still, these days, he’s taking it all in stride. Sporting a laid-back confidence, the athlete is just glad to be alive.

“I love [snowboarding], and I set out to accomplish goals,” he said. “[Even] if these things don’t come to fruition”—he pauses mid-sentence, as if pondering the bigger picture— “how many people get to do this? This is my nine-to-five, and my job is fun!”