X Games Aspen 2024: Predicting who takes home ski gold

The snowboarders will have most of the stage early on when X Games Aspen returns to Buttermilk Ski Area starting Friday, but it’ll be the skiers who have the spotlight at the close.

Let’s look at each of the eight main skiing contests this weekend and see if we can’t predict who will come out on top. If you want the snowboard predictions, click here.

It’s time to send it.

Men’s big air

8:30 p.m., Friday

Projected winner: Alex Hall

Vermont’s Mac Forehand is back and might have the biggest target on his back, having won gold in this event last year. He also won big air silver in 2022. But going back-to-back is tough. And it’s also tough to pick against Utah’s Alex Hall here. He has two X Games gold medals from Aspen events, one being his big air win from 2022. His talent and experience gets him back there on Friday night.

Men’s slopestyle

10:30 a.m., Saturday

Projected winner: Birk Ruud

Picking either of the Utah guys — Alex Hall or Colby Stevenson — is a smart approach here. Stevenson is the reigning event champ, while Hall won it in 2019. Fan favorite Henrik Harlaut is slated to return to the X slopestyle course for the first time since 2020, and Forehand is coming in hot after finishing second in Laax. But let’s go with Norway’s Birk Ruud, who won last weekend in Laax. He doesn’t have much slopestyle success to show from Aspen — he did win big air gold in 2019 — but he’s ready to change that.

Women’s knuckle huck

1:30 p.m., Saturday

Projected winner: Ruby Star Andrews

Yes, women’s ski knuckle huck is a thing this year. Picking a winner is all about dumb luck. It’s an under-the-radar field, with Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin arguably the most notable name competing. Utah’s Rell Harwood and Taylor Lundquist represent the Americans. But I’m going with New Zealand teen Ruby Star Andrews, mostly because of her awesome name. She’s an up-and-comer who has collected a few World Cup podiums so far. This will be her X Games debut. Kiwis have been crushing in Aspen as of late.

Women’s superpipe

5 p.m., Saturday

Projected winner: Eileen Gu

Frankly, I’m not sure if anyone can keep pace with Eileen Gu here. The American/Chinese superstar has only competed at X Games once, but she won two gold and a bronze in three events in her 2021 debut. Injuries and the Olympics have kept her from competing the past two years, but she’s back. Kelly Sildaru isn’t competing this year, and Basalt’s own Hanna Faulhaber, the reigning world champion, is out with injury. Utah’s Zoe Atkin — she represents Great Britain in competition — won superpipe gold last year at Buttermilk and might be the best bet to upset Gu. But it’s unlikely.

Women’s big air

6:30 p.m., Saturday

Projected winner: Tess Ledeux

This field does have some weight to it, but I’m a big fan of the breakthrough French star Tess Ledeux. She’s already a three-time winner in Aspen, including her big air/slopestyle sweep in 2022. She won big air silver last winter. But Sarah Hoefflin and Mathilde Gremaud represent some serious competition. Gu is the reigning Olympic champion in the discipline, but she isn’t slated to compete in big air at X Games. Ledeux won Olympic silver in Beijing two years ago.

Men’s knuckle huck

9 p.m., Saturday

Projected winner: Matej Svancer

Hailing from Austria, Matej Svancer has been turning heads the past few years with his big air and slopestyle acrobatics and will be among the more entertaining X Games athletes out there this weekend. His lone X medal in two appearances was silver in knuckle huck last winter. Getting to the top won’t be easy, however, as Hall, Harlaut, and Stevenson are all slated to compete in knuckle huck, as well.

Women’s slopestyle

12:45 p.m., Sunday

Projected winner: Eileen Gu

No offense to everyone else, but Gu isn’t beatable when she’s on top of her game. And with no Sildaru, who is among the few who could legitimately threaten her, Gu might roll in this. Still only 20, she is coming off taking second at Laax behind Swiss great Mathilde Gremaud, who is more of a big air specialist. I don’t think Gu lets her beat her twice in two weeks. Hoefflin and Ledeux could also have a say by the end, but this is Gu’s world.

Men’s superpipe

5 p.m., Sunday

Projected winner: Alex Ferreira

I’m still not going to pick against the hometown hero. Aspen’s own Alex Ferreira won X Games gold in both 2019 and 2020 but had disappointing results in both 2021 and 2023 (He pulled out of 2022 because of the Olympics). But the two-time Olympic medalist is red hot this season, having won both the Secret Garden and Copper Mountain World Cups. Still, it’s a stacked field, one that includes New Zealand superstar Nico Porteous, who won X Games gold in both 2021 and 2022 (not to mention Olympic gold in Beijing). The timeless David Wise, who won his fifth X Games superpipe gold medal last year, is also back in the mix.

acolbert@aspentimes.com