Kevin Rolland's switch double 1080 was only one of the many amazing feats that made the 20th Winter X Games, well... amazing. Chris Cohen photo.
amazing
əˈmāziNG
adjective:
- causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing
- startlingly impressive
Amazing. As a word, an adjective, some might argue, it’s probably overused. We can all think of instances when we drop amazing in a sentence, and maybe, just maybe, what we were referring to wasn’t really all that great, and certainly not amazing, but we used it anyway…if nothing more than for effect, or impact.
If you’re on this page, you’re pretty used to seeing amazing on a regular basis; be it incredible lines on near vertical faces, or simply the shear courage and athleticism that’s on display daily.
With that as a backdrop, I’ll attempt to illustrate just a few things that were amazing about the Winter X Games that wrapped up in Aspen on Sunday.
20 Years – amazing. This edition marked the 20th anniversary of the Games. In and of itself, pretty remarkable, even more so if you consider the inaugural event (held at Big Bear, California) included Shovel Racing & Ice Climbing. Today there are twelve disciplines, all testing the athleticism, fortitude, and preparation of every competitor and their teams. Video games made an awkward appearance at this year's Games, although it's safe to say they weren't amongst those risking life and limb for their medals.
2 years on, the Winter X Games spread skiing and snowboarding to more homes ever thought possible. Chris Cohen photo.
365 million homes, in 215 Countries – amazing. The X Games today, as a stand-alone entity, garner an audience that rivals (maybe even surpasses) other major and traditional televised events. Last year’s Super Bowl had 120 million viewers at its peak.
The athletes are amazing. Period. Perhaps like any athletic endeavor, one needs to be present to truly appreciate what’s entailed, but when you are right there, up close, and able to see the intricacy, precision, fitness, and preparation that’s required , it’s hard to walk away anything but amazed. Every athlete is, in some way, shape or form, amazing.
And then, as if the rest of the field isn’t amazing enough, there are athletes like 15-year-old Chloe Kim; she is one of those rare individuals who comes along once in a blue moon, and redefines what the sport is all about, regardless of gender.
Right now, in her sport, she is peerless. The things she does, and the way she does them is absolutely remarkable, to say nothing of amazing. She is the first X Games athlete to win two gold medals before the age of 16. Think about that for a second…think about what you were doing at the age of 15, and try to imagine yourself on a world stage helping to redefine and shape what your sport looks like for those who follow you.
On more than one occasion, she took flight just above my lens, and I swear that as she flew over me, she made an extra move, as if to say, “I’ll give you something to shoot” – and she did it every time she left the pipe. Beyond the obvious skill, style, and grace, she has an energy and electricity that is palpable; she has the innate ability to light up a crowd, and make even the most jaded of athletes, stand up and take notice. In a word, she is amazing.
Kevin Rolland, mid rightside double cork 1260 on the way to yet another Superpipe win. Chris Cohen photo.
In the Skier Super pipe, Kevin Rolland was, in the words of X Games announcer Luke Van Valin, “remarkably amazing”, throwing down, among other things a Switch Double 1080… to see it is to believe it, and he made it seem effortless.
Mark McMorris landed back-to-back triples to win snowboard slopestyle. Hard to out-spin-to-win that move. Chris Cohen photo.
In Slopestyle Snowboard, Canada’s Mark McMorris carried the day, winning his 6th Gold medal, 4 of which have been in slopestyle. All of these guys are great, but he has the ability to absolutely dial it up when he needs to, and dial it up, he did, crushing back to back triple corks for an X Game first. And, thanks to Intel’s on site technology (which is, yup… amazing), we were able to see that threw down those triple corks, going 43 mph and traveling 84 feet.
So, beyond the “Huck Tower”, which, as we all know measures amplitude, the technology behind the event is impressive, from the robotic cameras, to the on the fly stats; height, rotation, distance, speed, etc., bringing a new dimension to the games, while providing viewers with real time “stats”, so to speak.
Whether you spend any time on a sled or not, ripping 20 laps around the X Games course is enough to demand respect from anyone. Chris Cohen photo.
