Chloe Kim, Shaun White lead 2022 U.S. Olympic snowboard team
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The 2022 U.S. Olympic snowboard halfpipe team comprises eight riders: Chloe Kim, Shaun White, Maddie Mastro, Taylor Gold, Chase Josey, Zoe Kalapos, Lucas Foster and Tessa Maud.
Kim and White are the defending gold medalists from PyeongChang. Josey was just off the podium in sixth at those Games, while Mastro finished 12th. Gold, who sat out 2018 with injuries, took 14th in Sochi. Kalapos, Foster and Maud will make their debuts.
Chloe Kim
Chloe Kim of the U.S. reacts after winning the women’s snowboard halfpipe final during the U.S. Grand Prix World Cup at Buttermilk Ski Resort on March 21, 2021, in Aspen, Colorado. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Age: 21
Birthplace: Long Beach, Calif.
Hometown: Los Angeles
Residence: Las Vegas
Past Games: 2018
IG: chloekim | Twitter: @ChloeKim
TikTok: chloekim | FB: /chloekimsnowboard
Chloe Kim entered PyeongChang the overwhelming favorite at just 17 years old and delivered, hitting back-to-back 1080s on a third-run victory lap to capture gold.
Things haven’t changed much this time around, but Kim does return older and perhaps wiser after taking nearly two years off during the interim cycle to heal an ankle injury and attend Princeton University. She returned in 2021 with a renewed love for her sport.
Kim went two-for-two in the events she entered this season, clinching a Dew Tour victory on her final run and dominating the Laax Open World Cup.
Shaun White
Shaun White of United States competes during the men’s snowboard halfpipe final during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain Resort on December 11, 2021, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Age: 35
Birthplace: San Diego
Hometown: Carlsbad, Calif.
Residence: Los Angeles
Past Games: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
IG: shaunwhite | Twitter: @shaunwhite
TikTok: shaunwhite | FB: /ShaunWhite
Shaun White just missed making the 2002 Olympics at age 15. JJ Thomas, who is now White’s coach, took the team’s last spot. There’s no doubt it was a frustrating moment for the budding teenage phenom.
Fast-forward two decades later and White, at 35, now owns three Olympic gold medals and is headed to a fifth Games. He has said these may be his last, and if so, prepare yourselves to witness the legendary icon’s last few drop-ins.
White began the 2022 qualifying period just off the Aspen podium in fourth, then took eighth at Copper and seventh at Dew Tour before landing a third-place finish at January’s Laax Open to all but seal his monumental berth.
Maddie Mastro
Maddie Mastro of the U.S. competes in the women’s snowboard halfpipe qualification during the U.S. Grand Prix World Cup at Buttermilk Ski Resort on March 18, 2021, in Aspen, Colorado. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Age: 21 (22 on Feb. 22)
Birthplace: Loma Linda, Calif.
Hometown: Wrightwood, Calif.
Residence: Oxnard, Calif.
Past Games: 2018
IG: maddie_mastro | Twitter: @maddie_mastro
TikTok: maddie_mastro | FB: /maddiegmastro
Maddie Mastro finished 12th in her Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Since then she’s earned two world championship medals – 2019 bronze and 2021 silver – and added a 2021 X Games silver to her bronze from 2018.
Taylor Gold
Taylor Gold of the U.S. competes in the men’s snowboard superpipe qualifier during the Dew Tour at Copper Mountain on Dec. 16, 2021, in Colorado. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Age: 28
Birthplace: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Residence: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Past Games: 2014
IG: taylor_gold | FB: /taylorgold
Taylor Gold’s 2022 nomination clinches a non-consecutive second Olympic team for the 28-year-old Coloradan. He placed 14th in Sochi then missed the 2018 Olympic season with injuries.
Gold was the top U.S. men’s snowboarder this season, placing seventh in Aspen, fifth at Copper and runner-up at Dew Tour – beating Shaun White and Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Ruka Hirano.
Chase Josey
Chase Josey of the U.S. during the men’s final of the U.S. Grand Prix snowboard halfpipe event at Copper Mountain Main Vein Superpipe on Dec. 11, 2021, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 26
Birthplace: Hailey, Idaho
Hometown: Hailey, Idaho
Residence: Sun Valley, Idaho
Past Games: 2018
IG: chasejosey | FB: /chasejoseysnow
TikTok: chasejosey
Chase Josey placed sixth at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. More recently, he took fifth at the 2021 World Championships and finished a season-best sixth at December’s Copper Grand Prix.
