Winter X Games XII
Encyclopedia
Winter X Games XII were held from January 24 to January 27, 2008 in Aspen
, Colorado
. They were the 7th consecutive Winter X Games
to be held in Aspen. Television coverage of Winter X Games XII was broadcast on ESPN
and ABC
, primarily hosted by Sal Masekela
and Todd Harris
. Final attendance for the four-day event was 72,500.
won his third consecutive men's superpipe
gold medal and his seventh X Games gold medal over all, the most of any winter competitor. This record stood alone until the final night of competition, when Shaun White
tied it with a gold medal in the men's snowboard superpipe and set his own record with 12 career Winter X Games medals.
Snowmobile Speed and Style was debuted as a new event on the opening night of competition, combining traditional snocross, a timed race, with trick skill. The event was judged, with completion time and freestyle each making up half of the final score. Levi LaVallee
won gold. Tucker Hibbert won his third gold medal in Snocross
and his second consecutive. LaVallee's subsequent gold medal win in the snowmobile freestyle made him only the second Winter X Games competitor to win a gold medal in four different events, after Shaun Palmer
.
In women's snowboarding, Lindsay Jacobellis regained the gold medal, her fourth, in Women's Snowboard Cross, defeating Swiss
boarder Tanja Frieden
. Frieden defeated Jacobellis at the 2006 Winter Olympics
after Jacobellis fell near the finish line after attempting a trick. Aspen native Gretchen Bleiler
won the women's superpipe, defeating the Australia
n Torah Bright
.
Big Air events returned to the Winter X Games for the first time in several competitions. There were only four participants in both the skiing and snowboarding big air events. The events were done in a knockout format, with two judges voting and the audience, voting through text messaging, each having equal say as to who advanced to the finals and who won. There were only gold medals awarded for the Big Air events, as they were judged as winner take all competition.
On the final day of competition, the weather deteriorated throughout the day The weather likely affected the turnout, with around 4,000 fewer spectators than Winter X Games XI. The ski cross course was affected by weather conditions as the day went on, and there were several major crashes involving top competitors. Lars Lewen, Juha Haukkala
, and Karin Huttary
all had to be taken to the hospital following injuries; Enak Gavaggio
was involved in the same crash as Lewen, but refused transport. American
Daron Rahlves
, a three time Olympian, won the gold in the men's event, his first X Games medal. Errol Kerr
, who had the fastest time of the day in any heat, did not medal. Sarah Burke
defended her gold medal in the women's ski superpipe competition, defeating Swiss
ex-snowboarder Mirjam Jaeger.
Men's Ski Big Air
Men's Ski Cross
Women's Ski Cross
Men's Ski Slopestyle
Men's Ski SuperPipe
Women's Ski SuperPipe
Men's Snowboard Cross
Women's Snowboard Cross
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe
Women's Snowboard SuperPipe
Snowmobile Freestyle
Snowmobile Speed and Style
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. They were the 7th consecutive Winter X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
to be held in Aspen. Television coverage of Winter X Games XII was broadcast on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, primarily hosted by Sal Masekela
Sal Masekela
Selema Mabena "Sal" Masekela is an American television host, sports commentator, actor, and singer.-Biography:...
and Todd Harris
Todd Harris
Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series...
. Final attendance for the four-day event was 72,500.
Disciplines
Disciplines at the 12th Winter X Games were:- SkiingSkiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
- SnowboardingSnowboardingSnowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
- Snowmobiling
Highlights
Skier Tanner HallTanner Hall
Tanner Hall , of Kalispell, Montana is a freeskier.-Biography:In 2002 Tanner Hall co-founded the freeride ski company Armada Skis with skier JP Auclair and photographer Chris O'Connell...
won his third consecutive men's superpipe
Superpipe
A superpipe is a large halfpipe structure used in extreme sports such as snowboarding, freestyle skiing, skateboarding, freestyle BMX and inline skating....
gold medal and his seventh X Games gold medal over all, the most of any winter competitor. This record stood alone until the final night of competition, when Shaun White
Shaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
tied it with a gold medal in the men's snowboard superpipe and set his own record with 12 career Winter X Games medals.
