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X Games Aspen 2021 DAILY UPDATE Friday, January 29, 2021 Issue #1

Contents Quotable ...... 1 Fact Collector Aspen 2021 ...... 1 Course Descriptions ...... 7 SuperPipe ...... 7 ...... 7 ...... 7 ...... 8 Women’s Slopestyle Preview ...... 8 Knuckle Huck Preview ...... 10 ...... 12 Women’s SuperPipe Preview...... 12 Men’s SuperPipe Preview ...... 13 Women’s Big Air Preview...... 15

Quotable

“It is mortifying. In the next X Games I want to return with a gold medal.”

-- Kokomo Murase, on earning a silver medal in Slopestyle at X Games 2020.

“Knuckle Huck is like getting to go to recess. I can’t wait.”

--Dusty Henricksen, 17-year-old X Games rookie.

Fact Collector X Games Aspen 2021

Fact Collector X Games Aspen 2021

X Games Athletes • 4,123 athletes have competed at X Games, through X Games Norway 2020. • Including the USA, 55 different countries have been represented at X Games; 39 different countries have earned at least one medal. • 38 medals in 14 disciplines will be awarded at X Games Aspen 2021. Ski and Snowboard Knuckle Huck are gold only, all others are gold-silver-bronze.

X Games Medals • 1,220 gold medals have been awarded through XG Norway & Real Series 2020. • 1,124 silver medals have been awarded through XG Norway & Real Series 2020. • 1,129 bronze medals have been awarded through XG Norway & Real Series 2020. • 3,473 total medals have been awarded through XG Norway & Real Series 2020.

X Games Aspen 2021 Sports/Disciplines This is the 20th year of X Games Aspen -- X Games was first held in Aspen in 2002.

Research will track 14 disciplines at X Games Aspen 2021.

• Snowboard (tri-code SBD): Jeep Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Jeep Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle, The Real Cost Men’s Snowboard Big Air, Pacifico Women’s Snowboard Big Air, Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe, Monster Energy Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe, Wendy’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck.

• Ski (tri-code SKI): Jeep Men’s Ski Slopestyle, Jeep Women’s Ski Slopestyle, The Real Cost Men’s Ski Big Air, Women’s Ski Big Air, Men’s Ski SuperPipe, Women’s Ski SuperPipe, Wendy’s Ski Knuckle Huck

XG Location History (Primarily Summer)

• Extreme Games (X Games 1) 1995: Newport, RI • X Games Providence 1996 • X Games 1997-98 • X Games 1999-2000 • X Games 2001-02 • X Games 2003-12 • X Games Foz do Iguaçu 2013 (April) • X Games 2013 (May) • X Games 2013 (June) • X Games Los Angeles 2013 (August) • -2016 • X Games 2018 • X Games Shanghai 2019 (June) • X Games Minneapolis 2017-2019 • X Games Norway 2019

XG Location History (Primarily Winter) • X Games Big Bear 1997 • X Games Crested Butte 1998-1999 • X Games 2000-2001 • X Games Tignes 2013 • X Games 2016 • X Games Norway 2017-2018, 2020 • X Games Aspen 2002-2021

X Games Aspen 2021 FACTS *Due to athlete adds/drops, stats could change as competition progresses Number of Athletes 80 Number of Rookies 5 Number of Sports 2 (Snowboard, Ski) Number of Medal 14 Disciplines Average athlete 23 yrs. 3 mos. age Teenagers 17 (21% of the field).

States represented 11 State with the most California: 11 athletes Countries 16 represented Country with the USA, 28; Japan, 11 (second-most). most athletes Countries that have 55 competed at XG Number of 39 countries to medal at XG (summer and winter disciplines)

XG Aspen 2021 KEY STORIES & STATS Key Legends White, Kim Return! Stats will compete at X Games for the first time since X Games Aspen 2017, when he finished 11th in SuperPipe. It’s his first contest at all in three years -- since he won his 3rd Olympic gold medal at the . Shaun’s last X Games medal came at Aspen 2013, when he won his 8th SuperPipe gold and 15th gold overall.

Chloe Kim is back at X Games after taking last season off to focus on her first year at Princeton. Chloe owns 5 X Games gold medals and 7 medals total, all in Snowboard SuperPipe.

Attack of the Teens: 17 teenagers comprise 21% of the field at X Games Aspen 2021. 31 athletes (39%) are 21 and under. 24 Aspen 2021 athletes were born AFTER Shaun White made his X Games debut at Mount Snow 2000.

While no “youngest” records are in play, there could be one major shakeup in teen records:

With any medal, , 18, surpasses both and Shaun White for most medals earned as a teenager. She’s also one behind both of them in total gold medals. Sildaru is scheduled to compete in all three women’s Ski disciplines at Aspen 2021. She won Slopestyle and SuperPipe at Aspen 2020.

