Winter X Games 2012 - Top Ten Moments (sort of)
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From: mtwalsh.bnqt.com January 31, 2012 |
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It's Sunday night. Men's Halfpipe Finals just wrapped up and Shaun White received a perfect 100 score. He did back-to-back double cork twelves. That's a lot of spinning and flipping. But, while that's the ending moment of the weekend, there's many other lasting impressions from Winter X 2012 that are important to recognize. Here's a quick rundown of ten important things that happened this weekend.
10. Mark McMorris became the best snowboarder ever.

photo: Christian Pondella/ESPN Images
Seriously, though. In two days he did the first ever triple cork in competition, took gold in Big Air, and gold in Slopestyle, not to mention that he was awarded Rookie of the Year at the Transworld Rider's Poll Friday night in Denver, while he was busy stomping that triple cork and winning first place in Aspen. Mark competes in a discipline that is so rife with talent, at any event it's anyone's game, and yet he routinely comes out in the top of the group. At 18, he is a force to be reckoned with, who, along with peers like Sebastien Toutant, Sage Kotsenburg, and more, is redefining what constitutes a winning slopestyle run. Before he's able to legally celebrate his wins, he's already snagged two golds in one X Games, a feat last done by Shaun White in 2008. Well done, Mark.
9. X Games spectators, as usual, made fantastic fashion choices
Downtown Aspen is a land of Prada, Louis Vitton, and Dior, but at Buttermilk, one of Aspen Resort's four mountains, the sense of style expands during the X Games. Here's a few memorable fashion pioneers enjoying Winter X 2012.



8. The X Games media tent had really good snacks

Maybe this doesn't seem important to you. "What do I care about the media nerds who are covering the event and slaving away until 1am to take photos and notes about the event so I can read about what happened on the internet when I wake up the next morning?" Well, sorry you're not interested, but a plentiful variety of snacks is really nice when you're working at your computer all day. Thanks X Games for the mini chocolate bars, turkey meatballs, and mini Oreo cookies.
7. X Games athletes made time for the fans.

Remeber when you were in gradeschool and your friends would come back from Disney World with autograph books filled with dozens of signatures from Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the gang? I was always envious that my friends got to meet the coolest cartoon characters, talking animals that we all looked up to. I never got to go to Disney World as a kid, but the last few years, I did shift my autograph-interests to real people who've done impressive things, like excel in snowboarding, skiing, etc. While asking for autographs may not be your style, you have to admit that it's really cool that actions sports athletes are so accessible to the fans. There's no way you could go to a major league baseball or football game, meet the star player and have a conversation with him the way you can with Pat Moore, Simon Dumont, or Louie Vito at the X Games. At any given hour during Winter X 2012, pro snowboarders, skiers, and snowmobilers hung out in sponsor tents, braving possible carpal tunnel to sign posters for fans, take pictures, and shake hands. Seriously, this is something that really stokes out people and it's awesome that the athletes devote time to meet fans.
6. SSX Tricky is back, or apparently it never actually left

For anyone that was into Playstation one and the 90s, this is a welcome reprisal of afternoons spent with your friends trying to maneuver your video game character to do anything but another shifty.
If there's anything X Games organizers can learn from SSX Tricky, it's that fireworks and neon signs announcing the next jump could be visually interesting additions to the courses.
5. Halldor Helgason did a lobster flip in Big Air
Real lobsters crawl along the ocean floor, they can't jump, or twist around, only scuttle. But Halldor Helgasson's lobster flip derives nothing from its crustacean namesake; the lobster flip is a double backside rodeo japan. An styled-out, epic-looking trick that Halldor dropped in and stomped, but only after he had been eliminated. During finals, he went back up, poached the course, and dropped it like it was hot. You can watch it, kind of, here on Helgasons.com.
4. Shaun White displayed more than just his riding skills

Cheetah/zebra pants didn't leave much to the imagination, though as Shaun said post-halfpipe win, he had to live up to his pants with his runs in finals, and of course, he did. He drove his fans wild with both his back-to-back double cork twelves and his overtly suggestive fashion sense. Fingers crossed this doesn't spawn a legion of tweens who decide to dress like the Flying Tomato.
3. Loctite entered the action sports world

Seriously? I know that we are all familiar with non-snowboarding brands being involved in snowboarding, and that getting upset or even paying attention to it at this point is a waste of time, but the fact that Loctite was able to get thousands of people at the X Games stoked was just fully bizarre. Their branded bandanas were tied haphazardly, displayed proudly on X Games-goers of all ages. Sure, Loctite is a helpful product, but how often do you really need it--often enough to make it cool? Non-endemic sponsors are alright if they're something useful, like free samples of Paul Mitchel shampoo or vitamins from GNC, but we're just not convinced that we want free Loctite. Last time we used that stuff was at least ten years ago. One thing is sure, though, Loctite was everywhere at Winter X--some executive is definitely receiving a "you did great!" email Monday morning
2. This guy was there.

It's good to know that fans of the X Games haven't lost their Xtreme spirit.
1. Terje Haakonsen sessioned the halfpipe during Saturday's practice.
While most X Games enthusiasts were waiting for Sunday night to check out the u-ditch show, folks who were on site Saturday evening got a special treat: Terje dropping in and boosting fun runs in Aspen's pristine superpipe. Anytime you are able to watch Terje ride, it's a very cool experience. Terje can do whatever he wants. He's awesome.