Zoe Kalapos
Zoe Kalapos of the U.S. during snowboard qualifiers for the U.S. Grand Prix snowboard halfpipe event at Copper Mountain Main Vein Superpipe on Dec. 9, 2021, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 24
Birthplace: Beverly Hills, Mich.
Hometown: Vail, Colo.
Residence: Avon, Colo.
Past Games: N/A
IG: zoe_kalapos | Twitter: @zoekalapos
TikTok: zoekalapos | FB: /zoekalapossnowboarder
Zoe Kalapos averaged results just outside the top 10 at four of the U.S. qualifying period’s major competitions: 11th at Aspen, Dew Tour and Mammoth, and 10th at Copper. Kalapos began skiing at age 2 and had a mini park in her backyard.
Lucas Foster
Lucas Foster of the U.S. during snowboard qualifiers for the U.S. Grand Prix snowboard halfpipe event at Copper Mountain Main Vein Superpipe on Dec. 9, 2021, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 22
Hometown: Telluride, Colo.
Residence: Telluride, Colo.
Past Games: N/A
IG: lucasfoster_ | Twitter: @lucasfoster_
TikTok: lucasfoster_ | FB: /lucasfoster13
Lucas Foster notched a pair of top-six finishes at U.S. qualifying events this season, placing sixth at Aspen and fifth at Mammoth, then added a seventh-place result earlier this month at the Laax Open in Switzerland.
Tessa Maud
Tessa Maud of the U.S. during snowboard qualifiers for the U.S. Grand Prix snowboard halfpipe event at Copper Mountain Main Vein Superpipe on Dec. 9, 2021, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 18
Hometown: Carlsbad, Calif.
Residence: Carlsbad, Calif.
Past Games: N/A
IG: tessamaud_ | Twitter: @TessaMaud
TikTok: tessamaud_
Tessa Maud closed out her 2021-22 World Cup tour with a season-best 11th-place finish at the Laax Open in Switzerland. She’s a two-time junior world medalist with back-to-back silvers in 2018 and 2019, and just missed the 2020 Youth Olympic podium in fourth.
Five Princetonians to compete in Beijing Winter Olympics
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After seven Princetonians competed in Tokyo in the Summer Olympics last year, Princeton is sending another strong contingent to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Three Princeton graduates, one current student, and one former student have qualified for the Games, representing the largest group of Tigers to compete at a Winter Olympics in school history.
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Starring on the snowboard for Team USA will be former Princeton student, Chloe Kim. The Torrance, Calif. native burst onto the international stage when she won the gold medal in the Women’s Halfpipe competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Kim was just 17 at the time.
Since then, Kim has won two more golds in the SuperPipe at the Aspen Winter X Games, one in 2019 and the other in 2021. Kim was admitted to the class of 2022, but has since taken two leaves of absence to train for competitions. She attended Princeton during the 2019-20 school year, but has since said she likely won’t return, according to The New York Times.
Joining Kim on Team USA will be Charlie Volker ’19, best known for his football talents during his time at Princeton. The Fair Haven, N. J. running back rushed for 1,849 yards and 32 touchdowns as a Tiger, while also running varsity track at Princeton. Volker transferred these skills to become a bobsledder after graduating.
Last year, The Daily Princetonian’s Daybreak spoke to Volker about his journey to the Olympics.
“Making the team means that I’ve achieved a life long goal of competing at the highest level,” Volker told the ‘Prince.’ “When the football door closed, I was a bit lost. The sport of bobsled was a natural fit for me and like Princeton, I’ve met tons of great people and learned so much in such a short time. I’m super grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to represent at the games!”
Another Princeton graduate will be joining Volker on the ice track at the 2022 games. Nathan Crumpton ’08, who triple-jumped for the Princeton track and field team and was a Second-Team All-Ivy selection during his senior season, will be representing American Samoa in skeleton at the Olympics. The 36 year-old began competing in skeleton in 2012, after a brief stint as a bobsledder, and he finished the 2021 season as the 26th-ranked competitor in the sport globally. Notably, Crumpton becomes just the 140th person to ever compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics; just last summer, he represented American Samoa in the 100 meter race in Tokyo.
