United States snowboarder Shaun White has pulled out of the slopestyle event at the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics because of safety concerns.

White labelled the slopestyle course "a little intimidating" and his withdrawal is a blow to the new event, for which he was one of the favourites.

"With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympics goals on," White said in a statement.

White will still compete in next Tuesday's halfpipe event, in which he has won gold at the last two Games in Vancouver and Turin.