Most X Games Medals as a Teenager Count Breakdown Sport Shaun White 9 6 gold, 3 silver SBD/SKB Nyjah Huston 9 6 Gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze SKB Kelly Sildaru* 9 5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze SKI 8 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze SKB 7 5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze SBD Pedro Barros 7 5 gold, 2 silver SKB Lyn-z Pastrana 7 3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze SKB *Current teenage athlete

WOAH: 24 athletes, nearly one third of the entire athlete X Games Aspen 2021 field, were born after Shaun White made his X Games rookie appearance in January 2000. He’s now the oldest athlete competing at Aspen 2021 (34 yrs. 4 mos.).

White already owns the most gold medals in X Games history (15). He’s tied for third on the all-time medal chart (23). If White medals in Men’s SBD SuperPipe, he’ll pull into a tie with for second on the medal list. leads with 30.

Bob Burnquist: 30 Dave Mirra: 24 Shaun White: 23 Andy Macdonald: 23 Pierre-Luc Gagnon: 21

Triple Trouble --7 athletes at X Games Aspen 2021 are scheduled to compete in 3 disciplines.

• Alex Hall: Men’s Ski Slopestyle/Big Air/Knuckle Huck • Henrik Harlaut: Men’s Ski Slopestyle/Big Air/Knuckle Huck • Eileen Gu: Women’s Ski Slopestyle/Big Air/SuperPipe • Kelly Sildaru: Women’s Ski Slopestyle/Big Air/SuperPipe • Marcus Kleveland: Men’s SBD Slopestyle/Big Air/Knuckle Huck • Dusty Henricksen: Men’s SBD Slopestyle/Big Air/Knuckle Huck • Jamie Anderson: Women’s SBD Slopestyle/Big Air/Knuckle Huck (Jamie will be the first woman to compete in Ski or SBD Knuckle Huck)

• Only 3 athletes in X Games history have won 3 gold medals at a single X Games. It hasn’t happened since 2006, and it’s never occurred in winter disciplines. Just 3 athletes have earned 3 medals at an X Games winter event (Skier Kelly Sildaru, Aspen 2019; Snowmobiler Joe Parsons, 2013; Snowboarder Jennie Waara, 1997).

3 Gold at One X Games Year Disciplines 2006 MTX Best Trick & Freestyle; RCR Racing Rodil de Araujo 2002 SKB Park, Street & Street Best Trick Dave Mirra 1998 BMX Vert, Vert Doubles & Park

--Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle: No U.S. athlete has won since Shaun White took gold in 2009. That’s a 0-14 streak. ’s bronze at X Games Aspen 2020 ended an 8-year Slopestyle medal drought for the . Three U.S. athletes are competing in Men’s SBD Slopestyle in Aspen. With Mark McMorris absent (COVID-19), the door is wide open for the USA.

--STREAK! Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle is also riding a 5-rider unique streak at the moment. Going back to Sven Thorgren’s win at Norway 2017, 5 different riders have won the discipline at X Games. That ties the longest unique streak in XG Slopestyle history (Andreas Wiig in 2008 through Mark McMorris, 2012).

--Men’s Snowboard Big Air: It’s just as bleak for the Americans in Big Air. USA has not won gold since Travis Rice in 2009. Two Americans are competing in Big Air, including Chris Corning, the last American to medal (bronze, Norway 2018).

--Henrik Harlaut is tied with Tanner Hall for most Ski gold medals in X Games history (7). At X Games Aspen 2020, Harlaut broke a tie with Hall for most X Games Ski medals overall -- Harlaut now leads with 12. The Swede has 3 chances to break the gold medal tie at X Games Aspen 2021: He competes in Big Air, Slopestyle and Knuckle Huck.

-- is locked in a tie with pioneer Barrett Christy for most Women’s Big Air medals (gold and overall). Each athlete has 5 medals, including 3 gold. Gasser won the last X Games Big Air contest, at Norway 2020.

--Jamie Anderson’s streak of 15 straight X Games Slopestyle podiums ended at Norway 2020. Now the 30-year-old will focus on her career gold medal count. With 6 gold, Anderson has the 4th most X Games wins by a woman athlete. Competing in three events at X Games Aspen 2021, Anderson could pull into a three-way tie for second-most with one win or take the spot outright with multiple gold. She currently trails Snowboarders (10) and (7) and Aggressive In-Line skater Fabiola da Silva (7).

--Here’s a good reason to root for Gus Kenworthy: He has 30 career X Games competition starts and owns a record no athlete wants: most competition starts with no gold medal. He competes in Ski SuperPipe. (He does have 5 X Games medals).

