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X Games Aspen began today at Buttermilk Mountain with the Official Media Kickoff Panel, held for the first time in Studio X in X Fest. The panel was led by host of X Games Jack Mitrani and featured Scotty James, Kelly Sildaru, Gus Kenworthy, Anna Gasser, Max Parrot and Tim Reed (vice president, X Games).
The panel can be viewed in its entirety here, and included these highlights:
“Missing a whole season was really hard for me to not be able to do my passion and when you don’t do it for a little while…I already knew how much I loved it but you get to another level of how much you love doing your sport. Now I just enjoy it every day as much as I can, I’m just really having a blast.” – Max Parrot on his return to snowboarding after overcoming cancer
“Of course, it would be a big dream of mine to show it here, it’s like the biggest stage to show it.” – Anna Gasser on whether or not she’ll throw a triple in competition at X Games Aspen 2020
“For me, aside from the Olympics, like nothing is in comparison to the X Games so I’m just stoked to have more X Games. Of course, there’s other events and they all have merit, but in my eyes, this is what I dreamed of as a kid and this is still the top tier and the best you can do. This is the world’s stage; Olympics happen every four years, but X Games happen every year, now like three times a year.” – Gus Kenworthy on the addition of more X Games events throughout the year and all over the world
Following the Kickoff Panel, the first Elimination of the weekend began with the Monster Energy Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination. Throwing tricks that included a front 1080 double and a cab double 1080 in the new jam session format, Swiss rider Jan Scherrer took the top spot to move onto tomorrow’s final. Taylor Gold, Chase Josey, Toby Miller and Chase Blackwell will also move on to tomorrow.
The Kickoff Panel was the first of an abundance of programming in Studio X throughout the weekend. From panel discussions and film screenings to dance parties and kids programming, the dome in X Fest has tons of offerings for fans of all ages. Highlights of Studio X programming include (all times in MT):
| Thursday, January 23 | ||
| 1 p.m. | Inexact Odyssey | Combining elements from classic and modern snowboard films, filmmaker Seth Huot creates Inexact Odyssey – a compilation of Volcom family riders across spur-of-the-moment travel and sessions. |
| 4 p.m. | OverJoyed | As world-renowned snowboarders Red Gerard, Sage Kotsenburg and Ben Ferguson travel the globe in search of the world’s best terrain and deepest snow, OVERJOYED documents the lines, airs and slashes that encompass one winter of these snowboarders at the top of their game. |
| 6 p.m. | Planning & Building the X Games Courses | Hear from Chris Castaneda from SPT, X Games head course builder, on what goes into building all of the courses. Chris will cover the design process, collaboration with X Games athletes, snow conditions needed for each course and maintenance of each course throughout the event. |
| Friday, January 24 | ||
| 2 p.m. | Woodward Peace Park Championships 2019 | Professional snowboarder Danny Davis and Woodward join forces to bring you the most unexpected and exciting Peace Park to date. Watch 21 of the world’s elite snowboarding men and women session on custom-built, jaw dropping features at Boreal Mountain, California. |
| 3:30 p.m. | Behind the Lens Photography Discussion with National Geographic | Ever wondered how professional photographers get the perfect shot? This is a chance to learn about their approach and process. Hear from acclaimed National Geographic photographers Sofia Jaramillo and Andy Bardon as well as Brett Wilhelm, X Games photo editor, about their career paths, methods and philosophies. |
| 5:15 p.m. | Fire on the Mountain | For the first time ever, action sports and the Grateful Dead are merged together in a film of eclectic style: Fire On The Mountain. Just as the Grateful Dead did not fit their music into an established category, this short film finds a cast of some of the world’s best athletes on an improvisational journey of skiing, snowboarding, surfing and music, complete with a soundtrack comprised of only Grateful Dead music. |
| 6 p.m. | A Conversation with Timbersled Pro Athletes | Brock Hoyer, Jesse Kirchmeyer and Josh Hill discuss the evolution of snow bikes at X Games Aspen since 2017. |
| 8 p.m. | Mayhem Presents: Per Mission featuring Kyle Mack | Coming off a silver medal at the Olympics, Kyle Mack chases contests and street rails in the winter of 2018-2019, to create his first feature film. This film shows the struggles of putting together a video part, the contrast between contests and filming, and the bond shared through traveling the globe with a snowboard. |
| Saturday, January 25 | ||
| 1 p.m. | Jamie Anderson: Unconditional | As a daughter of the Sierra, Jamie Anderson grew up on the slopes of the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. Her prodigious talents as a pre-teen snowboarding savant made her a podium contender from the moment she arrived at the X Games in Aspen more than a decade ago. Since then, Jamie has amassed more X Games and Olympic medals than any other woman in history. |
| 1:30 p.m. | Women of X | Celebrate Women’s Day by hearing Maggie Voisin, Barrett Christy, Tara Dakides and Jen Hudak discuss what it’s like to be a woman competing at the world’s premier action sports competition. |
| 6 p.m. | FX Presents: American Horror Story: 1984 | FX Presents American Horror Story: 1984 screening, followed by a Q&A with Gus Kenworthy |
| 8:30 p.m. | Alex Ferreira:
The Scenic Route |
Join world-champion skier, Alex Ferreira as he travels across the globe to grow his love for the sport by discovering extraordinary people, places and cultures. Screening followed by Q&A with Alex. |
| Sunday, January 26 | ||
| 12 p.m. | Brothers McMorris – Finnish Streets | Mark McMorris embarks on an urban snowboarding adventure for the first time in 10 years when he and his brother Craig travel to the holy grail of street riding, Helsinki, Finland. |
| 3 p.m. | Brothers McMorris – Springtime in Aspen | Mark McMorris and Craig McMorris are given free rein to build the snowpark of their dreams at Aspen Snowmass mountain. Joined by an eager and talented group of rookies, the brothers push the boundaries of what is possible on a snowboard. |
| 3:30 p.m. | Brothers McMorris – Alaskan Backcountry | World-renowned backcountry explorer Travis Rice takes Mark McMorris and Craig McMorris on the snowboarding adventure of a lifetime to the vast mountain ranges of Alaska and the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. |
| 5 p.m. | Athletes & Sustainability presented by Mountain Waste | X Games athletes spend their lives and careers in the outdoors, resulting in unique perspectives on the environment and sustainability. X Games host Jack Mitrani will host a discussion with some of the biggest names in action sports on what sustainability means to them. |
The action truly kicks off tomorrow with Special Olympics Unified Snowboarding and Skiing, Jeep Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination, The Real Cost Men’s Ski Big Air Elimination, Ski Knuckle Huck, Monster Energy Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe and Pacifico Women’s Snowboard Big Air.
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Media Contacts:
Danny Chi ESPN Communications, 310-642-1509, [email protected]
Grace Coryell ESPN Communications, 818-585-3696, [email protected]
Olivia Wilson ESPN Communications, 904-303-3538, [email protected]
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