The 2015 Winter X Games hosted by U.S. sports broadcaster ESPN took place Jan. 22 through Jan. 25 at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado.
The weekend was comprised of 19 winter sport competitions ranging across six main categories: Snowmobile SnoCross, Snowmobile HillCross, Snowmobile Long Jump, Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle, Ski and Snowboard SuperPipe and Ski and Snowboard Big Air.
This year’s five-day extravaganza included highlights from all snow sport disciplines.
Fourteen-year-old U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim made history as the youngest athlete to ever win a gold medal at X Games Aspen. Her winning run, with a score of 92.00, “included two highly difficult switch tricks: a switch backside air and a switch backside 720, which she threw after casing the coping in practice, scraping her face and chipping her tooth in the process,” according to the event’s website.
After Men’s Ski Slopestyle qualifier Alex Beaulieu-Marchand was forced out of the final rounds due to injury, American freeskier Nick Goepper, who took the Olympic bronze in Sochi, became the first skier to win three consecutive Men’s Ski Slopestyle gold medals at the Games since Tanner Hall in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Goepper won with a score of 93.66.
The only athlete to win gold medals at both Sochi and this year’s X Games was American freeskier Maddie Bowman with her third consecutive win on the SuperPipe, scoring 85.66. Whistler, British Columbia native Simon d’Artois took home Canada’s first-ever X Games Ski SuperPipe gold with a score of 93.00.
“This was my first time going to Aspen and going to the X Games, and I’d definitely go back next year,” said 20-year-old DU sophomore and accounting major, Lindsay Rodgers, who hails from Danville, California. “I had a blast. It’s free to get into the event, so it’s really student-friendly, and it’s also a chance for all of the Colorado schools to come together and just hang out.”
According to Rodgers, future first-timers should prepare to have their minds blown by the chance to see professional athletes throw down tricks this intricate in person.
“The jumps just look bigger and more impressive in person,” said Rodgers. “I never thought the SuperPipe would actually be that big—you really can’t tell on TV. The tricks are so real, and it’s kind of scary to watch them actually being performed right in front of your face.”
Athlete signings, concessions, opportunities to win free swag (including male and female pull-up competitions to win a free snowboard) and musical performances from Snoop Dogg, Chromeo, Skrillex and Wiz Khalifa complemented this year’s competitions.
“We’re transitioning into more of a festival,” said X Games Venue Operations Coordinator Aaric West. “While previous years have been all about the sports, we’re now putting a bigger emphasis on music acts and games.”
A new event added at this year’s Games was the Major League Gaming (MLG) Network’s “Counter Strike: Global Offensive” Invitational, which showcased some of the world’s best video-gamers competing for X Games medals and a $50,000 prize. According to the eSports network’s website, Counter-Strike “has become one of the most played online games of all time” since its launch in August of 1999, selling over 25 million copies.
Because it is a family-friendly weekend, the Winter X Games have remained a dry and non-smoking event despite Colorado’s recent legalization of marijuana. Thorough bag searches and pat-downs were administered to every attendee upon arrival, with the Pitkin County Sheriff and police department patrolling the entrance and general grounds, along with help from Buttermilk ski patrol.
Key tips for attending next year’s Games:
If you plan on skiing or snowboarding and care about keeping your equipment safe over the weekend, be sure to purchase a lock to secure your gear on outside racks. Aspen may be one of the ritzier towns in this colorful state, but the increased fan traffic unfortunately means an increased chance of those not accustomed to the laws of karma attending—things really do happen.
Stay hydrated and fully-sunscreened, even on the cloudiest of days. Buttermilk Mountain’s base elevation is a whopping 7,870 ft. above sea level—just chew on that for a second.
Pace yourself. These are five of the most epic days in snow sports and it would be a bummer to burn yourself out before the final competitions.
Plan ahead when it comes to your trip. While concerts, gas, lodging and refreshments all cost money, the earlier you plan ahead, the better (especially when trying to snatch up those early bird deals). It is equally important to keep an open mind about the actual getting-yourself-up-to-Aspen finding-a-place-to-stay part: make a new friend or two in your classes, you never know who may have a place or a connection.
Have the time of your life. Millions of snow sports lovers from across the globe would kill for a chance to witness the Winter X Games in Aspen.