X GAMES ASPEN 2021 AND OVERALL X GAMES ATHLETE STATS Tallest MEN: 6’4”, Alex Hall (SKI Big Air, Slopestyle, Knuckle Huck); Sebbe De Buck (SBD Knuckle Huck)

WOMEN: 5’10”, (SKI SuperPipe)

Shortest MEN: 5’4”, Ryo Aizawa (SBD Knuckle Huck)

WOMEN: 4’10”, Kurumi Imai (SBD SuperPipe)

Lightest MEN: 115 lbs. Judd Henkes (SBD Slopestyle)

WOMEN: 97 lbs. Reira Iwabuchi (SBD Slopestyle, Big Air)

Heaviest 198 lbs., Sebbe De Buck (SBD Knuckle Huck)

Youngest MEN: 17 yrs. 6 mos., Jake Canter (SBD Knuckle Huck)

WOMEN: 14 yrs. 6 mos., Sonora Alba (Women’s SBD SuperPipe)

Oldest MEN: 34 yrs. 4 mos., Shaun White (SBD SuperPipe)

WOMEN: 31 yrs. 7 mos., (SBD SuperPipe)

Youngest Women’s SBD SuperPipe: 20 yrs. 10 mos. Discipline Oldest Discipline Men’s SKI SuperPipe: 25 yrs. 3 mos.

Most X Games Overall medals: Bob Burnquist leads the all-time X Games medal Medals, All-Time count by a large margin. Shaun White could move into a tie for 2nd on the all-time list. There’s been no movement in the top 5 since 2015.

Bob Burnquist: 30 Dave Mirra: 24 Shaun White: 23 Andy Macdonald: 23 Pierre-Luc Gagnon: 21

Youngest Medalist Cocona Hiraki -- Women’s SKB Park silver, Minneapolis 2019, age in XG History 10 yrs., 11 mos.

Youngest Gold Brighton Zeuner -- Women’s SKB Park, Minneapolis 2017, age 13 Medalist in XG yrs., 1 day. History Youngest Male -- Men’s SKB Park, LA 2003, age 13 yrs., 7 mos. Gold Medalist in XG History Youngest Athlete Gui Khury -- SKB Vert, Minneapolis 2019, age 10 yrs., 7 mos. in XG History Oldest Medalist, Gold: Chris Devlin-Young, Mono Skier X, Aspen 2015, age 53 yrs., XG History 0 mos.

Oldest female Gold Angelika Casteneda, Xventure Race 1996, age 53 yrs., 0 mos. Medalist, XG History Oldest Athlete, XG John Buffum, RCR Racing, LA 2007, age 63 yrs., 9 mos. History Most competition Andy Macdonald: 59. starts in XG history Most winter Gus Kenworthy: 30, Jamie Anderson: 29 competition starts in XG history

CROWD STATS

Largest single-day 79,380; Saturday, August 7, 2004 (LA) attendance at an XG event Largest single-day 49,500; Saturday, January 25, 2020 (Aspen) attendance at an XG winter event Largest total 222,886 -- San Francisco 1999 crowd at an XG event Total on-site 6,341,868 attendance, through XG Aspen 2020

Course Descriptions

SuperPipe

Length Width Vertical Height 600-ft. 69-ft. (68-ft. in 2020) 18-degree pitch 22-ft. walls

Big Air

Height of snow at the drop-in: 55 feet

Drop-in slope: 35 degrees

Hybrid jump: 70 feet lip to knuckle, 80 feet to sweet spot

Jump takeoff: 24 feet wide and 15 feet tall

Height of Big Air landing: 55 feet

Width of landing: 54 feet

Landing pitch: 38 degrees

Slopestyle

Lead course designer Chris Castaneda says the Aspen 2021 Slopestyle course is designed to encourage skatepark-inspired rider flow from side to side as riders progress through the features.

Look for:

• Angled positioning of the rail features • Elbow kink rails that change a rider’s direction • Options to gap to the left or right to combine rail features • Two quarterpipe-style transition jumps (one on the left / one right) at the bottom of the course that will make for a halfpipe style trajectory on the last two jump features.

There are three jib pads at the top of the course, each with multiple rail line options.

Jib Pad 1 (from rider's left to rider's right) • Far left: 10-ft. cannon rail. • Center left: banked "Doghouse" box with Plexiglass wallride on the bank and a 10-ft. straight rail on top, with several different approach lines. • Center right: 25-ft. down rail (can be hit head-on or by gap from other features. • Right: 10-ft. flat rail transfer to flat-down elbow kink rail (elbow kinks left towards center of course). • Far right: "Mailbox" gap to elbow kink rail.