Depending on your experience with a sled, there’s a great chance you’ll develop a new appreciation for the guys who drive these bad boys around the X Games course for 20 punishing laps… the bottom line is, if you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes; in other words, if you’re not Tucker Hibbert, you’re going to be taking in a lot snow dust and debris, for what must seem like an eternity.
True to form, Tucker won his 9 th Snowmobile SnoCross Winter X Gold, by dusting the field by a mere 11 seconds. He won his 1st gold at age 15, at the time the youngest gold medalist, and last year became the oldest medalist, winning gold at age 30… anyway you look at it, that’s pure dominance.
Plus, ya know, Aspen itself is pretty nice. Top-level view of the tidy Winter X venue on Buttermilk Mountain. X Games photo.
The fact that each sport, snowboard, ski, snowmobile has an adaptive element that's embedded in each discipline is amazing, and unprecedented (imagine if the Super Bowl, or any major "traditional" sport, had an adaptive element). One event, in particular, is unlike anything you’ve seen, pairing a Special Olympian, with an X Games athlete; the event is Unified Snowboarding, featuring a dual slalom format. To see the excitement, determination, and sheer joy of these athletes, is unreal; This year’s Gold Medal went to Chris Klug & Henry Meece, a repeat of their efforts from last year.
The venue is totally amazing. Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain provides a perfect backdrop for the events, with all venues visible and easy to get to. It feels like a true mountain stadium, wired and amped up from start to finish. Beyond the mountain, the town of Aspen is amazing in that everybody really rallies behind the event, going out of their collective way, to accommodate the masses who descend on the town every January (and will through 2019).
The features were amazing, from the Super Pipe, to the Big Air, to the Skier X course. Every course, jump or feature was perfect to begin, and maintained throughout. The course workers did an amazing job keeping everything moving, and in great shape.
Jamie Anderson sampling a slopestyle course made nearly flawless after 20 years of shaping experience from the X Games crew. X Games photo.
This week, the weather was not only amazing, but unreal, from sunshine to an epic dump, snowing so hard, that it brought the event, a winter event no less, to a standstill, halting the Super Pipe final after the 1st run, with Matt Ladley walking away with the win, after a run that featured consistently huge air.
Coachella on snow? Chris makes a case that X Games fans are hard to beat. X Games photo.
The fans are amazing... they are from every walk of life, and are totally into it. There was an energy and vibe throughout the weekend that was hard to miss. While you can’t judge a book by its cover, judging by the high heels and fur jackets, I feel pretty safe in saying not all who attended were winter sport athletes, or maybe not even athletes at all – but what they did have in common was a passion for the athletes, the events, the music, and the scene in general.
Their enthusiasm shown through on Saturday night when it was absolutely dumping out, and they crowded the base and lined the super pipe, bottom to top, until the final bell. Maybe I’m biased, but this feels like it's big, getting bigger... Coachella on snow.
Nas played to a packed crowd at this year's Winter X, and his performance was as good as any of the athletes'. X Games photo.w
Speaking of Coachella, last, but certainly not least, the music was solid, but Nas was amazing, reminding new fans and old followers alike, how and why he got to where is, and why he’s still relevant today. The music was a great compliment, and has clearly become an integral ingredient to the games, not only serving as a great backdrop, but also, bringing out those fans, who may have otherwise stayed home...and what a shame that would have been.
With one more Winter X games in the books, the event shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as evidenced by the global roster of athletes, the growing number of fans, and certainly the support of some pretty big name sponsors. So, while the Super Bowl may have the edge on numbers, it’s worth noting, they’ve had 50 years to work on it. If this year’s event was any indication, the future looks amazingly bright for Winter X.
–Chris Cohen
About The Author
stash member Chris Cohen
Grew up ski racing in NH & VT - Had the privilege of skiing with some of the absolute best. Was around the ski industry very early on. Knew I wanted a career in snow sports. Owned a Snurfer, then a Burton Board. 1st job was as a rep for Blizzard...