JANUARY 26, 2012
Danny Davis practices for the men's snowboard superpipe at Winter X Games 16
The 2012 Winter X Games officially kicks off today in Aspen (through January 29) as the world’s top extreme winter sports athletes battle it out for gold. According to Olympian and Winter X snowboard superpipe gold medalist Kelly Clark, “Every year we have an X Games it proves to be the biggest year yet.” Athletes continue to raise the bar in every discipline, and this year is poised for big air, new tricks and superior showmanship. A powerful tribute is planned tonight for the late skiing superstar Sarah Burke. Her passing has been on the minds of X Games contenders, and Sal Masekela, host of Winter X on ESPN and ESPN2, and freeskiing pioneer Mike Douglas (also a Winter X commentator) kicked off yesterday’s press conference with a moment of reflection. “If there’s anything we should remember about Sarah Burke, it’s the person she was inside. She gave more than she took,” said Douglas. We asked the top competitors to tell us their thoughts as they prepared for one of the most daring competitions on the planet.
Shaun White On New Tricks: “A lot of times new tricks happen by mistake. That’s how tricks go—they just evolve.” The two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist will attempt the first-ever snowboard superpipe five-peat and is the most decorated Winter X contender with 16 overall and 11 gold medals.
On Aspen: “Aspen’s one of the more exciting ski towns. But it’s the subtle things I like. I like the tradition, that feeling of coming back to somewhere, and the fact that the same parking lot attendant from last year just high-fived me again on the way in.”
Sammy Carlson On New Tricks: “You have to master it in your mind and then go out and do it.” Carlson is the returning champion for men’s skiing slopestyle and was a show stopper at last year’s Skiing Big Air competition, snatching bronze for several stunning attempts at the triple flip.
On What to Expect This Year: “Everyone’s been training hard and it’s gonna go OFF.”
Gretchen Bleiler On Aspen Hosting Winter X: “Aspen is so unique in that we have four amazing mountains. The community here is so special and has truly embraced X Games.” An Aspen native and Olympic silver medalist, Bleiler is the only woman in Winter X Games history to win snowboard superpipe four times.
All eyes are also on Kaya Turski, a Canadian going for a three-peat in women’s skiing slopestyle; Sebastian Toutant, who entered last year’s Games a rookie and landed gold and silver in snowboard slopestyle and big air; the flying Frenchman Kevin Rolland, who is currently dominating the skiing superpipe field and looking to three-peat; and Caleb Moore, a snowmobiler with serious no-fear syndrome, who landed the first-ever tandem backflip with his brother Colten at last year’s Games. Aspenites can’t wait to watch their own young skiing sensation Torin Yater-Wallace, who became the youngest Winter X medalist in history after he earned silver in SuperPipe in 2011.
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