Jib Pad 2 ("Monster Jib") features • Left: 15-ft. cannon rail • Center: 20-ft. Monster green colored rainbow rail. • Right: 12-ft. pole jam style cannon rail.

Jib Pad 3 • Left: 15-ft. straight rail • Center: 30-ft. Monster green colored flat-down rail • Right: 30-ft. black flat down rail.

Jump #1: Traditional-style jump, 50-ft. to knuckle

Jump #2: Traditional-style jump: 60-ft. to knuckle

Jump #3: Left-side transition jump, 65-ft. to knuckle

Jump #4: Right-side transition jump (this is the side of the Big Air takeoff). Length of fall line lip ranges from 35-ft. to 65-ft.

NOTE: Slopestyle competitors can NOT hit the large Big Air takeoff jump straight on at the bottom of the Slopestyle course.

SNOWBOARD

Women’s Slopestyle Preview Thursday, January 28, 2021 Researcher: Colin Bane

ZOI! • Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, XG Norway 2020 Slopestyle gold medalist, charged harder than anyone in practice. She even broke the course into zones. • Zoi spent much of Wednesday’s practice hiking laps on the rails at the top of the course. On Thursday, she shifted focus to the jumps and says she’s aiming for back- to-back double cork 1080s on the top two jumps (backside and frontside). No woman has landed even two double corks in a competition Slopestyle run at X Games, let alone back-to-back.

• Zoi threw Cab 540s on the left-side transition jump, with a goal of building towards a Cab double cork 900 for the contest. • The Kiwi has an advantage over the rest of the field: From June to October -- after New Zealand conquered its COVID cases -- Zoi rode a full southern hemisphere season at Cardrona Alpine Resort on New Zealand’s South Island. The extra riding time seems to be paying off; earlier this month, she won the World Cup Big Air event in Austria and took 2nd in World Cup Slopestyle at Laax, Switzerland.

It’s A Hit! (And A Challenge) • Riders unanimously agree: the X Games Aspen 2021 Slopestyle course is the most technically challenging course X Games ever has had, and also the most fun.

• The biggest change from previous years? Two mandatory transition jumps at the end of the course -- first on the left-hand side and then on the right-hand side -- that send riders ping-ponging back and forth. “Those side hits make it really difficult: the first one is basically a quarterpipe wall, and the second one is more like a massive hip jump,” says Julia Marino, Aspen 2017 Slopestyle gold medalist. “It feels crazy to come into those jumps at the bottom of the course, but it’s an awesome feeling.”

Golden Girl • The oldest in the Women’s SBD Slopestyle field at 30, Jamie Anderson is also the winningest Slopestyle competitor at X Games. Her 6th Slopestyle victory at XG Aspen 2020 broke her four-way tie with snowboarders Mark McMorris and Shaun White and skier Kaya Turski for most X Games Slopestyle gold.

• Anderson owns 15 medals from 16 Slopestyle starts, with 6th place at XG Norway 2020 as her only podium miss in a Slopestyle career that began at XG Aspen 2006. • A 7th gold would move her to #2 on the women’s list of most X Games Gold (behind Lindsey Jacobellis, 10). She would be in a three-way tie with snowboarder Kelly Clark and Aggressive In-Line skater Fabiola da Silva (7 each).

• Anderson already owns the most medals (17) of any woman X Games athlete. But don’t bother using this stat as an ice breaker with her. “I never get too caught up thinking about any of that stuff,” Anderson says. “If I did, it would become something I wouldn’t enjoy as much as I do. I’m grateful and privileged to be out here still having a lot of fun.”

• Slopestyle is the beginning of a very busy weekend for Anderson. She’s the only woman snowboarder competing in three disciplines. On Friday night, just 5 hours after Slopestyle, she’s slated to become the first woman ever to compete in either Ski or SBD Knuckle Huck. • On Saturday she’ll compete in Big Air. It’s been 15 years since any woman has competed in three Snowboard disciplines at a single X Games. The most recent to do it? Jamie Anderson, exactly half her life ago. At X Games Aspen 2006, 15-year-old Anderson claimed her first XG medal (bronze in Slopestyle). She also competed in Snowboarder X (8th) and SuperPipe (15th).

Japan On The Move • Kokomo Murase’s XG Slopestyle medals at Aspen 2020 (bronze) and Norway 2020 (silver) put Japan on the Women’s SBD Slopestyle medal board for the first time. But the 16-year-old -- who’s notoriously hard on herself -- is only interested in gold. • On Instagram, after the podium presentation for her silver medal in Norway, Kokomo lamented missing the top spot, writing: “It is mortifying. In the next X Games I want to return with a gold medal.”

