X Games is back in Aspen, kicking off with the women’s and men’s ski knuckle huck on Thursday night.
Ahead of the opening events, some athletes settled in with the press to answer questions, including Silverthorne local Red Gerard, Australian Scotty James and Colorado’s next door neighbor Alex Hall from Utah.
Gerard is an Olympic gold medalist and won his first gold medal in snowboard slopestyle at the Aspen X Games last year.
And he’s hoping to have a repeat of last year.
“I just want to try to figure out what I did last year,” Gerard said. “It was massive for me last year, something I've been wanting for a while, and to have that happen was epic. I do think this year, I want to repeat that and do similar things, and feel like I hopefully have one of the stronger runs, but it's definitely a big challenge out there. Every year gets crazier, and I'm just happy to get an invite back every year, honestly.”
Competitive snowsports constantly evolve and staying at the top of your game is a priority for even the best athletes in the world.
“For me, I always come out of the summer and try to think of a three-jump run… and we go to so many training camps in the fall,” Gerard said. “Hopefully at the end of it I've pieced it together, that run, good enough to the point where I feel good enough about trying to do it in contest.”
Scotty James is the defending gold medalist for the X Games snowboard superpipe and has two Olympic medals, in addition to his six X Games gold medals.
“It feels like it's me vs. Japan,” he said, referencing the fierce Japanese snowboarders. “I feel like it’s been like that for a little bit, but if I'm honest the level of riding competition at the moment in the top 10, I feel like any of them could get on the podium. And not to discredit any other years, but I do feel like this year is the most challenging year in terms of competition, for me, personally.”
James recently became a father, and this will be his first year competing as such. To those who say he may be slowing down, he has to say:
“I honestly feel like I'm just getting started and it's been amazing to have that new addition in my life that gives me a lot of perspective.”
A multidisciplinary skier was also on the panel: Alex Hall, the Park City, Utah skier who has 11 total X Games medals, including five gold, out of big air, street style, slopestyle and knuckle huck.
“It's a lot,” he said about his four competitions. “We'll see how it goes, but I just have to practice.”
Hall has until Thursday night to practice for the men’s knuckle huck, which is at 5:45 p.m. The slopestyle is on Friday at 12:45 p.m., the street style is also on Friday at 3:15 p.m. and the ski big air is the last event of the X Games on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Scotty James will compete in the men’s snowboard superpipe Thursday at 8 p.m.
And Red Gerard will compete in the men’s snowboard slopestyle on Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
