Catching up with Olympic star and Southern California native Shaun White

The intrigue: As the Summer Olympic games in Paris approach, the three-time gold medalist reminisced with Axios about how growing up around San Diego shaped his career.

What he's saying: "California is a hotbed of [extreme] sports," said White.

• "There's only so many places in the world where you can wake up, go to the mountains, go snowboarding, come back down, go skateboarding, and then catch a sunset surf with your friends. I'm really a product of my environment."

Zoom in: Here are the Carlsbad native's favorite things to do in town.

Beaches: Solana, Stonesteps and Moonlight

• "You go surfing; there are people playing volleyball and hanging out. It's typical Southern California lifestyle."

Skateboarding: The avid skater likes the park at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas.

• "I would go there every single day."

Restaurants: He loves classic SD taco shops like Roberto's, Juanita's and El Taco Rico, plus some spots in the Gaslamp.

Fun fact: A documentary about his final Olympics run came out last year. You can stream it on Max.