IRON RIVER, Mich. (WOOD) — Father Time is known as one of the toughest opponents in sports.

Many athletes wrestle with the difficult reality that their body can’t do the same things it used to, before eventually calling it a career. 

At 43, snowboarder Nick Baumgartner isn’t ready to give in to Father Time — or anyone else he’s racing against. 

He’s still going to great lengths to keep his body in shape and prepared for the rigors of a snowboard cross race. 

“I’m not going to be fast on every single track,” Baumgartner said. “But you put me in the right situation, you put me on the right track. With my ability to fight through the pressure, I’ve been here for so long, I’m a dangerous person.” 

When he’s home in Iron River, he runs the steps at his old high school football stadium, before getting in a core workout on the monkey bars and hopping over hurdles in his special X-body EMS suit. 

Twice a week, Baumgartner makes the 100-mile trek to Marquette for two days of workouts at AdvantEDGE Training, where one of his Olympic bibs hangs on the wall — and where he’s surrounded by younger athletes.

“And I’ll tell you what, when I train with some of the best high school and college athletes in the region, I don’t want to look old,” Baumgartner said. “So I do everything I can to push a little bit more.” 

The workouts for Baumgartner are great, but not enough for him. He enjoys the outdoors and knows that to keep up with his younger competitors, he’ll need other kinds of training. So, he jumps on his mountain bike and pedals around the rocky trails. 

“I’m not the best mountain biker in the world, so when I go off these big jumps, I’m terrified,” he said. “And that keeps me comfortable being uncomfortable. So when I get back to my snowboard cross and the door opens up, I don’t think about it. I’m comfortable. I just go for it.” 

Baumgartner says he’ll ride for two or three hours a day. And to work out his core, he’ll carve his way around Lake Superior on his paddleboard. 

However, the workouts aren’t his only hobby. Baumgartner often uses an eFoil, which is an electric surfboard. He says it gives him time to recharge and destress. 

“I think it’s important for everyone to have that hobby,” he said. “That thing that you can do that lets you let go of all of your stress. Just let everything go and enjoy it. Take in the world and recharge yourself.” 

When the training and days on the water are finished, Baumgartner packs up his equipment and turns his aging white van into a mobile home. When people ask him about his vehicle, his response is always the same. 

“Everyone always tells me, they’re like….dude. You’re famous,” he said. “What are you doing driving a van like that? I’m like, guys, just, this is what I got to do. You can either believe the excuses, or find a way to make it happen. So I threw a bed in that van, and here we are.” 

It’s the price Baumgartner pays to be home in the Upper Peninsula and near his family. A late night fire at his childhood home recharges him and reminds him of how far he’s come — and how far he’ll go in his pursuit of another opportunity at Olympic gold.