X Games Day Three: Gold for Gerard, Ferriera, Bronze for Hess
Sunday, Jan. 28, marked the final day of the 2024 Winter X Games in Aspen, featuring the final four events of the jam-packed weekend: men’s snowboard slopestyle, women’s freeski slopestyle, men’s freeski superpipe and women’s snowboard big air. With warmer temperatures in the forecast and exciting events, an impressive number of spectators came out for the final day of competition that featured some of the best athletes X Games has to offer.
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
Olympic gold medalist and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team members Red Gerard, Judd Henkes and X Games medalist Chris Corning were set to take on the highly anticipated men’s snowboard slopestyle competition, featuring the king of X Games slope himself, two-time defending champion Mark McMorris. McMorris is synonymous with the event, having won 13 medals in 15 X Games slopestyle appearances and was the clear favorite heading into the first run of the morning. Gerard, having won almost every other major slopestyle competition, was determined to win the elusive X Games gold he’s been eyeing throughout his career. With multiple family members watching from the corral, Gerard put down all three of his runs, scoring nothing lower than a 93 and besting the legend McMorris, to secure his well-deserved and long overdue X Games gold. McMorris took second, tying him with Shaun White and Andy Macdonald for third on the all time X Games medals list with 23. Mons Røisland of Norway rounded out the podium in third. American Chris Corning, who took fourth in Saturday’s big air, finished seventh and Judd Henkes took ninth.
Women's Freeski Big Air
Having medaled in two events on Saturday, Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s own Rell Harwood continued her impressive X Games rookie year in the women’s freeski big air competition. With innovative lines and the style to back it up, Harwood proved she is one of the most exciting athletes to watch in the discipline and capped off her X Games debut with a solid fourth place. “My first time at X Games was an amazing and surreal week,” said Harwood. "It's so much fun skiing with all my friends, we had great weather, and I’m excited to hopefully come back!”
Men's Freeski SuperPipe
All eyes turned to the halfpipe as the Stifel U.S. Ski Team dominated the start list for the men’s freeski superpipe competition. Aspen native and two-time X Games superpipe gold medalist Alex Ferreira was joined by teammates and previous superpipe gold medalists David Wise and Aaron Blunk, along with Hunter Hess and Nick Goepper, the four-time slopestyle X Games gold medalist making his first appearance in the X Games superpipe.
Coming off back-to-back World Cup victories, Ferierra dropped in with confidence and nailed his first run, getting the crowd fired up with his signature pole swing in the finish. His run one score of 93.33 ended up holding the top spot throughout the entire competition and landed Ferierra back on top of the superpipe podium. Geopper, rocking a pair of jeans as a tribute to his fellow skiers in the midwest who can’t necessarily afford the fanciest gear, was a crowd favorite in the X Games superpipe for the first time in his career and finishing the night in an impressive fourth place. He was edged out of podium contention by teammate Hess, who was overcome with emotion after securing his first X Games medal with a third place finish. Blunck ended the night in sixth and defending X Games superpipe gold medalist Wise finished seventh.
Women's Snowboard Big Air
Although no Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes started in the women’s big air competition, it was still one for the history books and a display of the trick progression happening in the women’s field. Japan’s Kokomo Murase became the first woman to land a frontside 1440 and simultaneously became the first woman to win three snowboard medals at the same X Games since 1997. Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi took silver and Austria’s Anna Gasser the bronze.
After a successful showing at the 2024 X Games, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team return to World Cup competition with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain this week, with qualifications scheduled to start on Wednesday.
