2010 Winter X Games 14 Goes Beyond Extreme

Share on Facebook posted 01-29-10 by Jerry Del Priore

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Colombia will be taking place in a few weeks but meanwhile, the Winter X Games (the premier action sports event in the world) in Aspen, Colorado are set to commence on January 28 and run through January 31. The Winter X Games will feature more than 200 of the top action sports athletes defying every basic principle of gravity in Skiing, Snowboarding and Snowmobile competitions.

Snowboarding

In snowboarding, the U.S. are represented well by a number of former Olympic gold medalists, including Kelly Clark (halfpipe), Lindsey Jacobellis (boardercross), Hannah Teter (halfpipe), Seth Wescott (boardercross) and Shaun White (halfpipe).

White, the two-sport athlete (skateboarding), could become the second person in Winter X history to three-peat in two different disciplines (halfpipe and superpipe). Tanner Hall, who is on the sidelines with an injury, was the first to accomplish the amazing feat (SKI Slopestyle, SuperPipe).

Australian snowboard hottie Torah Bright will attempt a double cork 900. This will be the first double cork 900 ever attempted by a female in competition history. Very few men can stick a double cork, but that shouldn’t stop Bright from attempting this ridiculously cool move.

Action sports fans will argue which sport is the most dangerous, but everyone agrees that snowboarding can be included in that discussion. While training in Park City, Utah, in December, Kevin Pearce, one of America’s premier snowboarders, suffered a severe concussion, leaving many spectators feeling snowboarding is too hazardous, considering participants continue to attempt to defy a little thing called gravity and one-up each other on each run. But hey, that’s the sports’ appeal!

Event Debuts

Two events will make their X Games debut in 2010: Ski SuperPipe High Air and Snowmobile Knock Out. SuperPipe High Air pits the top six skiers in the world against each another in a 30-minute jam format in which they compete for highest huck (altitude).

Snowmobile Knock Out is winter action sports’ sick, twisted version of a long jump. In this case, however, a ramp is employed … huge difference.

Six snowmobile riders face-off in a single-elimination format through several series of head-to-head competition. Their task is to launch themselves off the ramp and travel as far as possible on a wing and prayer. The guy who covers the least ground per round is, as the name states, knocked out until a champ is ultimately crowned.

Don’t Take Your Eyeballs Off These Athletes

Nate Holland: Snowboarder X (five-peat, never done before at WX)

Tucker Hibbert: SnoCross (four-peat, never done before in Snowmobile)

Ophelie David: Women’s Skier X (four-peat, never done before in Skiing)

Sarah Burke: Skiing SuperPipe (four-peat, never done before in Skiing)

Lindsey Jacobellis: Snowboarder X (three-peat, would be first WX peat repeat in same discipline)

Let the extremes begin!