U.S. X Games Roster Stacked With Defending Champions, Olympic Medalists

An impressive field of 30 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be taking to the slopestyle, big air and superpipe competition at the 2019 Winter X Games at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. for the 23rd edition of the annual winter sports competition this week.

Top U.S. Snowboard Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), and Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.). Notable U.S. Freeski Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah), David Wise (Reno, Nev.), and Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) With multiple defending X Games champions and U.S. podium sweeps from 2018, the world’s best will be gunning for the U.S.

The U.S. Freeski Team will be sending numerous podium contenders to compete in every discipline. In big air, Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) will represent the women, while Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.) will represent the men. In slopestyle, defending X Games gold medalist Voisin will also represent the ladies, while Olympic medalists Christensen, Kenworthy and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) will represent for the U.S. men. In addition, Willie Borm (Chaska, Minn.), Alex Hall (Park City, Utah), Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) and defending slopestyle FIS World Champion McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) are all on the start list for slopestyle.

In the superpipe, the U.S. Freeski Team currently hosts both defending champions in Bowman and Wise. Joining Bowman for the ladies is Annalisa Drew (Andover, Mass.), Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.). Dropping in with Wise is the second-place finisher from last years men’s superpipe U.S. podium sweep and Aspen local Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo,) as well as Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.), Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), and Kenworthy.

The U.S. Snowboard Team has also assembled an A Team looking for success at X Games. In Big Air, defending bronze medalist Jamie Anderson will be looking to improve on her performance in 2018 alongside teammates Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) and Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.). For the men, Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) is vying for his first X Games big air gold medal after a third-place in 2018’s Norway X Games. With a quad cork in his arsenal, Corning is sure to be firing on all cylinders on the enormous and well crafted big air jump built by Snow Park Technologies. Joining Corning is teammate and Olympic big air silver medalist Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.). In slopestyle, Anderson, the most decorated slopestyle rider in X Games history will lead the way with five gold medals to her name accompanied by Langland and Marino. The men’s roster consists a young talented group that has yet to earn any X Games slopestyle medals including Olympic gold medalist Gerard, Mack, Nikolas Baden (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), and Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.).

In superpipe, the U.S. ladies have their work cut out for them as they try to defend their all-American podium sweep. Kim, Arielle Gold ( Steamboat Springs, Calif.) and Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) are all coming back to defend their position on the podium. For the men Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho), X Games bronze medalist from Oslo, will be on site with Olympian Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) and Toby MIller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.). This is Miller’s first competition back from an ankle injury at Dew Tour. He has been on fire this season and looking for his first ever X Games podium. In addition, Americans Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) and snowboarding icon Danny Davis (Highland, Mich.) will also compete.

X Games is a special event as it mixes veteran athletes and legends with young athletes getting their first shot on the big stage. Not only are some of the athletes new to X Games, but so are the events. On the snowboard side, X Games will celebrate the style and creativity inherent in snowboarding with the first-ever knuckle competition. Instead of hitting the Big Air jump as they traditionally would, riders instead take off the knuckle (rollover) of the jump and huck their most unique trick, finishing in the same landing area. Since riders do not get as much height, the tricks must instead rely on technicality and creativity. Knuckle Huck will feature eight athletes in a jam style format throwing as many tricks as possible within the allotted time.

Lastly, as is tradition, X Games Aspen 2019 continues to provide something for all the spectators to enjoy beyond athletic competition. From Jan. 24-27, Buttermilk Mountain will host a variety of entertainment and activities suited for the whole family throughout X Fest. The festival will feature sponsor activations, interactive courses, an awards stage emceed by Chicago-based band, The Flavor Savers, athlete meet and greets, giveaways and the brand new X Trials Obstacle Course. Furthermore, musical acts throughout the week include Lil Wayne, Louis the Child, The Chainsmokers and Kygo.

For more details on the athletes, schedule and more visit www.xgames.com.

2018 X GAMES RESULTS

Maddie Bowman, Superpipe gold
Brita Sigourney, Superpipe silver
David Wise, Superpipe gold
Alex Ferreira, Superpipe silver
Torin Yater-Wallace, Superpipe bronze
Jamie Anderson, Slopestyle gold, Big Air bronze
Julia Marino, Slopestyle silver
Maggie Voisin, Slopestyle gold
Jamie Anderson, Big AIr bronze
Chloe Kim, Superpipe gold
Arielle Gold, Superpipe silver
Maddie Mastro, Superpipe bronze

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:30 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
12:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN*

Saturday, Jan 26. 
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27. 
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2

SNOWBOARD
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s snowboard Big Air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan 26. 
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27. 
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN