X Games Aspen 2022 wrap-up: Seeing what predictions turned into reality
Aspen Times sports editor Austin Colbert looks back on his pre-X Games picks
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
And X Games is gone as quickly as it arrived. The 2022 Aspen edition was as entertaining as ever, with many of the world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders getting to compete one final time this past weekend at Buttermilk Ski Area before heading to the Beijing Olympics.
Before the contest, I made my predictions on who would win each of the 12 main contests — I wisely made no guesses on the unpredictable knuckle huck — so let’s look back on how I did in this X Games Aspen 2022 final send.
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
My pick: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Actual winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Picking against Tahoe’s Jamie Anderson paid off, but barely. New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was one of the stars of X Games and more than proved she’s capable of ending Anderson’s dominance in slopestyle come the Olympics with her back-to-back 1080 combo. The Kiwi is only 20 and is the future of the sport. But Anderson, 31, still won silver and remains the greatest of all time.
Women’s ski big air
My pick: Mathilde Gremaud
Actual winner: Tess Ledeux
Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud pulled out after a hard crash and it was France’s Tess Ledeux who took over. She dominated the contest with a 94 — highlighted by a first-ever 1620 — while Canada’s Megan Oldham won silver with 89. Canada’s Olivia Asselin won bronze with 72, meaning the contest was a bit lacking after the top.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Women’s ski superpipe
My pick: Kelly Sildaru
Actual winner: Kelly Sildaru
First off, Basalt’s Hanna Faulhaber crushed her X Games debut and won bronze. She seemed to have silver in the bag until California’s Brita Sigourney swiped it away at the last second. But, to no one’s surprise, Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru won gold behind her highly technical runs. Sildaru and China’s Eileen Gu, who did not compete at X Games, are expected to battle it out for Olympic gold.
Men’s snowboard superpipe
My pick: Ayumu Hirano
Actual winner: Scotty James
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano made his return to X Games after sitting out the past three years and didn’t disappoint, finishing second and even landed the first-ever triple cork at X Games, but the Australian great that is Scotty James wasn’t going to be denied. The battle between those two, not to mention American legend Shaun White and Japan’s Yuto Totsuka, who both skipped X Games, is going to be wild at the Olympics. Good showing from Ayumu’s little brother, Kaishu Hirano, who won bronze at X Games.
Women’s ski slopestyle
My pick: Kelly Sildaru
Actual winner: Tess Ledeux
Sildaru fell on her first run in the rail section and withdrew. Ledeux, the 20-year-old from France, was sensational this year at X Games and went home with two gold medals after stepping in to win slopestyle as well as big air. She’s on fire right now, but will still only be a darkhorse at the Olympics with Sildaru and Gu in the mix.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
My pick: Mark McMorris
Actual winner: Mark McMorris
After missing X Games Aspen 2021 because of a positive COVID-19 test, Canada’s Mark McMorris returned to win his record 21st Winter X Games medal in a dramatic battle that went down to the wire with Norway’s Marcus Kleveland. Simply put, X Games is better with McMorris competing. Sweden’s Sven Thorgren won bronze, while Silverthorne’s Red Gerard, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in slopestyle, was fourth.
Women’s snowboard big air
My pick: Miyabi Onitsuka
Actual winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
The Kiwi went 2 for 2 at X Games, edging Anderson both times. Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka was solid, winning big air bronze, but Sadowski-Synnott and the Tahoe legend have seriously pulled away from the pack. Only five women ultimately competed in big air at X Games. Of note, this was Anderson’s 21st career Winter X Games medal, putting her into a tie with McMorris for the most in the event’s history.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Women’s snowboard superpipe
My pick: Maddie Mastro
Actual winner: Sena Tomita
California’s Maddie Mastro just can’t get it to come together at X Games. A bum ankle forced her to withdraw late in the competition and she finished fifth, but she’s only 21 and is still a force in the sport and will be for many more years. Japan’s Sena Tomita, 22, was the surprise winner over Spain’s Queralt Castellet. The end when Tomita was awarded her medal was priceless, as the modest rider didn’t know Mastro had opted out of her final run. Worth watching. Japan’s Haruna Matsumoto won bronze.
Men’s ski big air
My pick: Matej Svancer
Actual winner: Alex Hall
Matej Svancer, the 17-year-old big air sensation from Austria, will have his X Games moment some day. It just wasn’t this year, finishing fifth. That said, Utah’s Alex Hall made a big statement by winning gold and might just be the Olympic frontrunner. His 2160 — yes, 2160, as in six full rotations — was truly one of the “wow” moments at X Games. Connecticut’s Mac Forehand, an X Games rookie and rising star, won silver.
Men’s snowboard big air
My pick: Marcus Kleveland
Actual winner: Marcus Kleveland
Kleveland has left little doubt in recent years that he is the best big air snowboarder on the planet. It was close at X Games, with Kleveland just edging Canada’s Max Parrot and Finland’s Rene Rinnekangas. Kleveland should be the Olympic favorite. He also won the snowboard knuckle huck competition, an event which he inspired. McMorris finished fourth in big air, meaning he remained stuck at 21 career X Games medals with Anderson.
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times
Men’s ski slopestyle
My pick: Alex Hall
Actual winner: Andri Ragettli
He didn’t win, but Hall was still impressive in finishing third for another X Games medal. The American is skiing as well as anyone right now and come Beijing should do a heck of a lot better than the 16th he took in slopestyle at the 2018 Olympics. Canada’s Max Moffatt won silver at X Games and looked solid, while Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli held off the pack for his first slopestyle gold in Aspen.
Men’s ski superpipe
My pick: Alex Ferreira
Actual winner: Nico Porteous
Aspen’s Alex Ferreira was a late scratch from the contest, needing to rest up before the Olympics. New Zealand’s Nico Porteous defended his gold from 2021 with another amazing performance this year, winning on his final run over Crested Butte’s Aaron Blunck and Nevada’s David Wise. Porteous should be the Olympic favorite, in all fairness, but any of those names, including Ferreira, can win. Of note, this contest was presumably the final X Games run for the Telluride-raised Gus Kenworthy, who will retire after the Olympics.
Faulhaber fifth in X Games halfpipe skiing as snow makes amplitude difficult
Mother Nature — and some unfortunate training injuries — completely changed the vibe around the women’s halfpipe skiing final on Saturday at X Games Aspen.
