Utah 2019 slopestyle podium: N/A (cancelled due to weather)
Sierra Nevada 2017 slopestyle podium: G - Tess Ledeux (FRA), S - Emma Dahlstrom (SWE), B - Isabel Atkin (GBR)
Coming into the women’s big air and slopestyle competitions here in Aspen this week we see a bit of an interesting situation as far as the reigning gold medallist goes, as France’s Tess Ledeux is currently the owner of the most recent gold medals for both events - although both those titles from different World Championships.
Ledeux became the youngest-ever Freeski World Champion when she took the slopestyle win four years ago in Sierra Nevada, and then followed that up with the big air victory two years later at the Utah 2019 world champs. When the women’s slopestyle competition at Utah 2019 was cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions, Ledeux was left to own the crown for another couple of years.
Australia’s Scotty James celebrates after one of his runs during the men’s snowboard superpipe contest at X Games Aspen on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, at Buttermilk Ski Area. Photo by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times.
Predicting who will win at X Games can be easy at times, like when Jamie Anderson or Chloe Kim are competing. Otherwise, it’s just about impossible to guess, especially in a year like this one.
X Games Aspen 2021 wrapped up Sunday night after three days of intense competition, albeit without the crowds and usual excitement that comes when we’re not mired in a pandemic. Prior to the comps at Buttermilk, I made my predictions for who would win each of the 14 skiing and snowboarding events and below I’ll again own up to my attempt at being Nostradamus.
Estonian freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru had to miss the opening event of the X-Games season over the weekend after injuring her knee during warm-ups. On Sunday, 14-year old Henry Sildaru came in second in a men s halfpipe event in Switzerland.
The five-time X-Games gold medalist Sildaru was supposed to start her competition season with a Big Air round in Aspen, Colorado, but after enduring a knee injury in warm-ups, she had to cancel her participation in both the aforementioned Big Air round, along with the Slopestyle run on Saturday.
As both Sildaru and Swiss skier Giulia Tanno both had to miss out on the event, only six skiers participated in the women s Big Air event. Mathilde Gremaud came out on top, winning her third gold medal, also becoming the first woman in X-Games history to land a switch double cork 1440. Gremaud however attempted the same trick in her second run and fell. Luckily, the Swiss skier got up fine.
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Alex Ferreira after winning gold for the second year in a row in X Games men’s ski superpipe final on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
X Games gold medalist Jamie Anderson gives an interview after the women’s snowboard slopestyle final on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Kelly Sildaru stands at the bottom of the slopestyle course after winning the women’s ski final on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
X Games Men’s Snowboard Superpipe returning gold medalist, Scotty James, claps hands with the crowd on the side of the feature during his last run on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. The X Games win gave him his tenth gold medal in a row. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)