Ledeux wins 12th X Games medal after claiming gold in ski slopestyle
Madison Osberger-Low/The Aspen Times
The third and final day of X Games Aspen 2025 brought the women’s ski slopestyle competition to the forefront, showcasing a stacked lineup of athletes eager to prove their skill on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Judged on factors like amplitude, execution, and creativity, the event offered no shortage of thrilling runs and high-pressure moments.
Despite the dropping cold temperatures and low light, the skiers still threw down winning runs.
Tess Ledeux, a 23-year-old from Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France, added yet another medal to her growing collection. Just the evening before, she took a hard fall in the women’s ski big air event, casting doubt on whether she would be able to perform at her best. However, she shook off the setback, rallying for a flawless performance on Saturday to take the gold with a score of 95.
It was her 12th X Games medal and seventh gold.
Ledeux’s winning run was an executed double cork 1260 followed by a double cork 1440, marking the first time in women’s ski or snowboard competition history that these two advanced maneuvers were landed consecutively.
Her win wasn’t just a testament to her skill, but also to her mental resilience as she reflected on how challenging the new format has been for many athletes. The slopestyle competition now requires two solid runs, raising the stakes for everyone involved.
“I just can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s incredible, yeah, especially after last night.”
While athletes are still navigating through the new style of competition, some are weary of the future of the format.
“It’s really hard, and it’s really challenging because we have to do two really nice runs. So it’s hard for the athletes, but I think for the public, it’s good,” Ledeux said.
Taking home the silver was Canada’s Olivia Asselin, who scored 92.66. Asselin had to overcome some early struggles during her first run but came back strong in the final round. She completed a 360 swap on the rainbow tube following a big switch 10 on the jump.
“I didn’t land my first jump at my first run, and then I did a smaller run to be safe,” Asselin said. “And then for finals, I just went all in, which paid off.”
After years of finishing outside the podium spots, she was thrilled to finally land a podium-worthy run at X Games.
“This year, I came here and really wanted to, yeah, do well, and I did,” she said.
Ann Karava, of Finland, won bronze with a score of 90.66.
In an unexpected turn of events, Eileen Gu, one of the most popular athletes in women’s freestyle skiing, had to withdraw from the competition due to injury from a crash in street style on Friday. After a series of falls and challenges earlier in the season, Gu said she had persistent pain in her legs as the reason for her decision to pull out.
Less than an hour before the contest start, she took to Instagram to announce her withdrawal. She also sat out the women’s ski halfpipe and ski big air competitions.
“Unfortunately, I’m still having too much pain walking to feel comfortable competing on the slope today,” she shared with her followers. “Focusing on recovering from both crash and sickness right now, hoping to get back into it in the World Cup next week.”
Grace Henderson, who was named as Gu’s replacement, stepped in but was unable to make it to the finals, finishing fifth in the playoffs.
Gerard takes repeat gold in men’s snowboard slopestyle
In men’s snowboard slopestyle on Saturday, Silverthorne’s Red Gerard clinched his second straight X Games Aspen gold medal with a standout performance, earning a score of 92.66.
The course, approximately 1,700 feet long with a vertical drop of 290 feet, featured six diverse elements: three rail-based features at the top and three jumps at the bottom.
Gerard’s winning run included several smooth rail slides, a switch backside 1260, a frontside 1440, and a backside 1800, demonstrating his technical prowess and creativity.
Winning silver was Canadian legend Mark McMorris, who added to his record medal total. In bronze was Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa, who also won silver in men’s snowboard big air on Friday.
Hasegawa lost the big air final to fellow countryman Hiroto Ogiwara. The X Games rookie made history, landing the first-ever 2340 in competition to win gold.
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