Dax Macomber learned to ski as a toddler, and began biking a couple years later. Both sports figure largely when he imagines his future.
Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Dax Macomber is not a daredevil. Or so his dad insists. However, the 11-year-old from Avon was pretty much an expert BMX racer by the time he was 7 and can do a backflip on both his skis and bike.
“Dax has always been a ‘yes’ kid,” said Shane Macomber, Dax’s dad. “It’s been like, ‘You want to try this?’ ‘Yes.’”
Learning to ski as a toddler, Dax loved the sport so much that he would wear his helmet while eating breakfast. He began racing on two wheels on a BMX bike when he was 5.
“I grew up riding BMX, too,” Shane said. “It’s a great biking foundation. He started a first full season when he was 6. In two years, he ran through everything, won about 30 times and was an expert. He won state a couple of years. Then it got competitive. Kids were throwing elbows and cutting each other off. Dax would ride through the finish and go straight to the jumps. I said, ‘Let’s go find some room to ride and try downhill mountain biking and dual slalom.’ But the dirt jumps is where we saw Dax’s heart sing.”
“But the dirt jumps is where we saw Dax’s heart sing.” Shane Macomber, Dax Macomber’s father
Dax Macomber started out BMX racing at an early age. But after a slew of successes year after year, he followed his heart to the dirt jumps and left the BMX course behind.Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Although both of his parents are outdoor enthusiasts with backgrounds in recreational sports, they believe Dax’s intensely competitive nature was self-generated.
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“He just has a high level of ‘compete,’ but not in a cutthroat way,” said his mom, Lindsay Macomber. “He’s very competitive, but it’s almost all with himself. He has very high standards for his performance.”
Airborne freedom
Dax loves to catch air, both on skis and on a bike. When at home, he spends most of his free time practicing backflips and other tricks on his trampoline. He makes regular trips to Woodward, the indoor facility at Copper Mountain, where Olympians dial in their tricks on ramps, trampolines and in foam pits.
“The trampoline helps a lot with my biking and skiing,” Dax said, adding that he loves the liberating feeling of biking and skiing.
“It makes me feel free,” he said. “I was in hockey. It was like, here’s this drill you have to do, here’s this gear. Get the puck and pass it. But biking, you can do whatever you want. You can be more creative. I chose to no longer do BMX and focus on the dirt jumps. That was super fun for me.”
Dax Macomber loves challenging himself — and he loves getting inverted, whether it’s on a trampoline, on a bike or on skis.Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Quietly stylish
Sporting long blond hair, hoop earrings, a pink button-down party shirt and Vans adorned with a busy sketch pattern, which, along with sweatshirts and jackets, he proudly shares with his mom — Dax is reluctant to talk about himself. Lying on his trampoline while answering questions, he picks at the thread on his shorts and pauses for a careful response to every inquiry. He becomes much more comfortable and animated when talking about his younger sister, 8-year-old Ani.
“I’ve been trying to get her into doing a backflip on a trampoline,” Dax said. “When we stopped at Woodward, we asked one of the staff if they could throw some cushions under her. I got the pad myself. She landed on her knees. She got it. That was really cool. She was really excited. She is also getting into biking. I just grew out of my Pivot bike. She has that now.”
After learning how to ski, Dax Macomber loved it so much he’d eat breakfast in his helmet. This fall, he’ll return to the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, where he’ll be on the Freeride Ski Team.Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Deliberately daring and determined
When Dax is practicing new tricks, he is incredibly deliberate about taking one step at a time.
His dad recalls a time when Dax was about 6 and struggling to pedal up a couple of switchbacks on a neighborhood mountain bike trail. The trail was dusty and when Dax stood up to pedal, his tires spun out. After his dad pointed out that the trail would be tackier and easier to ride after a rainstorm, Dax took his water bottle and wet the section, continuing to attempt to ride it until he could.
“He’s super calculated,” Shane said. “He’s not some daredevil. The cool part is, he’s not worried about anything but finding something new for himself. We just trust his ability and patience to go through the right steps to accomplish a new trick.”