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Finally, two women’s hockey players, Claire Thompson ’20 and Sarah Fillier ’24, will be making their Olympic debuts with Team Canada at the games. Thompson won gold with Canada at the World Championships in 2021. During her Princeton career, Thompson managed 31 goals and 56 assists as a defender. Fillier, meanwhile, is a forward; she has scored 44 goals and notched 70 assists in two full seasons with the Tigers.
Kim and Volker will be the second and third Princetonians to ever compete in a non-hockey sport in the Winter Olympics. The first Princetonians to compete, Gerald Hallock III ’26 and Robert Livingston ’31, won silver with the US men’s hockey team at the 1932 games in Lake Placid, NY. Since 2000 though, three of the four representatives have been women’s hockey players, the most recent being Caroline Park ’11, who played for the united Korea team at Pyeongchang 2018. The only non-hockey Princetonian to compete before Beijing 2022 was Joey Cheek ’11, who won a combined three medals in speed-skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2006 Turin games before attending Princeton.
Stay tuned for Olympics coverage from the ‘Prince’ sports as the Games begin on Feb. 4.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the recent qualification of Nathan Crumpton ’08 to the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The ‘Prince’ regrets this omission from the previous version.
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Wilson Conn is an Associate Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’ He can be reached on Twitter @wilson_conn and via email at wconn@princeton.edu.
Winter Olympics: Japan’s Sena Tomita stuns favourite Maddie Mastro field to win X Games gold ahead in Beijing 2022 tune-up
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Japan’s Sena Tomita airs out of the superpipe during the women’s finals at the Winter X Games. Photo: AP
Snowboarding prodigies return to Olympic slopes in Beijing
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Prodigies young and old are set to return to the Olympic slopes in Beijing next month, among them household names like Shaun White and Chloe Kim who stepped back from the sport for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
White, a four-time Olympian with three halfpipe gold medals, will look to defend his legacy in the sport as he faces an ever-younger field of rivals.
The Californian, once dubbed the “flying tomato” for his bright red hair, has already indicated that Beijing will likely be his last Olympics.
The 35-year-old took several years off from competition after the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and said in a December interview with the Today Show he felt Beijing may be his “last run.”
White said this month he had tested positive for COVID-19, but was recovering and was cleared to compete in a qualifying event for Beijing.
Those challenging White for the title next month include Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who also competed in last year’s inaugural park skateboarding event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Hirano, who started skating and snowboarding when he was four, has been chasing White since the Japanese athlete won his first silver at Sochi 2014.
Also in focus will be American snowboarder Kim, who at 17 became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboard gold medal.
She recently told the New York Times she took nearly two full years away from the sport after Pyeongchang so she could have some semblance of a normal life, enrolling in Princeton and spending time with friends.
The sharp rise in anti-Asian violence and racist rhetoric during the pandemic has made Kim more vocal about the need for increased diversity and equality in snowboarding, a sport not known for either issue.
Held mostly at the Genting Snow Park in the rugged Zhangjiakou region, international snowboarders will compete for a total of 11 medals across five disciplines for men and women, as well as one for the mixed team snowboard cross.
Big air, which sees snowboarders glide down a 49-meter ramp to jump and display stunts, will also return in Beijing, giving Austria’s Anna Gasser a chance to defend her gold in what she says may be her final Olympics.
Challenging Gasser, a former gymnast and the first woman to land a plethora of complicated tricks including the Cab Double Cork 900, will be American Jamie Anderson and New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
Predicting the 2022 winners in X Games Aspen’s annual return to Buttermilk
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Aspen’s Alex Ferreira airs out of the halfpipe during the men’s ski superpipe finals at X Games Aspen on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
While it’s still January, we’re already in the thick of the Winter Olympics hysteria, with the Games officially starting Feb. 4 in Beijing. But before they begin handing out gold medals in China, the select few who earned the invite will first go for gold this week at X Games Aspen.
