Some athletes meditate.
Some visualise success.
Some listen to calming nature sounds and imagine floating on clouds.
Mia Brookes?
Nah. She cranks the metal, blocks out the world, and launches herself into the stratosphere like gravity personally offended her ๐ค๐ฅ
During Big Air qualification, the Team GB snowboarding powerhouse revealed her pre-run ritual โ and itโs enough to make every metalhead fist-pump their tea straight out of the mug.
โI just listen to music to try to block out all the noise.โ
And by โmusicโ, she means absolute riff warfare.
๐ง HEAVY METAL OVER HEAD NOISE
Big Air is pure chaos.
Crowds roaring. Judges staring. Cameras everywhere. Expectations stacked higher than a Download Festival barrier.
Miaโs answer?
Turn everything off except the riffs ๐๐
Her go-to listening includes:
- Metallica โ precision, power, and that unstoppable forward drive
- Judas Priest โ steel-plated confidence and speed metal swagger
- Pantera โ pure aggression, zero fear, full send energy
Thatโs not a playlist โ thatโs mental armour.
When youโre about to hurl yourself off a ramp the size of a small Welsh mountain, you donโt need calm vibes.
You need something that screams COMMIT OR EAT SNOW.
๐๏ธ EXTREME SPORTS ๐ค EXTREME RIFFS
Thereโs a reason metal and action sports have always gone hand in hand. Both thrive in the danger zone โ where hesitation gets punished and commitment is everything.
Mia Brookes embodies that crossover perfectly:
- Snowboard boots on
- Helmet strapped
- Pantera in the ears
- Fear politely told to jog on
Itโs pit mentality on a launch ramp.
Circle pit energy at 40 feet in the air.
Absolute lunacy โ the good kind ๐ค๐ฅ
๐ฌ๐ง A METALHEAD FLYING THE TEAM GB FLAG
Letโs not forget: Mia isnโt just vibing out โ sheโs representing Team GB on the world stage, and doing it with a soundtrack that could melt the judgesโ clipboards.
In a sporting world obsessed with mindfulness buzzwords and beige playlists, itโs refreshing (and frankly badass) to see a young athlete owning the power of loud music, heavy riffs, and blocking out the noise the old-school way.
This is how focus looks in 2026:
- No fluff
- No filters
- Just distortion, adrenaline, and gravity being disrespected
๐ธ THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
If you ever needed proof that metal sharpens the mind as much as it rattles the soul โ Mia Brookes has just carved it into the snow at terminal velocity.
Whether youโre:
- Dropping into a Big Air jump
- Stepping on stage
- Walking into an exam
- Or just trying to survive a Monday
The lesson is simple, mun:
Turn down the noise.
Turn up the metal.
And commit like Pantera told you to.
Team GBโs got itself a proper metalhead in the sky โ and we are absolutely backing it ๐ค๐ค๐ฅ
