Monster Energy, the official energy drink partner of X Games, is proud to bring some of the world's most competitive athletes in freeski and snowboarding to X Games Aspen 2024.
ASPEN, Colo., Jan. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The biggest spectacle in snow action sports returns! Monster Energy, the official energy drink partner of X Games, is proud to bring some of the world's most competitive athletes in freeski and snowboarding to X Games Aspen 2024. Followed live by fans on-site and audiences worldwide, the winter edition of X Games heads back to Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, for the 23rd consecutive year from January 26-28, 2024.
The global snow sports community will focus on X Games Aspen 2024 for three action-packed days. This year, more than 100 of the world's best action sports athletes from 17 countries will be competing in ski and snowboard events. X Games Aspen 2024 marks the 69th edition of X Games since the contest's inception in 1995. Aspen has hosted the winter edition of X Games since 2002.
X Games Aspen 2024 will feature men's and women's ski and snowboard competitions in the disciplines of Big Air, Slopestyle, SuperPipe, and Knuckle Huck. A total of 16 medal events – up from 14 events last year – will award 48 medals (gold, silver, bronze) over the weekend. As a new addition, the Knuckle Huck event will have dedicated women's competitions in ski and snowboard disciplines.
Fans are delighted about the return of X Fest, the free three-day sponsor village located at the base of Buttermilk, featuring limited free spectator competition viewing areas for Big Air, Knuckle Huck, and Slopestyle. X Fest will also feature sponsor activations, athlete autograph signings, concessions, and Jumbotrons for fans to watch all live X Games Aspen competitions. X Games Aspen 2024 will be broadcast live on television on ABC and ESPN and streamed on YouTube, X Games social channels, and Twitch.
Like every year, X Games Aspen represents the cream of the crop in winter sports competitions. For this reason, the invite-only event is reserved for multiple-time X Games medalists and highly competitive newcomers to keep riding at an elite level. As the official drink sponsor of X Games Aspen 2024, Monster Energy is ready to bring the stoke with a stacked team of riders, including upcoming rookies and defending gold medalists.
Heading into X Games Aspen 2024, keep an eye on the following key Monster Energy athletes and competitions:
The big weekend in Aspen kicks off on Friday afternoon with Women's Snowboard Slopestyle. Fierce competition includes last year's silver medalist Tess Coady from Melbourne, Australia, and Japanese ripper Kokomo Murase looking to improve on her bronze from Aspen 2023. Also gunning for the podium, watch out for reigning FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Champion Mia Brookes from Great Britain and German Olympic snowboarder Annika Morgan. Not to be missed!
Staying with girls who shred, the Women's Snowboard SuperPipe final is gearing up for an epic showdown: Last year's surprise winner, South Korean teen sensation Gaon Choi faces her mentor, six-time X Games gold medalist Chloe Kim. Freshly returned to competition, the Queen of the SuperPipe takes on the 15-year-old viral sensation… and we're here for all of it!
Once nighttime settles over Buttermilk Mountain, a fan favorite returns with Thayer Men's Snowboard Knuckle Huck. This test of skill and creativity sees riders 'hucking' their most advanced tricks over the bump behind the Big Air jump; known as the 'knuckle'. Get ready to see the intensity turned up to eleven when four-time X Games medalist Darcy Sharpe and Monster Army rider Tiarn Collins bring their skills to the battle.
Next, the night turns into a showcase of massive aerials in the Pacifico Men's Ski Big Air event. Expect trick history to be written as Olympic gold medalist Birk Ruud from Norway looks to upgrade his bronze medal from Aspen 2023 to claim his third X Games gold. Speaking of gold, Park City local Alex Hall took the win in 2022 and just won the Big Air World Cup in Beijing last December. Big rivalry, anyone? And with young guns and certified podium threats such as Édouard Therriault(Canada), Troy Podmilsak (USA), and Daniel Bacher(Austria) in the mix, fans are in for the kind of spectacle only X Games can deliver.
Closing out Friday night on a high note, Monster Energy Men's Snowboard SuperPipe has it all: Rivalries, never-been-done tricks, and plenty of scores to settle. For starters, Japanese team rider Ayumu Hirano triple-corked his way to Olympic gold in the discipline at the Beijing 2022 Games, then left Aspen 2023 empty-handed. Is he hungry for more? You bet! The same goes for Ayumu's younger brother Kaishu Hirano, owner of a bronze medal from his X Games debut in 2022. And will this be the year 2021's X Games Champion Yuto Totsuka reclaims his spot at the very top? Make sure to set your YouTube reminders for this one!
The biggest day of competitions at X Games Aspen 2024 will kick off on Saturday with the Men's Ski Slopestyle final. The rider to beat is last year's gold medalist, Colby Stevenson from Park City, Utah, looking for his fourth gold at X Games. But wait! Last year's bronze medalist, Ferdinand Dahl from Norway already owns three X Games medals and has his eyes on the win. Brace for heavy competition from five-time X Games gold medalist Alex Hall who won Slopestyle in 2019 and has a way of putting together winning runs. What's more, Norway's Birk Ruud has never medaled in Slopestyle, while freeski legend Henrik Harlaut owns Slopestyle gold from Aspen 2018, and Canada's Evan McEachran already has bronze. This one will be lit!
