A world champion once again, Para snowboarder Tyler Turner is (arguably) Canada's most interesting athlete

Tyler Turner is speaking via Zoom from an Airbnb in La Molina, Spain, showing off a prosthetic snowboard foot and describing what it's like to defy the odds yet again to capture a second straight world title in Para snowboard cross, despite missing most of the racing season adjusting to new prosthetic legs.

"With so much time off and not knowing how well my legs were going to work after just receiving them a couple weeks ago ... I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself," said Turner.

"But once we started racing, I was like, I want to win. I want that first place and I want to defend the world championship. So I'm really proud of accomplishing that."

It's been quite a run of victories for the Campbell River, B.C., native, who also captured gold and bronze at the Beijing Paralympics a year ago.

Turner credits his success on snow to a fierce alter ego that takes over the moment he slides up to the start line.

"When the gate drops I'm like tunnel vision," he said. "I just flip a switch and see red when I start competing."

That go-for-it attitude explains a lot about the 34-year-old, who six years ago lost both legs in a skydiving accident.

Besides Para snowboarding, Turner also competes in Para surfing, loves to skateboard and continues to teach skydiving when he's not flying around in his wingsuit.

And the thirst for adventure doesn't end there: last year, he and girlfriend Kayleen sailed the boat they live on 4,000 nautical miles from Campbell River — along the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, about 265 kilometres northwest of Victoria — to Mexico.

'Nothing in moderation'

Oh, and he also plays the bagpipes — guaranteeing his position as front-runner if there's ever a contest to pick Canada's Most Interesting Athlete.

"That would be an amazing title," he laughed. "Nothing in moderation, I like to say."

Unsurprisingly, Turner's story has garnered interest, and he's now increasingly in demand as a speaker. And while overcoming obstacles is an obvious message, he tries to steer clear of the "easy cliches."

"The biggest thing that I like to put out there is that [what I do] looks so amazing on Instagram or the internet, but that's not the real story. I would say the real story isn't sexy, it's actually just grit, determination, and putting your head down," he said.

"Everyone always asks how did you pull this off? And it's like, well, I woke up. I didn't want to get out of bed, but then I got out of bed. I didn't want to get groceries. I got groceries ... You have a shower, you go to the bathroom, you go do the thing, and you just keep going forward." 

As for snowboarding, Turner isn't done yet. His long-term goal is to challenge for more medals at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Italy while helping mentor the next generation of Canadian Para snowboarders.

"I'm not getting any younger and our team as a whole is a little bit older," he said. "I know they're out there so I've been trying to put the word out as much as I can."