Winter X Games held in Aspen, Colorado Tess Ledeux makes history in Women’s Ski Big Air

     World-class winter athletes spend three action filled days competing on the slopes of Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado. This year, the X Games competition took place from Jan. 21 to the 23rd. 

     Men’s and Women’s ski and snowboard competitions are held in the disciplines of SuperPine, Slopestyle, Big Air, and Knuckle Huck. Each round is judged based on other competitors’ rounds and the complexity of the run. 

     On a scale from 0 to 100, the person with the highest score wins. Judges base runs of six criteria, including amplitude, trick difficulty, execution, variation, style, and combination. According to Redbull, a sponsor of various winter athletes, judges want to see competitors maximizing air time and demonstrating a high arc.

     Riders with unique flares will catch the eye of judges and their overall impression is calculated in ‘jam’ format. While these components consist of 60% of the overall score, 40% of the score is based on overall impression. Judges want to see a well rounded competitor who is able to execute a variety of tricks into their rounds, Redbull indicates. 

     At this year’s competition, according to Bleacher Report, Scotty James went head to head with Ayumu Hirano, for the gold in the Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe. As one of the headline events within the three days, James was able to win gold over Hirano, receiving his fourth X Games gold medal.

     In the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won gold. Grace Coryell of ESPN said her run was, “arguably the best Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle run in contest history.” Sadowski-Synnott was able to pull off a front side double 1080 melon, backside double cork 1080 Weddle grab, and more. 

     Tess Ledeux won gold in the Women’s Ski Big Air, followed by Megan Oldham. Ledeux was the first woman to receive gold in both Ski Big Air and Ski Slopestyle. She also became the first woman to land a double cork 1620 in competition, receiving a 94.00.

     With Ledeux’s win she said, “I’m so happy; It’s incredible,” according to Forbes. She first learned the double cork 1620 in September, which consisted of four and a half full rotations and two off axis flips. Ledeux will be competing for France in the Olympics at Beijing, along with Oldham on team Canada. 

     Awards at X Games are similar to the Olympics, as gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded. First place winners also $50,000 dollars, but the money drops with each placing.