Snowmobile Speed and Style was debuted as a new event on the opening night of competition, combining traditional snocross, a timed race, with trick skill. The event was judged, with completion time and freestyle each making up half of the final score. Levi LaVallee
Levi LaVallee
Levi LaVallee is an American snowmobile racer.He won the Winter X Games VIII HillCross gold medal in 2004....
won gold. Tucker Hibbert won his third gold medal in Snocross
Snocross
Snocross is a racing sport involving racing specialized high performance snowmobiles on natural or artificially-made tracks consisting of tight turns, banked corners, steep jumps and obstacles. Riders race at speed of up to 60 miles per hour...
and his second consecutive. LaVallee's subsequent gold medal win in the snowmobile freestyle made him only the second Winter X Games competitor to win a gold medal in four different events, after Shaun Palmer
Shaun Palmer
Shaun Palmer is an American professional snowboarder, skier, mountain biker, and motocross rider. "Palm Daddy" is known as one of the forefathers of extreme sports.-Early life:...
.
In women's snowboarding, Lindsay Jacobellis regained the gold medal, her fourth, in Women's Snowboard Cross, defeating Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
boarder Tanja Frieden
Tanja Frieden
Tanja Frieden is a Swiss snowboarder. She won a gold medal in the inaugural Snowboard Cross competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics....
. Frieden defeated Jacobellis at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
after Jacobellis fell near the finish line after attempting a trick. Aspen native Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler is an American professional halfpipe snowboarder. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and is married to Chris Hotell.-Career:...
won the women's superpipe, defeating the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Torah Bright
Torah Bright
Torah Jane Bright is an Australian snowboarder. She turned pro at age 14 and finished fifth in snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. She lives and trains in the area of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
.
Big Air events returned to the Winter X Games for the first time in several competitions. There were only four participants in both the skiing and snowboarding big air events. The events were done in a knockout format, with two judges voting and the audience, voting through text messaging, each having equal say as to who advanced to the finals and who won. There were only gold medals awarded for the Big Air events, as they were judged as winner take all competition.
On the final day of competition, the weather deteriorated throughout the day The weather likely affected the turnout, with around 4,000 fewer spectators than Winter X Games XI. The ski cross course was affected by weather conditions as the day went on, and there were several major crashes involving top competitors. Lars Lewen, Juha Haukkala
Juha Haukkala
Juha Haukkala is a Finnish freestyle skier who specializes in the skicross discipline.He made his World Cup debut in February 2003 in Les Contamines, and collected his first World Cup points in January 2004, with a 25th place in Laax and a 22nd place in Spindleruv Mlyn...
, and Karin Huttary
Karin Huttary
Karin Huttary is an Austrian freestyle skier who won a silver medal at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 2009 in ski-cross. Although an Austrian she was once a member of the Swedish ski team, but switched to ski-cross and will compete for Austria at the 2010 Winter Olympics.- External...
all had to be taken to the hospital following injuries; Enak Gavaggio
Enak Gavaggio
Enak Gavaggio is a French freestyle skier. He represented France at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-References:...
was involved in the same crash as Lewen, but refused transport. American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Daron Rahlves
Daron Rahlves
Daron Louis Rahlves is an American freestyle skier and a former alpine ski racer. Raised in northern California, he attended the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont and currently resides in Truckee, California...
, a three time Olympian, won the gold in the men's event, his first X Games medal. Errol Kerr
Errol Kerr
Errol Kerr is a downhill skier formerly with the U.S. Ski Team. Kerr is the son of a Jamaican father and an American mother. Kerr started skiing at age 4 and started racing competitively at age 11, and as a child he also raced BMX and motocross. The multi-disciplined Kerr eventually found his...
, who had the fastest time of the day in any heat, did not medal. Sarah Burke
Sarah Burke
Sarah Burke is a Canadian freestyle skier who grew up in Midland, Ontario, Canada. She now resides in Whistler, British Columbia.-Skiing career:...
defended her gold medal in the women's ski superpipe competition, defeating Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
ex-snowboarder Mirjam Jaeger.
