Nitro Circus meets the Olympics: Travis Pastrana on Trevor Jacob

SOCHI, Russia -- It’s a seriously foggy day -- cue up some Radiohead or, if you like the crooners, some Frank Sinatra -- at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, where snowboarding competition has been canceled for the day.

The snowboard cross competition is now set to begin here at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, forgoing qualifying runs and beginning with elimination rounds.

One of the snowboarders waiting out the delay is 20-year-old Californian Trevor Jacob, who is from Malibu and Mammoth and now lives in Paso Robles. His fame extends well beyond the snow, and one of his gurus/mentors is action star Travis Pastrana.

Pastrana, the producer of Nitro Circus, took time, via email through officials at Red Bull, to answer some questions from The Times about his prodigy.

“It’s difficult to tell if Trevor is crazy or brilliant. He’s one of the greatest all-around athletes I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around,” Pastrana said. “The tree jump was typical Trevor. He puts himself in positions that are way over his head but always seems to find a way to come out a hero!

“Trevor is so special because his athletic prowess transfers to all action sports. Very few people are great at a single sport. Trevor is great at everything.”

This prompts the question: Is there anything Jacob would not do?

“Trevor is a smart kid,” Pastrana said. “He won’t put himself in a position that he thinks he won’t survive or in a situation that he doesn’t think he can win. The problem with being so good is that there aren’t many situations he doesn’t think he can win. And to his credit, he is probably right!”

At the Olympics, Jacob is competing against snowboarders with years of experience in the sport. For instance, 35-year-old teammate Nate Holland, who is in Jacob’s heat.

“There is no doubt in my mind that he will get everything out of himself, but I don’t know that a part-time snowboarder can beat guys that have worked for this their entire life for this moment,” Pastrana said. “Having said that, I have learned to never bet against Trevor. There is no one in the Games who I would want to win more then him and I know he could pull an upset.”

ALSO:

Trevor Jacob is a perfect fit for snowboard cross

A super-giant upset for U.S. skier Andrew Weibrecht

Lindsey Jacobellis again comes up short in Winter Games