Many of the same athletes who will be seen at Buttermilk Ski Area Friday through Sunday will also be on their respective country’s Olympic teams next month. But they aren’t coming to Aspen just to treat it like a final training opportunity. An X Games podium can be nearly as life-changing as an Olympic podium, and those who choose to compete this week are chasing the glory here and now on Colorado snow and live on ESPN.
Like I’ve done in past years, I’m going to attempt to pick the winner of each of the 12 main competitions at X Games Aspen. Because of the pandemic, this year’s event will once again be without the motorsports, but at least the (vaccinated) fans are back.
Also part of the fun this year is the return of the Special Olympics Unified event (Friday, 2:30 p.m.), as well as knuckle huck for both snowboard (Friday, 6 p.m.) and skiing (Sunday, 5 p.m.). I’ll forgo making any knuckle huck predictions — you’ll have better luck just drawing out of a hat — but it has certainly become a fan-favorite and 2020 snowboard winner Zeb Powell is back after sitting out last year due to injury.
As for the rest, here are my best guesses. Some big names are sitting out to prepare for the Olympics, but some events will be just as loaded as in prior years. Like it always is, it’s going to be an exciting three days at Buttermilk.
Keep in mind, the athlete list is updated constantly and could change even minutes before the contest starts. Considering the Olympic implications, don’t be surprised by a few more substitutions.
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott laughs at the bottom of the course after a run during the women’s snowboard slopestyle final on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Friday, 10:30 a.m.
Projected winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
This event remains stacked, with Jamie Anderson and Anna Gasser also expected to compete. Picking against Tahoe’s Anderson in this event is about as dumb as dumb gets — seven of her eight career gold medals at X Games Aspen come in slopestyle, with the other coming in big air only last year — but New Zealand’s Sadowski-Synnott has the tools to pull the upset. The Kiwi won slopestyle gold here in 2019 and took silver last winter. Only 20 years old, she will be one of Anderson’s primary Olympic challengers. Anderson won Olympic slopestyle gold in both 2014 and 2018. So far this winter, Anderson’s only competition has been Jan. 8 at Mammoth, which she won over Sadowski-Synnott.
Women’s ski big air
Friday, 12:30 p.m.
Projected winner: Mathilde Gremaud
Sometimes it’s best to not overcomplicate things. Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud is the world’s best, having won big air gold in Aspen in both 2019 and 2021, as well as in Norway back in 2017. France’s Tess Ledeux, who won big air gold in Aspen in 2020, is the other main contender. A winner coming from outside those two would be an upset, although Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin did win her lone X Games gold medal in big air back in 2018. There’s only been one World Cup big air event for skiing this season, a U.S. Olympic team qualifier held in Steamboat Springs in early December and won by China’s Eileen Gu. Ledeux was second and Norway’s Johanne Killi was third. Killi should be at X Games, but Gu is sitting it out. Keep in mind, big air skiing is making its Olympic debut next month in China.
Basalt’s Hanna Faulhaber makes a run through the halfpipe during the women’s skiing finals at Dew Tour on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at Copper Mountain.
Hugh Carey/AP
Women’s ski superpipe
Friday, 7 p.m.
Projected winner: Kelly Sildaru
This will be the first contest that truly has the local crowd’s attention with Basalt teenager Hanna Faulhaber set to make her X Games debut. Faulhaber looks like the future of the sport for the Americans and will also make her first Olympic team next month in China. And the way she’s been skiing, Faulhaber is going to have a shot at the podium at both events. With Gu opting out of X Games after dominating it last winter in her debut — winning gold in both slopestyle and halfpipe — this contest looks like it’ll belong to Estonian star Kelly Sildaru, who won halfpipe gold at X Games in 2020. Sildaru, who specializes in slopestyle, did not compete at X Games in 2021 after getting hurt in training. The 19-year-old will also make her Olympic debut next month after she was injured during the 2018 cycle. Another notable name not competing at X Games this week is reigning Olympic gold medalist Cassie Sharpe. Five of the eight women expected to compete in women’s ski pipe on Friday are Americans.
Men’s snowboard superpipe
Friday, 8:35 p.m.
