Winter X Games Information

The X Games are a series of competitive events between extreme sports professionals. They take place twice a year--the regular X Games are in the summer, and the Winter X Games take place in the winter. The winter games focus on cold weather action sports and are always held in the U.S. (with the only exception being Winter X Games Europe, which was held in addition to the Winter X Games in America).

  1. Competitions

    • Three main disciplines are performed in competition at the Winter X Games: snowboarding, skiing and snowmobiling. Men and women each compete separately but in the same games. Some of the snowboarding competitions include big air, slopestyle, super pipe and the snowboard cross. Skiing competitions include the monoski cross, big air, slopestyle, super pipe and ski cross. Snowmobiling competitions include the snocross, snowmobile freestyle, and speed and style.

    Awards

    • Competitors come from all over the world in hopes of receiving the best overall score in an event--and a gold medal. Most of the games also have silver and bronze medal recipients for the second- and third-best finishers, but some events simply have a runner-up winner. Prize money is also awarded to the top finishers.

    Commercial

    • As of 2010, The X Games are broadcast with support from ESPN. The games are widely commercialized, often incorporating rock music concerts and extensive advertising opportunities.

    Audience

    • The demographic for the Winter X Games is young adults and teens, but many older adults and young children may enjoy the family-friendly competitions as well. Between 25,000 and 75,000 fans attend an X Games event, and even more watch the games on ESPN. Amateur athletes can bring their own gear to the Winter X Games to show off their abilities in the interactive Snowskate Park.

    Locations

    • The first Winter X Games were held in 1997 in Big Bear Lake, California. The games moved to Crested Butte, Colorado, for the next two years. And the two years after that saw the games in Mount Snow, Vermont. But since 2002, the Winter X Games have been held in Aspen, Colorado. The Winter X Games Europe took place in 2010, in Tignes, France.