• The backside double cork 1260 Murase deployed in her rookie Big Air win at Norway 2018 -- and attempted in two of her Slopestyle runs at Norway 2020 -- might do the trick. • Reira Iwabuchi (2-time Big Air medalist from Japan) is also in the field.

The Spear Tip Of Women’s Progression • Anna Gasser is the standout favorite in Big Air. She has first-in-women’s- competition tricks like a Cab double cork 1260 and Cab triple cork underflip in mind. But she’s also chasing her 2nd Slopestyle gold to back up her XG Norway 2017 win.

• “It’s a really challenging course because everything is tied together, so the important thing is to get a good flow going,” Gasser says. “There are lots of options on the top of the course and the rails are really fun. I think to win, it will take 10s or 12s on the top jumps. And then the side hits at the end are really big. I think it will be possible to do a double crippler. For me, that would be the last hit, so it would be good to get a big trick.”

• At the 2020 Burton U.S. Open, Gasser became the first woman to land a double crippler in a slopestyle run. In practice in Aspen on Thursday, she landed a crippler to late 180 from the last jump while feeling out the potential for a double. “With four runs, the strategy is to get a good one down and then start building,” she says. “I think all of my tricks are possibilities on this course.”

Gold Club

4 of the 8 competitors are previous Slopestyle gold medalists: • Jamie Anderson: 6 (most recently at XG Aspen 2020) • Zoi Sadowski-Synnott: 2 (XG Norway 2020, XG Aspen 2019) • Anna Gasser: XG Norway 2017 • Julia Marino: XG Aspen 2017

Knuckle Huck Preview Thursday, January 28, 2021 Researcher: Colin Bane

The Marcus Kleveland Invitational? • XG Norway 2020 Knuckle Huck gold medalist Marcus Kleveland is the man to beat.

• Kleveland’s playful antics on jump knuckles around the world partially inspired the contest in the first place. He missed its debut at XG Aspen 2019 due to injury, was ranked 2nd in the gold medal-only event at XG Aspen 2020 and finally got the win everyone knew he had coming at XG Norway 2020, less than two hours from his hometown and with friends and family going wild in the crowd.

• He was the star of Thursday night’s practice session, with a Cab 630 nose-butter to cork 720 and nose-butter nollie double cork 1080. A double cork from the knuckle? “The knuckle this year is bigger, the landing feels steeper, and I’m sure we’ll see some crazy stuff going down,” Kleveland says. “I can’t wait to see what everybody gets up to.”

The Fridge Is Open • Fridtjof Sæther Tischendorf (everyone calls him Fridge) won the inaugural Knuckle Huck event at XG Aspen 2019 and was a star at XG Aspen 2020 and XG Norway 2020.

• His free-spirited, zany, backpacked approach to the contest has come to define its spirit. “I’m super excited we’re keeping this going,” he says. “People are loving it and it seems like people are hyped on a good show. I’ve gotten to be in every single Knuckle Huck event: that’s really sick. My head’s been blowing up with ideas.”

• Fridge says he has no idea what to expect from his competitors, or himself. “It’s pretty much a heat-of-the-moment kind of situation, so we’ve just got to wait and see what happens. Hopefully I have a lot of fun and hopefully everyone can see how much fun it is. That’s all that matters.”

• The backpack that has become his signature is back. This time it’s a black and white checkerboard pack with a very special rainbow-colored stuffed animal accessory dangling from it. “I brought my lucky narwhal charm,” he says. “A gift from my mom, sending some positive energy this way.”

Jamie Anderson Is In! • Jamie Anderson, already the most decorated woman in X Games history with 17 medals, will break new ground as the first woman to compete in Ski or SBD Knuckle Huck. • She’s building the most impressive all-around snowboarding resume in the sport: At X Games she has previously competed in Slopestyle (6 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze); Big Air (2 bronze), SuperPipe and Snowboarder X.

• 2020 was a big year for Jamie. In addition to her 6th X Games Slopestyle gold at XG Aspen, she collected her 10th career U.S. Open win, 8th career win, 7th World Cup win and the 2020 Female Rider of the Year at the Snowboarder Awards.

Everyone Else! • Lyon Farrell makes his Knuckle Huck debut, following his rookie start in Slopestyle at XG Aspen 2020. He’s 2nd-generation X Games royalty: his mom, Angela Cochran, won X Games gold at the first X Games in 1995. "I just love the free- ness of Knuckle Huck,” Farrell says. “There's no pressure to do anything other than what seems cool to you on a snowboard or feels fun in the moment. It's pure physical expression.”

• Speed demon Ryo Aizawa, in his second Knuckle Huck appearance, when asked what he has planned: “Whatever feels good!”

