By Jason Blevins
The Denver Post

In a sports world where believing in yourself is an essential tool — you need that kind of faith before you can hit a three-rotation 1080 on a snowboard — the notion of believing in something bigger can be difficult to fathom.

But a swelling corps of Jesus fans is making itself known in the inherently hedonistic world of extreme sports.

At this year’s Winter X Games in Aspen, born-agains sport Jesus stickers on their rides. They eschew the party scene that saddles just about all the action. They wade through the excesses, living a chaste life while pushing the boundaries of their sport, hoping their lifestyle inspires others.

“Snowboarding can only take you so far,” says Tommy Czeschin, a 12-year pro boarder on the U.S. Snowboarding Team and new father from Mammoth Lakes, Calif. “You can win lots of events but still be empty inside.”

It is not just born-again Christians who are bringing a new spirituality to the X Games. As this event matures, so do its participants.

Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter grew up visiting a local friary in Vermont. It was there, hanging with the monks, that she learned her own form of faith.

“I just express it with meditation, yoga and candles,” said Teter, who earned Olympic gold in Italy’s 2006 Winter Games. “I always carry a crystal when I ride, and I do the whole centering thing before a contest.”

But the traditional Christian athletes are the most visible.

Four years ago, Daniel “Floyd” Ralph founded the country’s first Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ group in Breckenridge. Several of the biggest names in extreme sports have since joined the fold.

“It’s a hard culture to minister in,” Ralph said. “It is a selfish sport, all about you and what tricks you can do and how you can get to the top. . . . And it doesn’t have to be.”

“There is a huge revival happening in snowboarding right now with the Christian riders stepping out,” he said.

Something was missing

Most notably among the born- again riders is Kelly Clark who came to her newfound spirituality at the top of her game.

As she tells it, she was the best snowboarder in the world. A gold medal in the halfpipe from the 2002 Winter Olympics adorned her neck. Sponsors were courting her.

But something was missing. She tried to fill the hole with partying, acting out, more snowboarding. Still she felt, as she says, “hollow.”

Then she overheard a fellow competitor say something to comfort another rider who had just posted a disappointing performance.

“Don’t worry about it. God still loves you,” Clark heard the competitor say.

Four years later, Clark is still the queen of snowboarding, a medal-harvesting pipe rider whose talents send her flying higher than any other woman in the sport.

But, she said, she rediscovered snowboarding after she began her relationship with God.

“It’s just more joyful,” she said. “My best times worshiping the Lord are when I’m snowboarding.”

Exploring a religious path might not improve a gamer’s performance, but riders say it has helped them develop a new perspective.

Andy Finch, a 26-year-old Truckee, Calif., boarder who turned to God after a few years exploring the partying lifestyle of his sport, said his view of snowboarding fundamentally changed after he began riding with God.

“Now I see snowboarding as such a blessing. God gave us talent, and he gave us passions, and he blesses us by allowing us to pursue those passions,” Finch said.

Recorded for others

As professional boarders Clark, Czeschin, Finch, Janna Meyen and others perform, Seattle filmmaker Jaro Savol has been chasing these faith-based snowboarders for a video.

“I want to portray snowboarding in a different light,” Savol said after capturing Clark’s soaring qualifying run at the Winter X Games on Wednesday. “It’s cool to show people who aren’t just riding for themselves. They have this added confidence. You see it in their riding.”

Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com