Basalt’s Faulhaber among group of X Games athletes who talked to Aspen students at assembly
Back for Year 25 in Aspen, X Games begins Friday at Buttermilk
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
X Games week kicked off Tuesday without any corks or fancy grabs, but when four superstar athletes spoke to a large group of local students inside Aspen Elementary School. This included halfpipe skier Hanna Faulhaber, a 2022 Olympian who graduated from Basalt High School.
Talking alongside fellow Olympian Nick Goepper on stage, Faulhaber went over parts of her journey growing up with the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club and how she became a professional halfpipe skier.
“I first started on the moguls team and quickly realized that I only liked the moguls because of the jumps,” the 21-year-old recalled. “I was the only girl amongst a bunch of boys, which was definitely difficult at times, but they pushed me to where I am now and I am forever grateful for that.”
The 31-year-old Goepper, who will compete in his fourth Olympic Games next month in Italy, had a different upbringing than Faulhaber. Having grown up skiing on the tiny hills in Indiana, he would eventually move to Oregon in high school to pursue his own pro ski career. He’s a three-time Olympic medalist in slopestyle (two silvers, one bronze) but has since transitioned to halfpipe skiing after a brief retirement.
“I really fell in love with skiing when I was about 14 or 15 years old,” Goepper told the students. “And I fell so much in love with it that I was determined to make it as a professional one day and get to X Games. At that point, I convinced my mom and dad, who were very supportive of me at the time, to go on this journey and chase my dream.”
Both athletes fielded a handful of questions direct from the students, with Faulhaber getting many about overcoming injury. It’s something she knows all too well, as she’s missed much of the past couple of seasons due to injury, notably to her knee.
“I’m currently coming back from about two years of knee injury, so hoping to get my feet back under me and just continue pushing,” she said. “This time around, I’ve taken a little bit of a slower process to just really make sure I’m doing it right and making sure I can prevent myself from getting injured again.”
Both Goepper and Faulhaber — who remains on the short list for the 2026 Olympic team that has yet to be fully announced — plan to compete this week as X Games Aspen returns to Buttermilk Ski Area for the 25th straight year. Women’s halfpipe skiing is Friday night, while the men drop in Sunday night.
Goepper about got booed off stage by the kids after bravely saying his favorite ski mountain is Breckenridge, but he did talk about how important getting his first invite to X Games Aspen was to his life and career.
“I remember very clearly, I was 16 years old and I had been working so hard and been so focused on skiing for many, many years when I got my first X Games invite,” he said. “It was like a dream come true. It was proof to me that if you believe in yourself and you focus and you practice and practice and practice and never give up, you can really make your dreams come true.”
Goepper is a five-time X Games gold medalist, including his win in last year’s halfpipe contest.
Faulhaber — who smartly said Aspen was her favorite mountain — made her X Games debut in 2022, where she surprised some by winning bronze. She was fifth in 2023 and eighth in 2025 as injuries have slowed her the past couple of winters.
“It’s just like riding your bike again,” Faulhaber said of coming back from injury.
She also recalled the emotions of getting her first X Games invite.
“I got the email kind of late at night, and I was staying with my parents at the time, and I ran out and told them the news, and we were all just crying happy tears,” she said.
-
Olympian Nick Goepper, a freeskier from Indiana, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Hanna Faulhaber, a local halfpipe skier who graduated from Basalt High School, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Hanna Faulhaber, a local halfpipe skier who graduated from Basalt High School, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
-
Olympian Hanna Faulhaber, a local halfpipe skier who graduated from Basalt High School, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Nick Goepper, a freeskier from Indiana, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Hanna Faulhaber, a local halfpipe skier who graduated from Basalt High School, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Nick Goepper, a freeskier from Indiana, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Aspen Middle School Principal Tom Dodd introduces the athletes during a special X Games assembly with the students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
-
Olympian Hanna Faulhaber, a local halfpipe skier who graduated from Basalt High School, alongside Indiana Olympian Nick Goepper, talks during a special X Games assembly with local students on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Aspen Elementary School.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
British snowboarder Mia Brookes and New Zealand freeskier Luca Harrington also took part in a second assembly later in the afternoon on Tuesday. Both elementary and middle school students were included in the presentations.
X Games gets underway at noon Friday with the women’s snowboard slopestyle final. Also returning this weekend after a five-year hiatus are the snowmobile athletes, with the freestyle contest capping off the first day of action on Friday.
For the complete schedule, visit xgames.com.
Reach Austin at acolbert@aspentimes.com
Shiffrin and Vonn nominated for ESPY, make TIME 100’s Most Influential People list
Fresh off a season which saw her claim Olympic slalom gold and become the most decorated U.S. alpine skier in history, Mikaela Shiffrin was nominated for an ESPY and named to TIME 100’s Most Influential People list.