• X Games rookie Dusty Henricksen, 17, and covered in punk patches that have been around longer than he’s been alive (NOFX, Body Count, Jodie Foster’s Army, Total Chaos): “Knuckle Huck is like getting to go to recess. I can’t wait.”

• Colorado local Jake Canter, the youngest in the field at 17 and making his 3rd Knuckle Huck appearance: “I love that I keep getting invited. It’s the most fun you can have on a snowboard.”

• And 6’4” Belgian Sebbe De Buck, the tallest athlete at XG Aspen 2021 (with skier Alex Hall) and a sight to behold as he was throwing inverted hand drags in practice: “What is there to say? Knuckle Huck is the reminder we all need to not take ourselves too seriously.”

SKI

Women’s SuperPipe Preview Thursday, January 28, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

A Great Pipe Awaits • The women said they were happy with the pipe and glad to be back at X Games. • And this year, it might be the only pipe. Most of the women haven’t competed in halfpipe in almost a year. While FIS pulled off early season World Cups in big air and slopestyle, all of the halfpipe events have been postponed or canceled in 2021.

• The last pipe event for skiers was the Feb. 2020 World Cup in Calgary, which Eileen Gu won. Because of this, the women looked like they were taking it easy during practice and were slowly getting their tricks back.

Practice “Winners” • Cassie Sharpe and Eileen Gu looked good. By the end of Thursday’s practice Sharpe was throwing her lofty flairs and beautiful 1080. Gu stepped up her game, too, and was throwing both left and right 900s and a unique rodeo 540. While her amplitude wasn’t as big as Sharpe’s, she was consistent.

Triple Duty • Kelly Sildaru and Eileen Gu are pulling triple duty, competing in Big Air, Slopestyle and SuperPipe all within a span of 22 hours. • No woman has won three gold at a single XG, although Sildaru became the first skier to medal in three events at Aspen 2019. In 2019, Sildaru had 26 hours between contests. • While their days have been busy, both women attended every SuperPipe practice. They have three hours between the end of the Women’s Ski Big Air on Friday afternoon and the warmup for the SuperPipe comp Friday evening.

Speaking of Sildaru… • The defending SuperPipe gold medalist hasn’t competed in halfpipe since X Games Aspen 2020. She did a little training in Europe before heading to Aspen, and she looked pretty mellow during X Games practice.

Redemption for Sharpe • Cassie Sharpe is the most successful female halfpipe skier on the roster. She has two X Games gold and two bronze in the discipline. She was the favorite for gold at Aspen 2020, but the “overall impression” format ultimately favored Kelly Sildaru.

• In 2021, a rider’s single best run will be counted, which makes Sharpe the favorite again. She’ll have the best amplitude of the comp, and her 1080, which is so corked out that she almost gets completely inverted, will be hard to beat.

Can Sildaru Defend? • Kelly Sildaru surprised when she captured SuperPipe gold at Aspen 2020. The format favored her deep bag of tricks, even though she didn’t have Cassie Sharpe’s amplitude or big corked spins. During practice at Aspen 2021, Sildaru’s tricks were more upright than Sharpe’s, and she lacked amplitude.

• Repeating gold is a tall order in 2021. Not only has she not competed, school is her focus right now. • Still, she could very easily land on the podium because she’s so consistent and has a great head for competing. One more medal and Sildaru will make history for the most medals earned by a teenager. She is currently tied with Shaun White and Nyjah Huston. They all have nine.

• Sildaru is one of three women competing in three disciplines at Aspen 2021 (Eileen Gu and snowboarder Jamie Anderson). She will have competed in Big Air earlier Friday afternoon before taking on SuperPipe Friday evening. She finishes up her X Games journey Saturday morning with Slopestyle.

The Rookie Eileen Gu • The only rookie competing in a Ski event at Aspen 2021, Eileen Gu, 17, is also one of the most unique. In addition to , Gu scored 1580 on her SATs last fall and earned early acceptance to Stanford University. She is also a fashion model who has been featured in the Chinese versions Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue.

• While rookies have a history of doing well in Women’s Ski Slopestyle and Big Air, no X Games first-timer has won Women’s Ski SuperPipe. But don’t be surprised to see Gu step up: She won the last World Cup pipe event held, in Feb. 2020 in Calgary. • Gu is also competing in Slopestyle and Big Air, and she’s a podium favorite in both. Only one athlete in history has won two gold as an X Games rookie: Skier Colby Stevenson did it at Aspen 2020 (Knuckle Huck and Slopestyle).

Men’s SuperPipe Preview Thursday, January 28, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

A Welcome Return • The men said they were happy with the pipe and glad to be back at X Games. • They haven’t competed in halfpipe in almost a year. While FIS pulled off early season World Cups in big air and slopestyle, all of the halfpipe events have been postponed or canceled in 2021. • The last pipe event skiers competed in was the Feb. 2020 World Cup in Calgary that was won by Gus Kenworthy.