Dax’s unrivaled determination shone at last summer’s GoPro Mountain Games Jump Jam event, in which athletes have an hour to session their most impressive bike tricks off dirt jumps. At age 10, Dax landed the win for Best Grom, competing against a 15-and-under field of mostly teenagers. He threw an assortment of creative tricks, which wowed the judges, but he unofficially also won for most laps. His laps started before the event. He says getting the practice in before a race or competition helps calm his nerves.
“I go before it starts. I get all my tricks down. I won Best Grom and most laps. I don’t know how many laps,” he said.
Dax Macomber is on the Mountain Games Athlete Team for the 2025 event. According to the Vail Valley Foundation website, the athletes embody the Games’ core values: a passion for human-powered mountain sports, an active outdoor lifestyle, eco-consciousness and a spirit of adventure.Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Indoor interests
This summer, Mountain Games organizers were searching for nine athletes to feature and sponsor. Among about 200 applicants, Dax was selected. In addition to a paid sponsorship to support his participation in bike events, the festival created an AI-generated action figure of Dax to promote the festival. The toy-sized incarnation is featured with heart-shaped sunglasses and a box of popcorn.
When Dax describes his all-time favorite day, eating popcorn is strongly highlighted.
“I’d think of a trick I’d try to do,” he said. “Then I’d go to Woodward, practice that trick, then go to Crown Mountain Bike Park. I’d have a yummy breakfast — waffles, eggs and an orange. For lunch, a sandwich. I really like bacon, cheese and salami. My mom makes this mushroom sauce, it’s really yum. We’d have that for dinner. I’d like to have a movie night with my family, where we make popcorn and watch an action movie.”
Doing jumps on his bike brings great joy to 11-year-old Dax Macomber.Shane Macomber/Special to the Daily
Inadvertently cool
When asked to describe her son, Lindsay said, “sensitive, sweet. He’s just soft. If you look at him on social media, you’d think he’s this super cool guy, doing all these crazy tricks. He’s also got a great sense of humor. He’s just sweet and thoughtful.”
Younger kids look up to Dax and the 11-year-old more than humors them. He spends hours at a time playing with his 5-year-old neighbor, Brodie, who sometimes stands in the street watching cars go by in eager anticipation of Dax coming home.
“He does have fun energy,” his mom said. “We go to the bike park and the younger kids who are like 6, they’re like, ‘Oh, here comes Dax!’ He’s so sweet with the little kids. He creates that fun energy. He gets people excited about things.”
A huge fan of school (Language Arts is one of his favorite subjects, reading books and doing “quick writes” on plot twists), Dax attends Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Minturn, where he will join the Freeride Ski Team next winter. When asked about his hopes and dreams, Dax keeps it pretty simple.
“I want to go to Whistler to bike. My dad is bringing me there this summer. I’ve seen lots of my favorite bikers go there. That’s going to be really fun,” he said. “Then skiing, probably Japan. Definitely Jackson Hole. They have some really, really cool terrain. For a job, definitely professional skier or biker.”
Everyone in the Macomber family — parents Shane and Lindsay, siblings Dax and Ani — loves pursuing outdoor adventures. Family camping trips are frequent occurrences. Courtesy image
Dax’s parents have no shortage of proud moments thus far. Shane says one of his most gratifying aspects of Dax’s development is his sense of individuality.
“I think he’s brave to follow his own path and totally be himself,” Shane said. “Athletically, he was doing really well at BMX. A lot of people didn’t understand why he was going to stop. But he found something that felt more like his journey. It’s cool. Plus, he’s funny and a nice guy. Super humble.”
“I’m proudest of his growth as a person and as an athlete,” Lindsay added. “Managing emotions, that’s hard for anyone. With his high level of compete, he has a lot of emotions and frustration. As he’s getting older, he’s managing that. He did an interview for the Mountain Games athlete team and they were like, what do you do to unwind? He said, ‘I like to pop some popcorn and watch, ‘Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn,’ this super cheesy show. It’s so funny. He’s not trying to be a cool guy at all. But he’s like, pretty cool.”
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Vail Valley Magazine, available on newsstands now.