For the first time in history, X Games will contest the Thayer Women's Snowboard Knuckle Huck. First things first, let's acknowledge that snowboard icon Jamie Anderson competed as the first woman in the otherwise all-men's Snowboard Knuckle Huck at Aspen 2021. Now, the 21-time X Games medalist returns from maternity leave to send it over the knuckle alongside teammates Mia Brookes, Tess Coady, Kokomo Murase, and Annika Morgan. Witness history in the making!
For another never-been-seen contest, stay tuned for the Thayer Women's Ski Knuckle Huck. Anything can happen when decorated Swiss riders Sarah Hoefflin from Geneva and Giulia Tanno from Lenzerheide send their most creative tricks over the knuckle. And with Canadian X Games silver medalist Olivia Asselin joining the squad, amazing tricks are definitely in the forecast.
Heading into Saturday night, the Women's Ski SuperPipe event will feature the world elite of the sport, including Olympic gold medalists and X Games champions. In this rarified air, Monster Army rider Svea Irving from Colorado stole the show last year by clinching the bronze medal. Will Irving rise to the podium at Aspen 2024? Don't miss it!
Keeping the momentum going, the Monster Energy squad will step into the Pacifico Women's Ski Big Air final. Watch closely as Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hoefflin and four-time X Games medalist Giulia Tanno take on the massive Big Air jump. And did we mention that Olivia Asselin is on a mission to level up her silver medal to a gold? Seeing is believing!
The action will stay on massive aerials in the Pacifico Men's Snowboard Big Air final. Will this be the year that Chinese child actor and reigning Olympic gold medalist Su Yiming finally gets his first X Games gold? Also hungry for gold: Japanese sensation Taiga Hasegawa has mastered 1980-degree aerials and claimed wins in FIS World Cup events. But no X Games medals to date… He will be facing heat from certified X Games medal owners Rene Rinnekangas and Sven Thorgren, alongside New Zealand's Tiarn Collins looking for that first X Games podium. High stakes in Big Air, no doubt!
Rounding out an epic night on Buttermilk Mountain, the Thayer Men's Ski Knuckle Huck will feature the most creative riders on the planet. Anything can happen: Colby Stevenson may have earned bronze in the event at X Games Aspen 2023, but Alex Hall is a virtuoso on skis and known to unleash never-been-done tricks in the huck fest. The same goes for eight-time X Games gold medalist Henrik Harlaut, who spearheaded trick innovation in the discipline and earned gold at X Games Aspen 2021. And don't sleep on Montana native Quinn Wolferman, winner of Knuckle Huck gold in 2022, who is always ready to explore unknown territory in these events. This will be epic!
The final day of X Games Aspen 2024 starts with the Men's Snowboard Slopestyle final, and Monster is sending in some heavy hitters: Swedish ripper Sven Thorgren is a certified X Games gold medalist in the discipline and ready to unleash the beast this year. Fellow Scandinavian Rene Rinnekangas already owns X Games silver in Slopestyle, while Su Yiming from China wants to add X Games credentials to his Olympic silver from the 2022 Beijing Games. Also looking for their first Slopestyle medals at X Games, young Japanese upstart Taiga Hasegawa and California all-terrain rider Judd Henkes head into Aspen with new tricks up their sleeves. Prepare to be amazed!
Technical rail tricks and big airs remain the focus in Women's Ski Slopestyle. Switzerland's Sarah Hoefflin already holds two silver medals in the discipline, could gold be in the cards in 2024? Hoefflin will have to battle a stacked field of competitors, including multiple X Games medalist Giulia Tanno. For a wildcard, Canadian Olivia Asselin was set to represent her country in Slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics but was forced to drop out at the last second. Could this be her Slopestyle breakthrough?
Heading into the last night's session at X Games Aspen 2024, Buttermilk's massive halfpipe will set the stage for an epic Men's Ski SuperPipe final. Quick rewind to last year: 33-year-old Nevada native David Wise reminded the field that age is just a number when he clinched his fifth(!) X Games gold medal in the discipline. This year, the two-time Olympic gold medalist faces the strongest competition to date, including reigning FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Champion 2023 Brendan Mackay from Canada. A classic in the making…
For the final showdown, the Pacifico Women's Snowboard Big Air will close out Aspen 2024 with a bang. That's because British ripper Mia Brookes is hungry for gold, but not if 19-year-old Japanese snowboarder Kokomo Murase has a word. In December, Murase capped off her 2023 season by winning the FIS World Cup Big Air gold medal at Copper Mountain with the highest score of all time and two never-been-done tricks. Raising the stakes, Australia's ttps://Tess Coady claimed Big Air bronze in the 2023 FIS World Championships and wants her first X Games medal in the event, same as German Olympic snowboarder Annika Morgan. Make sure to tune in and don't miss this classic!
Starting on Friday, January 26, a full 13 hours of X Games coverage will be broadcast live in the U.S. on ABC and ESPN. All 16 hours of live competitions will be streamed in real-time across the globe on XGames.com, YouTube, and Twitch. Last winter, X Games Aspen 2023 was televised globally in 192 countries and territories, reaching more than 500 million homes.
Are you ready to witness boundary-pushing tricks and history-making performances courtesy of the world's best riders? Make sure to catch all the action featuring Team Monster Energy at X Games Aspen 2024!
Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games Aspen 2024, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at Buttermilk Mountain.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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