“Winner” of Practice • Alex Ferreira, the Aspen local, looked great in the pipe from the moment he dropped in on Tuesday night. He skied with tons of amplitude. Ferreira is hoping to land a run with doubles in all four directions at XG Aspen 2021. He practiced the tricks individually throughout the week and will likely go for the full pass on Friday.

Ferreira Eyes Three-Peat • In 2020, Alex Ferreira became the first Aspen local to take back-to-back X Games gold in front of the hometown crowd. • In 2021, he could become just the second skier to win three consecutive X Games Men’s Ski SuperPipe comps (Tanner Hall: 2006-2008). • Ferreira’s top rivals, David Wise and Aaron Blunck, aren’t skiing at 100 percent. That makes this is Ferreira’s event to lose. • Alex usually has tons of friends and family in the finish and he feeds off their energy. Will he rise to the occasion without them? He thinks even more so: All of his focus will be on skiing.

Wise, Blunck on the Mend • Like Ferreira, both David Wise and Aaron Blunck can throw doubles in all four directions. But Blunck is returning from a serious injury suffered in an October training crash, and he didn’t look 100 percent during practice. • Wise says he feels good and is healthy, but he’s taking his time getting back into competition form and didn’t seem to be pushing it. Neither Wise nor Blunck looked to be a threat to Ferreira.

Five For Wise? • David Wise is a four-time SuperPipe gold medalist and two-time Olympic champ (2014 and 2018). Wise missed the podium at Aspen 2020 -- he was coming back from an injury (three-part fracture to his right hip) -- and finished 7th. • In 2021, Wise is the oldest on the Ski SuperPipe roster at age 30. • A fifth gold medal would put Wise in elite company. Only one male skier has earned 5 or more gold in a single XG discipline: Henrik Harlaut has 6 in Big Air.

On the Mend: Aaron Blunck • Blunck, who has SuperPipe gold (Aspen 2017) and silver (2020), had a great 2020 season. He landed on the podium at 4 of 5 World Cups, including wins at Copper and Mammoth before earning the year-end title for halfpipe. A longtime friend of Alex Ferreira’s, he should also be his biggest competitor for gold.

• Unfortunately, Aaron is returning from a major injury. On Oct. 13th, while training in Saas Fee, SUI, he crashed attempting a switch double cork 1440 (to the right, his natural direction). He suffered a broken pelvis, grade three laceration to his kidney, 6 broken ribs, bruised heart and lungs and a concussion. He didn't start skiing halfpipe again until Jan. 13th.

Young Gun: • The youngest rider on the roster, 19-year-old Nico Porteous was solid all week in practice and is going to stand out during the comp for his double cork 1620. It will likely be the biggest rotation of the comp.

C’mon Gus Kenworthy • Gus had left knee surgery over the summer and has had a slow recovery. While he attended all the practices, he wasn’t skiing very hard.

• The most popular skier at XG Aspen 2021, Kenworthy brings star power to the SuperPipe lineup. The five-time XG medalist, who was the first openly gay male action sports athlete, has 1.2 million Instagram followers. That’s the second-most at X Games Aspen 2021, behind Shaun White with 1.4 million.

• While Kenworthy’s last X Games podium was in 2016, he did win a halfpipe World Cup in Calgary in Feb. 2020, proving he’s still a contender. With 30 X Games competition starts, Kenworthy has the most in history without a gold medal. Kenworthy’s 31st X Games competition start is the most winter event starts of any athlete in X Games history.

MacKay In • Canada’s Brendan MacKay, who looked great in practice and earned bronze in 2020 based on his great amplitude, began the week as an alternate. But he’s now in the field, replacing Beau-James Wells, who pulled out of XG Aspen 2021 with injury.

Women’s Big Air Preview Thursday, January 28, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

Practice Notes

• Athletes love the jump! Right from the start, skiers like Mathilde Gremaud and Sarah Hoefflin were psyched with the jump. Gremaud thought it was plenty big to attempt her hardest tricks, like the switch double cork 1440 and double cork 1260 Cuban. Hoefflin went for her hardest tricks -- like the switch double cork 1080 -- right away during the first practice.

Hoefflin, the X Games Aspen 2018 Big Air champ, landed two of switch dub 1080s during practice. The first time she landed on one ski, riding it out. The second one was perfect…but when she went to claim it, she caught an edge and went down hard. She was evaluated for a head injury but X Games Medical cleared her to practice on Thursday.