Projected winner: Ayumu Hirano
This contest is likely to come down to two familiar names: Scotty James and Ayumu Hirano. Shaun White again looks like a healthy scratch with his final Olympics drawing near, and Japanese sensation Yuto Totsuka, who won the contest last year, also looks absent. Currently scheduled to compete is Japan’s Hirano, the two-time reigning Olympic silver medalist who won X Games Aspen gold back in 2018, the last time he competed in the event. Like White, who narrowly beat him in Pyeongchang, Hirano essentially disappeared from competitive snowboarding between then and last spring. It’s not taken Hirano long to re-establish himself as the snowboard god we know he is, winning World Cups in Laax and Mammoth so far this season. His biggest moment, however, came when he landed halfpipe snowboarding’s first triple cork at Dew Tour in December. He didn’t finish his run and didn’t win, but the triple cork was a game-changer. Of the expected riders at X Games on Friday, only Australia’s James can be seen as a true threat to Hirano. James, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, won gold at X Games Aspen in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano competes in the men’s snowboard halfpipe contest at the U.S. Revolution Tour stop on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Women’s ski slopestyle
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Projected winner: Kelly Sildaru
Sildaru will have a lot more competition in slopestyle than she will in the halfpipe, although it’ll also be much easier with Gu sitting out. Gremaud, Killi, Ledeux and Hoefflin are all contenders, as is American Maggie Voisin. But if you’ve ever seen Sildaru on a slopestyle course, you need to know nothing about the sport to know she’s next-level insane. She’s won this contest at X Games the past four times she’s competed in it (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020). Only injury can keep her from the top of the podium, as it did in 2018 and 2021. If she’s healthy, she wins again this year. Oh, and she’s still only 19, while Gu is just 18. The next decade-plus will be incredible between those two, and it’ll truly begin next month at the Olympics.
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Saturday, noon
Projected winner: Mark McMorris
Looks like the stars are showing up for this one: Red Gerard, Dusty Henricksen, Marcus Kleveland and Mark McMorris are all expected to be in action at Buttermilk. Why do I like McMorris, the Canadian superstar who already has a record 20 X Games medals to his name? Because he was forced to miss the event last year after testing positive for COVID-19 and I think he’ll be extra motivated for his first win in Aspen since 2019. A lot of eyes will be on Gerard, the Silverthorne rider who won slopestyle gold in his star-making Olympic debut four years ago, and California’s Henricksen, who had a dazzling X Games debut in 2021 by winning gold in slopestyle and knuckle huck. The last American to have won slopestyle gold at X Games prior to Henricksen? That would be Shaun White back in 2009. Can Henricksen repeat? Maybe. It’ll be a lot more difficult with McMorris strapping in this time around.
Canada’s Mark McMorris catches his breath after a run during the men’s snowboard slopestyle finals at the U.S. Grand Prix and World Cup on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Women’s snowboard big air
Saturday, 1:45 p.m.
Projected winner: Miyabi Onitsuka
Anderson was the (somewhat) surprising winner of this contest last year, and it’s expected she’ll compete again. Austria’s Anna Gasser, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in big air, is back, as is Sadowski-Synnott, Japan’s Kokomo Murase and American Julia Marino. But 23-year-old Japanese standout Miyabi Onitsuka is my pick. She won silver behind Anderson last year and won X Games Aspen gold in big air back in 2020. Then again, here I am picking against Anderson — who also happens to be the reigning Olympic silver medalist in big air — for the second time. I’ll pick Anderson at the Olympics (in slopestyle, anyway), but I’m still going with Onitsuka for X Games.
Groomers prepare the X Games superpipe one week out from the 2022 events at Buttermilk Ski Area on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, in Aspen.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Women’s snowboard superpipe
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Projected winner: Maddie Mastro
It takes a lot of lunacy to pick against Chloe Kim here, but I’m doing it. Actually, Kim isn’t expected to compete at X Games, instead choosing to join the list of athletes sitting out to train (and hopefully stay COVID-free) ahead of the Olympics. Kim’s dominated this event for years now, winning three of the past four contests. She sat out 2020, when Spain’s Queralt Castellet won. Castellet is again a contender, as are any of the expected four Japanese riders, but California’s Mastro is easily the second-best female halfpipe rider in the world behind Kim, a fellow Mammoth product. Mastro won silver behind Kim’s gold at X Games last year for only her second medal here, following a bronze in 2018. The door was also open for her in 2020, when Kim sat out, but Mastro went for broke and unfortunately crashed and burned, finishing eighth that year. She’s wiser and better than she was two years ago, and I’m thinking she finally gets that elusive X Games gold medal. If not now, then when?