Skiing
Men's Monoski Cross| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Kees-Jan van der Klooster Kees-Jan van der Klooster Kees-Jan van der Klooster is a Paralympian athlete from Netherlands competing in alpine skiing events. In March 2001 he had a snowboard accident and broke his back. Since then he is paralysed from his waist down... |
117.77 |
| Silver | Tyler Walker | 121.52 |
| Bronze | Chris Devlin-Young Chris Devlin-Young Christopher Devlin-Young is an American alpine ski racer and two time Paralympic Champion, who resides in Campton, New Hampshire... |
161.61 |
Men's Ski Big Air
| Place | Athlete | Semifinal Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Jon Olsson Jon Olsson Jon Olsson born in Mora, Sweden is a professional freeskier and alpine ski racer.Olsson is known for his invention of several new double flips, including a D-spin 720 into a flatspin 540 , a switch double rodeo 1080 , a double flatspin 900 , and a switch cork 720 to flatspin 540 .Olsson made his... |
|
| Runner-up | Charles Gagnier Charles Gagnier Charles Gagnier is a Canadian freeskier. He was born on July 19, 1985 in Victoriaville QC.He is best known for inventing the octograb, a trick that consists of grabbing one ski's tail with the right hand and the nose of the other ski with the left hand. His most famous trick is the Octograb... |
3-0 |
Men's Ski Cross
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Daron Rahlves Daron Rahlves Daron Louis Rahlves is an American freestyle skier and a former alpine ski racer. Raised in northern California, he attended the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont and currently resides in Truckee, California... |
86.05 |
| Silver | Stanley Hayer Stanley Hayer Stanley Hayer is a Canadian freestyle skier of Czech descent who currently resides in Kimberley, British Columbia. Stanley Hayer is a member of the Canadian national ski cross team.... |
86.27 |
| Bronze | Casey Puckett Casey Puckett Paul Casey Puckett is an American alpine skier who competed from 1990 to 2006 and freestyle skier who has competed since 2008.-Alpine skiing:... |
86.61 |
Women's Ski Cross
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Ophelie David Ophélie David Ophélie David is a French freestyle skier specializing in ski cross, an event in which she is the reigning six-time world champion in, and has won four consecutive times at the Winter X Games as well as being ranked number one in the world in since 2004.David began her career as an alpine skier,... |
92.19 |
| Silver | Hedda Berntsen Hedda Berntsen Hedda Berntsen is a Norwegian sportsperson who has competed internationally in telemark skiing, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and skicross. She is world champion in Telemark classic from 1997... |
92.70 |
| Bronze | Magdalena Jonsson | 93.56 |
Men's Ski Slopestyle
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Andreas Håtveit Andreas Håtveit Andreas Håtveit , is a Norwegian freestyle skier. He won a gold medal in Ski Slopestyle at the 2008 Winter X Games XII in Aspen, Colorado.... |
94.00 |
| Silver | Jossi Wells | 90.00 |
| Bronze | Jon Olsson Jon Olsson Jon Olsson born in Mora, Sweden is a professional freeskier and alpine ski racer.Olsson is known for his invention of several new double flips, including a D-spin 720 into a flatspin 540 , a switch double rodeo 1080 , a double flatspin 900 , and a switch cork 720 to flatspin 540 .Olsson made his... |
87.00 |
Men's Ski SuperPipe
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Tanner Hall Tanner Hall Tanner Hall , of Kalispell, Montana is a freeskier.-Biography:In 2002 Tanner Hall co-founded the freeride ski company Armada Skis with skier JP Auclair and photographer Chris O'Connell... |
92.33 |
| Silver | Simon Dumont Simon Dumont Simon Francis Dumont is a U.S. freestyle skier.-Skiing:Dumont is notable as one of the best freestyle skiers in the world today. He is known for his amplitude in half-pipe competitions, airing easily up to 20 feet out of the pipe, and doing superman double fronts... |
91.00 |
| Bronze | Colby James West Colby James West Colby James West is an American freestyle skier from Canterbury, New Hampshire. A late starter in skiing, Colby took up freestyle skiing when he was 13 years old and broke into the competitive scene with a podium finish in slope style at Winter X Games XII... |
85.00 |
Women's Ski SuperPipe
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Sarah Burke Sarah Burke Sarah Burke is a Canadian freestyle skier who grew up in Midland, Ontario, Canada. She now resides in Whistler, British Columbia.-Skiing career:... |
92.00 |
| Silver | Mirjam Jaeger | 81.33 |
| Bronze | Jen Hudak Jen Hudak Jen Hudak is an American freestyle skier, specializing in the halfpipe and slopestyle events. She currently resides in Utah, where she skis and trains regularly.-External links:*... |