• Rookie Eileen Gu doesn’t have a lot of experience competing in Big Air, and she was quite intimidated during Wednesday night’s practice; she did straight airs for most of it. She stepped up during Thursday’s practice, though, and began throwing down her doubles. If she sticks them during Friday’s comp, there is a great chance she will medal during her rookie debut.

• After attending Slopestyle and SuperPipe practice on Wednesday, Kelly Sildaru was not present for the first Big Air practice that evening. She did attend Thursday’s practice, where she threw some basic rotations and got used to the jump. (More on Kelly below.)

• The Missing: Tess Ledeux, who won Aspen Big Air gold in 2020, will not attend in 2021 because of a family emergency. Maggie Voisin, the only American to medal in Big Air, also will miss Aspen 2021 due to personal matters. Johanne Killi, who has Slopestyle gold from Norway 2017, tore her MCL a month before the event.

Gremaud Eyes Number Three! • One of three former Big Air gold medalists on the roster, Swiss skier Mathilde Gremaud is the favorite for gold in Aspen, especially with Tess Ledeux out of the competition. Megan Oldham and Hoefflin are the other previous gold medalists.

• Look for Gremaud to throw the hardest trick of the comp: a switch double cork 1440, which she landed for the first time over the 2020 summer. It’s the same trick that helped power Oystein Braaten to XG Aspen 2018 Big Air silver. • Gremaud is a two-time Big Air gold medalist. A third win would give her the most gold in the discipline; she’s currently tied with two.

Sildaru’s Journey Begins • One of three women at Aspen 2021 to compete in three disciplines (Elieen Gu and Jamie Anderson), Sildaru’s X Games journey begins with Women’s Big Air and ends just 22 hours later with Slopestyle.

• Sildaru became the first skier to earn three medals at one X Games when she turned the trick at Aspen 2019: SuperPipe (silver), Slopestyle (gold) and Big Air (bronze). In 2019, she did it in 26 hours between the first and third event.

• Sildaru was just the second woman and only the third person to earn three winter discipline medals at an X Games. Snowmobiler Joe Parsons did it in 2013 and snowboarder Jennie Waara did it way back in 1997, five years before Sildaru was born. • No woman or winter athlete ever has won three gold at the same event. Only three athletes have done it period, and the last was Travis Pastrana at XG LA 2006.

• While a favorite for gold in Slopestyle and SuperPipe, Sildaru has fallen behind in Big Air because she doesn’t throw doubles. However, now that several key skiers are absent from the roster, her chances of medaling have improved. She does have three medals in the discipline: 2 silver, 1 bronze. She can’t be counted out. • One more medal and Sildaru will make history for the most X Games medals earned by a teenager. She currently is tied with Shaun White and Nyjah Huston.

Most X Games Medals as a Teenager Count Breakdown Sport Teen Years Shaun White 9 6 gold, 3 silver SBD/SKB 2002-2006 Nyjah Huston 9 6 Gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze SKB 2009-2014 Kelly Sildaru* 9 5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze SKI 2016- Tom Schaar 8 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze SKB 2013-2019 Chloe Kim 7 5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze SBD 2014-2020 Pedro Barros 7 5 gold, 2 silver SKB 2010-2014 Lyn-z Pastrana 7 3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze SKB 2003-2009 *Current teenage athlete

Gu Debut! • The only rookie in a Ski discipline at X Games Aspen 2021, Eileen Gu, 17, is also the youngest skier. • She’s one of three women competing in three disciplines at Aspen 2021 (Sildaru and Anderson). • While a favorite for the podium in Slopestyle and SuperPipe, she doesn’t have as much experience competing in Big Air. But after a timid start to practice, she seemed to adjust quickly on Thursday.

• Look for her rightside double 1260 Weddle grab and left double 1080 Japan grab to put her on the podium. • Rookies have a history of doing well in Big Air: Half of the women on the Big Air roster medaled during their rookie debut in either Slopestyle or Big Air. • Gu is a Chinese-American representing at XG Aspen 2021. Recently graduated from high school, Gu scored a 1580 on her SATs and received early acceptance to Stanford (she is deferring until after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing). Oh, and she’s also models on the side.

Can Oldham Surprise…Again? • One of three Big Air gold medalists on the roster, Megan Oldham, 19, surprised at Norway 2020 when she struck gold on the strength of a beautiful double cork 1260. She became the first Canadian woman to medal in the discipline. • Oldham is one of three teenagers on the roster at Aspen 2021 (Sildaru and Gu). Teens have done well in X Games Big Air: They have taken 15 of 27 podium spots since the discipline was introduced at X Games Oslo 2016, including 6 of 9 gold. • Oldham is improving quickly and she’s bold. Look for her to be in the mix during Friday’s comp.