The Snow Bike culture continues to proliferate, and this year’s Winter X Games will host two Snow Bike competitions that fans of these dirt bikes with tracks can check out. The following is from Monster Energy:
ASPEN, Colo. – January 22, 2018 – Monster Energy, the official energy drink partner of X Games, is proud to announce its team of world-class athletes ready to compete at X Games Aspen 2018 at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. All competitions are slated for January 25 – 28. Expect non-stop action as Monster Energy athletes hit events across Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling and the exciting Snow Bike.
The snow sports world will soon gather in the heart of the Rocky Mountains as Winter X Games returns to the storied mountain destination for its 17th consecutive year for the world’s premier action sports competition on snow with live coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The 2018 event will again feature action sports competitions, world-class musical performances and a festival village.
Monster Energy’s unrivaled roster includes athletes across the spectrum of Snowboard, Freeski, Snowmobile, Snow Bike and new for this year, Harley-Davidson Hill Snow Hill Climb, where athletes are ready to compete for fame, fortune and everlasting X Games glory.
X Games is the height of winter competition, and as such, athlete invites are few and far between. This year the invitations were limited to even less athletes in an effort to keep the contest level elite. Key Monster Energy athletes to keep an eye on include:
Chloe Kim: The 17-year-old snowboard phenom will look for her fourth gold medal in Women’s SuperPipe — feats she accomplished in Aspen 2015 and 2016 as well as Oslo 2016. Kim earned her first X Games medal at the age of 13 and is the only X Games athlete to win three gold medals before the age of 16. This year is even more special for Kim because she was recently announced to her first Olympic Team where in February she is widely consider the favorite to take gold in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
In Men’s SuperPipe Iouri Podladtchikov and Ayumu Hirano will gun it out for gold. Podladtchikov, who won X Games Aspen silver in 2010 and 2012 as well as silver in Oslo 2016 is looking for his first X Games gold. Hirano meanwhile will rely on his explosive riding and unmatched style to try and snag another gold, something he accomplished in Oslo 2016.
As far as Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle goes we need look no further than the X Games all time winningest athlete in the discipline, Jamie Anderson. With 11 medals total, 4 of them gold, Anderson will look to add some more hardware to here trophy case as she prepares to defend her Olympic gold in South Korea next month. In addition, she will be competing in the Women’s Snowboard Big Air event, which made its X Games debut last year.
Looking at the men, Monster Energy is sending a stacked roster to X Games for Snowboard Slopestyle including Ståle Sandbech, a goofy-footed rider from Norway who peers and judges alike agree has the best style on the course.
Sandbech has a total of five X Games medals thus far and will be gunning for his elusive first gold. In addition, Max Parrot, Sebbe De Buck and Darcy Sharpe, a 20-year-old Canadian rider whose versatility and natural talent lend added excitement to his creative runs, will be competing in the event.
With the final snowboard event of the games, when the Men’s Big Air get underway it will be Max Parrot representing the Monster Energy team with his dichotomous style. With an incredibly humble and quiet demeanor, when Parrot straps in he inevitably dominates, which is obvious by his pioneering of multiple tricks and eight X Games medals, four of which are gold. Parrot has won the event the past two years.
Meanwhile, superstars David Wise and Gus Kenworthy will compete for center stage in the Men’s Ski Superpipe. Wise, a three-time gold medalist in the event is looking to regain his spot on top after missing the podium the past three seasons. Kenworthy, on the other hand will look for his first gold after a sliver and bronze in Aspen and Oslo 2016 respectively.
Men’s Freeski Big Air brings the surprise James Woods back to the course after a remarkable win last year in Aspen. Growing up riding the “dry slopes” of Great Britain, this unlikely star wows spectators and judges alike with his progressive take on the sport. Also in attendance will be Swedish Skier Henrik Harlaut a legend in the making with a total of four golds in the event thus far in his young career.
The Women’s Ski Big Air bring four Monster Energy Athletes to the jump — Maggie Voisin, Devin Logan, Giulia Tanno and Emma Dahlström, a 25-year-old from Sweden whose X Games resume includes a bronze in Big Air at Oslo 2016 as well as a gold in Slopestyle at Aspen 2015.
Returning to the halfpipe, Cassie Sharpe (sister of snowboarder Darcy Sharpe) will take to the Women’s Ski SuperPipe with the same ferocity we saw in her 2016 X Games debut where she placed fourth in Aspen only to take gold a month later in Oslo with one of the best pipe runs in the history of women’s skiing. Also in attendance will be Logan and veteran skier Brita Sigourney.
With the Women’s Ski Slopestyle competition look out for 18-year-old Tanno. An X Games rookie last year, she narrowly missed the podium at both the Aspen and Oslo X Games taking fourth at both respective events. Dahlström, Voisin and the multi-talented Logan, who is competing in all three ski events, will also take to the course.
As far as the Men’s Ski Slopestyle goes Monster Energy dominates the field with a total of five athletes, including last years bronze medalist Alex Beaulieu-Marchand. Despite a string of injuries in recent years, “ABM” as he is known, has not slowed a bit and continues to dazzle the freeski world with his inventive spins and grabs. At just 23-years-old the Quebec City native is just hitting his stride. The venue will also be subject to the savagery of Harlaut, Woods, Kenworthy, and Evan McEachran — all posted to strike for X Games gold.
In Snow BikeCross, Doonies3 star Axell Hodges will compete in the event. Hodges, who made his X Games debut at X Games Austin 2016 walked away with silver in Moto X Best Whip and is looking to add another medal this year in the new Snow Bike event on snow. Supercross and Motocross champion Ryan Villopoto will also be competing in BikeCross along with Kody Kamm, Josh Hill, and Keaton Ward.
For the inaugural Snow Bike Best Trick contest pay attention to Freestyle Moto X innovator Jackson Strong. Strong who has won three X Games gold in Moto X Best Trick will take his skills to the snow for the first time in this modified crossover sport. Veteran snowmobiles Heath Frisby and Brett Turcotte will also saddle up for the unique event.
Snowmobile Freestyle sees familiar face Joe Parsons fire up his machine for the 11th year in a row in hopes of snagging another X Games medal.
With an astonishing 15 medals at the games including four gold, Parsons will face off against Monster Energy teammates and training buddies Turcotte, Cory Davis and the legendary Frisby when competition kicks of Friday evening.
It will be an equally powerful line up at the Snowmobile Speed and Style event when the same veteran riders square off on at the bottom of Buttermilk Mountain on the always inventive course. With 11 X Games appearances under his belt, Davis has amassed six medals — three silver, three bronze. Will 2018 be the year that Davis finally takes home gold?
Finally, X Games Aspen 2018 will introduce the inaugural Harley-Davidson Hill Climb. In this psycho competition Logan Mead will line up head to head in a series of heats against other riders as they race modified twin cylinder motorcycles up the flat bottom of the superpipe course. Though Mead’s experience lies on traditional dirt hill climbs, it will be interesting to see if his skills translate to the snow.
ESPN and ABC will televise a combined 15.5 hours of live X Games Aspen 2018 coverage, which will also be accessible via the ESPN App to viewers who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Additional coverage of sports and music will be carried on ESPN3 as well as the latest coverage across ESPN digital platforms, including XGames.com, the X Games App, and X Games pages across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and more.
Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games Aspen 2018 including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter for exclusive behind-the-scenes looks in Aspen.
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