One of the most notable stories from this past weekend is actually about what didn’t happen: Aspen’s own Alex Ferreira did not ski the superpipe on Sunday.
Ferreira has six X Games medals — two gold — and he brought home silver in the 2018 Winter Olympics halfpipe.
An X Games spokesperson confirmed Ferreira’s withdrawal — first reported by The Aspen Times on the day of the competition — writing in an email that Ferreira is “saving himself for the Olympics.”
Without Ferreira in the mix, New Zealand’s Nico Porteous won gold, and Aaron Blunck and David Wise took silver and bronze. Blunck and Wise will represent Team USA in Beijing.
Ferreira isn’t the only athlete from the Roaring Fork Valley slated to compete in the X Games — and the other one actually showed up.
Basalt resident and X Games rookie Hanna Faulhaber made waves skiing the superpipe, winning bronze in a field of veteran competitors.
Her mom, Belinda Faulhaber, who is a nurse and one of a handful of visible spectators wearing a mask, spoke on the X Games livestream.
“It's just unbelievable,” she said. “It's just been her dream forever, and I've got photos of her when she was, like, 3, sitting at the bottom here just staring up at it. It's just incredible. What an amazing night.”
Faulhaber will ski the halfpipe in Beijing.
Many athletes consider X Games Aspen to be the pinnacle of winter sports — but every four years, it’s also a milestone on the road to the Winter Olympics.
In addition to Faulhaber’s soaring X Games debut, the event featured previews of several other Olympic athletes.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s run in snowboard slopestyle drew a memorable reaction from X Games commentator Craig McMorris.
“I am a spicy little tomato!” he exclaimed. “That was insane. That was by far the most technical women's slopestyle snowboard run we have ever seen in any contest, ever. Write it in stone in the history books.”
Sadowski-Synnott took home gold and will represent New Zealand in the Olympics in snowboard big air and slopestyle competitions.
And from France:
Tess Ledeux approached perfection on her third run in women’s ski big air, scoring a 49 and taking home gold. She also won gold in ski slopestyle, dominating both events in which she is slated to represent France next month.
This X Games also saw the continued emergence of Japan as a force in extreme winter sports. Eight athletes from Japan competed — a number that trails only Canada and the United States — and the snowboarders dominated.
Sena Tomita won gold in women’s superpipe, and Haruna Matsumoto took bronze. Brothers Ayumu Hirano and Kaishu Hirano took home silver and bronze, respectively, in men’s superpipe.
Challenge Aspen skier Tanner Jadwin, a resident of Glenwood Springs, finished third in the Special Olympics Unified Ski race. Matthew Boyles, of Glenwood Springs, also put in a strong showing.
Three Roaring Fork Valley athletes are slated to compete in the Winter Olympics: Feirrera and Faulhaber will ski the halfpipe, and Hailey Swirbul of El Jebel is on the cross-country skiing A Team. There will be a sendoff party for the trio Wednesday afternoon at Aspen Mountain Gondola Plaza.
