08/07/2025
woke up in the throes of a panic attack.
“I was hyperventilating, my heart was pounding out of my chest,” he says.
Chris’ then-girlfriend (now wife), Lucy, woke up, and his dog Duke
crawled onto him.
“My dog’s literally laying on my chest trying to calm me down, and Lucy’s telling me ‘It’s OK, breathe, I think
you’re having a panic attack,’” Chris says. “I’d never experienced any-
thing like it—I was always your typical tough guy, sweep that s**t to
the side type of person. And even when I calmed down, I felt sick,
like all clammy and feverish, just a shell of a human. I’d never felt
anything like it in my life.”
Lucy helped Chris through the night. As he came through the
episode and decided to stick with his plan of going on the trip [to Baldface Lodge, BC], she
booked him a new flight and drove him to the airport after he’d
managed some broken sleep. At Baldface, Chris was overwhelmed
by the social situation. He retreated to his room. “I slept through
the whole first day,” he says. “Austen () came to check on me, and I told him the whole story. I was so glad he was there, and I did end up riding and trying to socialize and doing what you’re supposed to do, but it took me months to properly process that event and realize I
have to take care of my mental health.
“I know it’s weird to talk about
mental health when it’s tied to these incredible experiences, but
they come with a lot of pressure that I’d been ignoring for a decade.
You’re living in this heightened state for seven months of the year,
processing a ton of adrenaline, and having all this positive reinforce-
ment, these pats on the back. It’s amazing, of course, but it’s not a
normal life. Recognizing that was a huge help. I haven’t had another
episode like that, but I’ve had moments, little cues, that I’ve learned
to listen to and remove myself from certain situations.”
Even the most badass boarders have to tend to their feelings. Read about how the powerhouse Chris Rasman holds space for his in his feature profile, “Release the Rasman: Chris Rasman Listens to Cues,” written by for Issue 22.2
