The Best (And Worst) of the 2017 Winter X Games

The+Best+%28And+Worst%29+of+the+2017+Winter+X+Games

From quad corks to full sends, the X Games has it all. The 2017 X Games took place in our very own Aspen, Colorado and, as with every X Games, history was made and hearts were broken. Along the way, there was food, music, and plenty of spills to keep everyone entertained. Here is a rundown of the best and worst moments of the competition:

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The Best

Rookie Marcus Kleveland Wins Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle

History was made when the 17-year-old Norwegian boarder stomped the first-ever quad cork 1800 in competition on the big air course. He then went on to blow the slopestyle competition out of the water, pulling off 50-50 back 270 pretzels and backside triple fourteens as if they were easy. Marcus’ talent for spinning large rotations is matched only by the high technicality of his rail game and on his first run, he let loose, firing off one of the most impressive–and smooth–men’s slopestyle runs to date. The judges gave him a score of 91.66 and he went on to take the gold.

14-Year-Old Kelly Sildaru Brings Home Another Gold

Sildaru is the first athlete at age 14 to win not one but two gold medals at the Winter X Games. Last year, she clinched her first gold medal in slopestyle at the young age of 13, becoming the youngest athlete ever to win a gold medal in the competition’s history. This year, she returned to the podium to bring home another gold for Estonia in Women’s Ski Slopestyle, after leaving with a silver in Women’s Ski Big Air. She bounced smoothly through the rail section at the top, then dialed up the spins on the bottom of the course with a rightside 720, a leftside 900 landing backward then finishing with a switch leftside 1080. The judges gave her a score of 92.33, good enough for the gold.

16-Year-Old Hailey Langland Makes X Games History

Langland started off the X Games on a high note, becoming the the first female athlete to land a double cab cork 1080 in competition. This bumped her from 6th place into first place with the trick score of 49, out of 50. Langland, the youngest athlete at X Games 2017, took home the first gold of the Games and was beyond excited with her win. “Holy crap!” Langland said following the event. “I’m so stoked to be out here…. I’m just happy to have landed what I wanted to! It’s so amazing what all the girls are putting down!” she continued.

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photo via google images under labeled for reuse

The Worst

Swiss Skier Luca Schuler Suffers Gnarly Concussion

No one said extreme sports were going to be easy. Luca Schuler laid motionless after attempting his signature triple-cork 1080 jump off of the big air jump. While the 19-year-old freeskier suffered a concussion, he was discharged later that night and is thankfully expected to be okay.

Hard Conditions On the Superpipe

A chilly night made for less-than-ideal conditions for the Men’s Ski SuperPipe. Ten out of 11 competitors fell on their first lap, and the second run was even worse. Only two of the pro skiers — Crested Butte’s Aaron Blunck and Kiwi Miguel Porteous — were able to exit the pipe on their feet, landing them a spot on the podium with Canadian Noah Bowman.

Shaun White Has Worst Finish Since 2000

Just retire already! Shaun White returned to the X Games for the first time in two years, coming up in 11th place — his worst finish since 2000 when he was 13 years old. While the veteran boarder was able to get some really huge air, he stumbled or fell on every run. The two-time Olympic halfpipe champion was unable to notch a clean run in two attempts, both times losing all of his momentum after failing to fully rotate and land one of his tricks. White’s best score was a 29.66, placing 11th out of 12 riders.