Sublimity on the slopes
X Games’ annual Aspen extravaganza serves up scintillating action ahead of China debut
Husband and wife Tony and Jos Richardson traveled more than 14,000 kilometers from Jindabyne, Australia to the resort town of Aspen in the middle of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains for one reason — to see Scotty James.
And their hometown boy delivered late last month, winning the men’s snowboard superpipe competition — the premier event of the annual Winter X Games.
The 24-year-old Australian’s stellar second run saw him grab the gold ahead of Japan’s Yuto Totsuka. American Danny Davis took bronze.
All three are looking forward to X Games debut in China later this year.
“We were never worried (when Totsuka took the early lead),” Tony told Xinhua. “James is the best in the world — you’ll see him on the podium at the Beijing Olympics.”
Since first coming to Aspen in 2002, the Winter X Games, staged by sports network ESPN, have evolved into an international Olympic-type event.
This year, a record crowd of around 117,000, mostly millennials, watched 159 of the world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders and enjoyed performances by music heavyweights such as hiphop star Lil Wayne.
Aspen has been a famous resort since the early 20th century, and has spawned numerous Olympic and international skiers. House prices here average $4.2 million, many of them owned by Hollywood celebrities.
This year’s X Games were dominated by the United States, Canada and Norway. China, though, is slowly making inroads, with Cai Xuetong edging out teammate Liu Jiayu to win bronze in the women’s snowboard superpipe for the nation’s sole medal.
‘Limitless possibility’
Earlier this month, ESPN announced it would take the X Games to China this year, for both summer (late May in Shanghai) and winter events.
X Games feature many Olympic disciplines, so the China winter stop fits in nicely with the ongoing efforts to promote ice and snow sports ahead of the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
“It’s a great honor to be among the first athletes invited to help promote X Games China,” said Cai, the first Chinese to ever to stand on the podium at an X Games and a three-time medalist in total.
“X Games is a great spectator event that is popular with young people all over the world, and is a great expression of their vitality and potential.
“For me, the X Games represents realness and limitless possibility.”
X Games promoters told Xinhua they are confident the event will be a huge success in China.
“We’re proud to work with ESPN to bring the X Games to China and produce world-class events showcasing the world’s top action athletes, as well as the music, art and culture that connects so well with the youth and sports lifestyle,” said Lillian Chen, CEO of Renextop, which is staging the Chinese stops in conjunction with ESPN.
Global reach
The Richardsons, Melbourne schoolteachers who have been married for 30 years, are both avid snowboarders but have never met Aussie superstar James despite their devotion.
“We see him around town, that’s all,” Tony said. “We’re just loyal Australians and love this sport.”
They expect to see more Chinese competing at future X Games, given that snowboarding and skiing tend to be selftaught.
“The notable thing about this type of sport is that you do not need a trainer or formal instruction,” said Tony.
“These athletes do extraordinarily difficult events because they love the sport and love the boarding community.”
Do the Knuckle Huck
A new X Games event called Knuckle Huck epitomizes the spontaneous spirit of snowboarding.
In Knuckle Huck, riders perform unrehearsed tricks, flips and turns in an unstructured format that allows for great creativity and flexibility.
Norwegian Fridtjof Saether Tischendorf, aka ‘The Fridge’, was the inaugural winner, producing daring routines typical of the exhilarating and engrossing fare on offer at the festival.