The 2025 Winter X Games, an annual international action sports competition, was held in Aspen, Colorado, on Jan. 23-25th. This year’s games showcased various events and athletes, highlighting many record-breaking moments and pushing the boundaries of extreme skiing and snowboarding to new heights.
Going into its 24th consecutive year, the X Games were conceived in 1997 and have since become the leading international action sports competition. The winter games are partnered with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the official Olympic & Paralympic national governing body in the U.S., who work together to “[put] an exciting step forward in our mission to provide more world class competitive opportunities for freeskiers and snowboarders,” as Sophie Goldschmidt, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO, stated.
The 2025 games hosted over a hundred athletes from around the world in snowboarding and skiing events, including SuperPipe, slopestyle, big air, and knucklehead. Featuring the launch of a new competition structure ( in preparation for the new league format to be instituted in 2026), the debut of ski street style as a medal event, and a multitude of both world-renowned athletes and new breakout stars alike, the 2025 Winter X Games is one for the books.
The games kicked off on Thursday, with American skier Alex Hall winning his 12th overall medal and 6th overall gold in the men’s Knuckle Huck event, for his “switch right cork butter 180 off the knuckle”.
Later, in the men’s snowboard SuperPipe, Australian Scotty James made X Games History by landing the first triple corkscrew, leaving him one medal away from record holder Shaun White for the most medals in the event (10).
The following day introduced the women’s snowboard slopestyle event, where New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synott, despite having recently returned from a major ankle injury, landed the first-ever triple cork 1440 (four full rotations and three off-axis flips), securing her the gold medal.
“I didn’t know if I would ever be on the podium again through this injury, and to be with them and be part of the progression, and to win this competition, I can’t even believe it.” said Sadowski-Synott in a press release after the event.
However, the biggest highlight of the night was in the men’s snowboard big air event, where Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara made history by landing the first-ever backside 2340 (six and a half rotations).
The final day in Aspen saw seven events. In the women’s snowboard SuperPipe final, two time olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim, clinched her eighth X Games gold, tying Shaun White for the most overall medals, and becoming the most decorated female halfpipe rider in X Games history.
To close off the games, Italy’s Miro Tabanelli won the men’s ski big air by landing the world’s first 2340 in skiing.
This year’s Winter X Games highlighted many action-packed events and highlights that left fans on the edge of their seats. However, with the summer X Games in Sacramento coming up this August and the snowboarding and skiing season just beginning, the year for extreme sports is far from over, with much more riveting competition to come.
