The Winter X Games are returning to Aspen this week and there are some pretty cool events that you will not want to miss! Join us in Aspen/Snowmass later this week to watch over 200 athletes compete for gold medals in their respective discipline. Thankfully, Shannon Asher of Aspen Magazine has put together a list of the top 5 events that you won’t want to miss out on at the 16th Winter X Games in Aspen. Check out the full list of events here.
Athlete: Torin Yater-Wallace | Photo: Christian Pondella/ESPN Images
1. Big Air – Athletes compete on a 300-foot course made up of a single 80-foot hybrid jump. This is the first year X Games will host the competition for both men and women in both ski and snowboard disciplines. Big Air will also be an Olympic discipline for the first time in Pyeongchang.
Women’s Snowboard Big Air – Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m.
America’s NAVY Men’s Snowboard Big Air – Friday, Jan. 27 at 10 p.m.
Women’s Ski Big Air – Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6:15 p.m.
GoPro Men’s Ski Big Air – Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8:30 p.m.
2. Slopestyle – Approximately 1,700 foot long course with six features and a vertical drop of 290 feet. Athletes will attempt multiple tricks throughout their run on specially designed jumps, rails, boxes and other obstacles.
Jeep Men’s Ski Slopestyle – Saturday, Jan. 28 at 11 a.m.
Jeep Women’s Ski Slopestyle – Sunday, Jan. 29 at 10 a.m.
Jeep Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle – Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12 p.m.
Jeep Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle – Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:15 p.m.
3. SuperPipe – A favorite among fans, the SuperPipe course consists of a large halfpipe structure with vertical walls. The course is approximately 567 feet long and 66 feet wide, with 22-foot walls.
The Real Cost Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe – Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8:45 p.m.
The Real Cost Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe – Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.
LifeProof Men’s Ski SuperPipe – Friday, Jan 27 at 8:30 p.m.
Women’s Ski SuperPipe – Friday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
4. Snow BikeCross – Making its X Games debut, Snow BikeCross brings the excitement of actual Supercross racing to the SnoCross course with a competition of modified dirt bikes, which replaces the front wheel with a front ski and snowmobile track in place of the rear wheel. Like SnoCross, racers battle on a closed-course track lined with rollers, jumps and bermed corners.
Snow BikeCross – Friday, Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m.
5. Special Olympics Unified Giant Slalom – Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding will return with a longer, updated 800-foot course. Teams will be composed of one professional action sports athlete and one Special Olympics action sports athlete for a total of eight, two-person teams. Special Olympics Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. ESPN is the global presenting sponsor and official media sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports.
Special Olympics Unified Snowboard – Thursday, Jan. 26 at 11:30 a.m.