78.33 |
Snowboarding
Men's Snowboard Big Air| Place | Athlete | Semifinal Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Torstein Horgmo Torstein Horgmo Torstein Horgmo is a Norwegian pro snowboarder. He is 5'9" tall.He is known for executing very technical jump tricks with great style.-Life and career:... |
2-1 |
| Runner-up | Kevin Pearce Kevin Pearce (snowboarder) Kevin Pearce is an American snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont.-Career:... |
3-0 |
Men's Snowboard Cross
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Nate Holland Nate Holland Nate Holland is an American snowboarder.Holland won a gold medal in Snowboard Cross at the 2007 Winter X Games XI in Aspen, Colorado. He won another gold medal at the 2008 Winter X Games XII, beating Markus Schairer in the finals... |
93.48 |
| Silver | Markus Schairer Markus Schairer Markus Schairer is an Austrian snowboarder.He received a silver medal in Snowboard Cross at the 2008 Winter X Games XII in Aspen, Colorado, behind winner Nate Holland.... |
93.81 |
| Bronze | David Speiser | 95.80 |
Women's Snowboard Cross
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Lindsey Jacobellis Lindsey Jacobellis Lindsey Jacobellis is an American snowboarder from Stratton, Vermont.At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Jacobellis won the silver medal in Women's Snowboard Cross's Olympics debut... |
102.00 |
| Silver | Tanja Frieden Tanja Frieden Tanja Frieden is a Swiss snowboarder. She won a gold medal in the inaugural Snowboard Cross competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.... |
102.67 |
| Bronze | Sandra Frei Sandra Frei Sandra Frei is a snowboarder set to represent Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics in cross.She retired in July 2011.- External links :** in: FIS... |
104.33 |
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Andreas Wiig Andreas Wiig Andreas Ygre Wiig is a professional snowboarder. He rides regular.Andreas was born in Oslo but grew up in Asker. He made a name for himself when he won two gold medals at the 2007 and 2008 Winter X Games... |
92.00 |
| Silver | Kevin Pearce Kevin Pearce (snowboarder) Kevin Pearce is an American snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont.-Career:... |
88.33 |
| Bronze | Shaun White Shaun White Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American... |
83.33 |
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Jamie Anderson Jamie Anderson (snowboarder) Jamie Anderson is an American snowboarder from South Lake Tahoe.- Career :Jamie Anderson has built a reputation as the most solid Slopestyle rider in the business with her raw talent and exceptional style and versatility of tricks... |
90.66 |
| Silver | Claudia Fliri | 86.33 |
| Bronze | Spencer O'Brien | 80.00 |
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Shaun White Shaun White Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American... |
96.66 |
| Silver | Ryo Aono Ryō Aono is a Japanese snowboarder who has six World Cup victories. He is set to compete for Japan at the 2010 Winter Olympics in half-pipe.- References :... |
88.00 |
| Bronze | Kevin Pearce Kevin Pearce (snowboarder) Kevin Pearce is an American snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont.-Career:... |
85.66 |
Women's Snowboard SuperPipe
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Gretchen Bleiler Gretchen Bleiler Gretchen Bleiler is an American professional halfpipe snowboarder. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and is married to Chris Hotell.-Career:... |
93.33 |
| Silver | Torah Bright Torah Bright Torah Jane Bright is an Australian snowboarder. She turned pro at age 14 and finished fifth in snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. She lives and trains in the area of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA... |
92.66 |
| Bronze | Kelly Clark Kelly Clark Kelly Clark is a snowboarder born in the village of West Dover in the town of Dover, Vermont. She has been snowboarding since she was 8 years old, and began competing in 1999... |
90.00 |
Snowmobiling
Snocross| Place | Athlete |
|---|---|
| Gold | Tucker Hibbert |
| Silver | Brett Turcotte |
| Bronze | D.J. Eckstrom |
Snowmobile Freestyle
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Levi LaVallee Levi LaVallee Levi LaVallee is an American snowmobile racer.He won the Winter X Games VIII HillCross gold medal in 2004.... |
87.66 |
| Silver | Joe Parsons | 87.33 |
| Bronze | Heath Frisby | 92.33 (in consolation) |
Snowmobile Speed and Style
| Place | Athlete | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Levi LaVallee Levi LaVallee Levi LaVallee is an American snowmobile racer.He won the Winter X Games VIII HillCross gold medal in 2004.... |
91.00 |
| Silver | Sam Rogers | 82.07 |
| Bronze | Joe Parsons | 92.33 (in consolation) |