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Great Xpectations

Nate Peterson

Aspen, CO ColoradoASPEN You break your winter into two acts. In between both, there is this week – the one, despite months of planning, that always makes you think about moving to Guam afterward. See, in Guam, they don’t have snow, which negates any chance of the Winter X Games ever taking place there. (Although, you’re not sure anyone over there would consider hiring you.)This is not to say that covering the X Games isn’t exciting, or fun. Or rewarding, even. Personally, you’re just saying that it’s a lot of work – especially for a tiny two-man sports department used to writing high school game stories and cool outdoors features on locals.Consider that the Winter X Games, as a television production, is 10 times the size of an NFL football game. In four days, there will be no less than 12 huge events taking place over at teeny Buttermilk in front of daily crowds that will top 20,000.Just getting over to the games is an ordeal, simply because all those people can’t get on one bus at the same time.Nevertheless, all the work is usually worth it after all the lights have gone out and ESPN packs up its portable circus until the next year.You’d probably end up in the hospital if you tried to work 12-hour days each week while sustaining yourself with Mountain Dew and free cookies. But for one week of the year, you can handle. In fact, you can even embrace it. And then you can enjoy the rest of your winter, once it’s all over.