Aspen’s own Alex Ferreira took home X Games gold last night, with another win in the men’s ski SuperPipe competition. It’s Ferreira’s third X Games gold medal; he also has two silver, and two bronze medals, all in the SuperPipe event.
But it’s been a while since he stood on top of the podium here at Buttermilk. After his last X Games SuperPipe win in 2020, he finished near the bottom of the field in 2021 — then opted out of the X Games the year after that, to rest and recover from injuries before the Olympics. And he had a rough crash in the pipe last year, finishing eighth out of eight competitors.
In an interview last night, Ferreira told Aspen Public Radio it was a “beautiful” feeling to be back on top. The event went just as he dreamed it would, he said.
Some of his young fans from the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club were stoked to witness the win, too.
Parker, Jens and Scott, all 9-year-old freestyle skiers, said they were inspired by Ferreira’s performance. In unison, all three shouted that it felt “great” to see an AVSC alum on top of the podium. And seeing athletes like Ferreira soaring to new heights helped them feel like they might be able to land big tricks too.
Ferreira won the SuperPipe competition with tricks like a 1620 — that’s four and a half rotations. His fans are working up to it, with 180s, 360s and tail grabs.