California’s Maddie Mastro competes in the women’s snowboard superpipe finals at X Games Aspen on Jan. 30, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area. Mastro took home a silver medal.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Men’s ski big air
Saturday, 6:45 p.m.
Projected winner: Matej Svancer
Who is Matej Svancer? The world is about to find out. The 17-year-old from Austria has essentially come out of nowhere in recent months and I’m all aboard his train (bandwagons aren’t cool enough for this kid). Not only did he win October’s World Cup big air event in Switzerland and then the Steamboat World Cup big air event in December, he absolutely dazzled. Among the “wow” moments was his triple cork 1980 in Steamboat that scored him 98 on that specific run. We all want more. His main competitors include reigning X Games Aspen champion Andri Ragettli of Switzerland and Utah’s Alex Hall, who are both going to have their hands full with the new guy.
Men’s snowboard big air
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Projected winner: Marcus Kleveland
I want to pick someone else, but Norway’s Marcus Kleveland is just too good and I can’t do it. When he’s on one, he can’t be beat in big air. He’ll look to go back-to-back at X Games Aspen after winning one of the sport’s most insane contests a year ago, edging out Sweden’s Sven Thorgren and Norway’s Mons Roisland on the podium. Colorado’s Chris Corning, who has some Aspen connections, was fourth in 2021 and looks like he’s a late addition to the fun for 2022 as well. Also expected to compete are McMorris and his Canadian compatriot, Max Parrot. What also looks to be back is the epic big air jump ESPN made a year ago, moving the contest from its own venue at looker’s right of the superpipe to the final jump of the slopestyle course. The end result was possibly the biggest, gnarliest big air jump ever made, and the contest was every bit as epic at it could have been. Saturday night’s big air two-fer should again be pure insanity.
Men’s ski slopestyle
Sunday, 11 a.m.
Projected winner: Alex Hall
For most events, picking a winner instinctually comes down to one or two names for me. In men’s ski slopestyle, my list is — sorry, I’m counting the current invite list — about 10 deep. This contest is wide open, is what I’m saying. Last year it was Indiana native Nick Goepper’s grand return to the top of the podium, but I like what I’ve seen from Utah’s Alex Hall so far this winter, so I’m going with him. Hall won slopestyle gold at X Games Aspen in 2019, his only win at Buttermilk. He’s technically a four-time X Games gold medalist, but two of his wins came in Norway and the fourth was his World of X Real Ski victory in 2021. This winter, Hall’s highlights include taking second in big air to Svancer in Steamboat and in winning the Mammoth Mountain Grand Prix earlier in January, holding off Goepper and Canada’s Evan McEachran. It’ll be an absolute free-for-all on Sunday morning, which is what makes it so enticing.
Aspen’s Alex Ferreira takes a moment after his first-place finish in the men’s halfpipe skiing finals at Dew Tour on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, at Copper Mountain.
Hugh Carey/AP
Men’s ski superpipe
Sunday, 6:30 p.m.
Projected winner: Alex Ferreira
Will I ever pick against Alex Ferreira in this contest? Not while I still call Aspen home, and not when Ferreira continues to be this impressive in a halfpipe. The reigning Olympic silver medalist and hometown hero already has won this year at the Copper Grand Prix and Dew Tour, and looks more than ready to make a run at his third X Games Aspen title, following wins in 2019 and 2020. He was off his game in 2021, but we’ll give him a pass. Last year’s competition was taken over by New Zealand’s Nico Porteous and his back-to-back 1620s, with Crested Butte’s Aaron Blunck finishing second and Winter Park’s Birk Irving third. This is one contest where all the big stars seem to be here, with Ferreira, Porteous, Blunck and Irving all back, along with two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist David Wise. Even Telluride native Gus Kenworthy, now representing his mother’s homeland of Great Britain, is expected to compete in what will be his final X Games. The extra fuel of being at home is why I’m going with Ferreira, but this contest is reasonably wide open.
Bring the popcorn.