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X Games Extends Aspen Contract

Alycin Bektesh
/
Aspen Public Radio News

The Aspen Skiing Company and ESPN announced Wednesday the Winter X Games, which have been held at the base of Buttermilk Mountain for the last 18 years, will continue at that location through at least 2024.

Aspen Skiing Company Senior Vice President, John Rigney, thanked the sports network for the partnership. He also acknowledged the City of Aspen, Snowmass Village, Pitkin County and the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority for their coordinated efforts on the event, which last year brough 115,000 visitors to the Roaring Fork Valley.

“It’s humbling to play host to what I really believe is the best winter sports event on the planet,” said Rigney. “Cheers to five more years.”   

Aspen-local Alex Ferreira will be competing in the Men’s Ski Superpipe again this year. He earned a silver medal in both in the X Games and the Olympics in 2018, but hopes he can do one better on his home turf this year.

“To bring home gold in Aspen, Colorado, being from Aspen, would be unbelievable, truly euphoric,” said Ferreira. “To give that back to the people and the city of Aspen, put on a good show, I could not ask for anything more.”  

Ferreira says he hopes keeping X Games in Aspen will inspire locals kids the way it inspired him. He used to sneak out of school to watch the competition.

“The fact that it gets to continue on in Aspen, and kids can continue to sneak out of school like me, I think that’s phenomenal,” he said.

 

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